Everyone needs a coach. That may sound self-serving coming from a coach but hear me out before you judge. I never played any team sports in school and so I also used to wonder about coaches.
What was the coach doing over there on the sidelines? Isn’t the action on the field?
And why would Serena Williams or Tom Brady need coaches? Aren’t they much better athletes than their coaches?
These questions caused me to scratch my head.
The answer came in the late nineties when my first business began to grow quickly. What started as a mom-and-pop operation, had grown ten times over its first year in business and was looking to double that within the next year or two.
The books I read suggested I needed some coaching to take my business to the next level, or we could flame out as quickly as we had risen!
I took that advice, and I was fortunate to be accepted into an executive coaching program at Dartmouth College, and later hired my first business coach from the Berkshire Management Institute.
The training I received, and subsequent coaches I’ve hired convinced me that everyone needs a coach. Regardless of your profession or position, there is someone who can help you elevate your game.
For some it’s more than a suggestion. Failure to act will either stunt your growth or cut off your opportunities altogether. Think about that.
Nowadays, there are many different types of coaches.
Some of the more popular disciplines are:
Life coaches,
Business coaches,
Career coaches,
Executive coaches, and
Health coaches.
But there are a host of others including:
Mindset coaches,
Branding coaches,
Spiritual coaches, and
Relationship coaches.
You name the issue and there is a coach for it!
But do you really need a coach?
Yes and no.
Yes, if you want better performance in any of the areas listed above, i.e., life, business, career, health etc.
No, if you’re satisfied where you are.
If that is you, you can stop reading here.
For the others, let me break down some expected outcomes of the top 3 categories mentioned above.
A life coach works with individuals to help them achieve their life goals. They can also help you identify roadblocks to your success and to devise a plan with you to overcome them.
A business coach helps you to take your business from where it is now (including the startup stage) to where you want it to be. A good coach will guide you in clarifying your vision and mission and will help you to implement business success strategies.
A career coach assists with crafting effective resumes, career planning, motivation techniques, etc. They are especially useful when you are transitioning from one career to another.
Thus, if you can identify your intended destination, there is a coach ready, willing, and able to facilitate your journey.
When I attended Oprah Winfrey’s Vision Tour in early 2020, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Oprah had three separate coaches for life, business, and health. By then, I had learned and experienced the secret weapon of all top performers: high-level coaching and mentorship.
You may have heard of Tony Robbins. He is a life and business coach, meaning he guides you on both. That is my practice as well. A few years ago, I was able to spend a weekend with Tony and his team at his Unleash The Power Within event.
He emphasized the point that you bring your whole self to your work. There’s no real separation between your “work self” and the rest of your life. If your life is out of balance, your business will follow, and vice versa.
I’ll go a step further and add your spiritual life to that. Entrepreneurs are notorious hard workers. We’re known to burn our candles on both ends, and then to go find more candles!
It’s easy to ignore our spiritual lives when material concerns like production, impatient clients, and payroll are pressing in. But being in spiritual congruence is a key part of not burning out like a candle.
One of my clients recently shared with me, “As I looked to scale my coaching practice, I needed someone who had the business acumen AND faith necessary to help me on both a business and spiritual level.”
That’s a smart woman! By finding balance in her personal, business, and spiritual life, her entrepreneurial path will be evergreen. In tough times that all business owners face, she will have a reservoir of inner power that will see her through any difficulty.
Let me close by saying there’s no single coach who can answer all your needs. After you have your life, business, and career goals handled, you may need a public relations expert to get the word out, or marketing and advertising expert to assist in giving your business more exposure.
There is always room for improvement. There are always new levels to attain. That’s why there’s always a need for a coach.
I would love to hear your feedback!
Sharon
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