Why I hired a coach really shouldn’t be of any interest to you. Unless you have some profound interest in me, which I’m sure is not the case for most of you. But why anyone considering hiring a coach hires a coach may be of interest.
I’m a business coach who has been involved in the consulting field since 1987. I’ve been self-employed as a consultant for ten years, so I’ve passed that magical 5 year mark twice. Like many of my friends who graduated with me through USC’s MBA program and today run successful businesses in the fields of consulting, real estate, restaurant management and manufacturing, hiring a coach has nothing to do with how successful you are at the time. Coaching is for successful people as much as it is for people who are aspiring to be more successful. Making the choice to hire a coach has as much to do with how much more you want out of life or business.
I’ve hired coaches on several occasions in my career. When I wanted to become proficient at giving public presentations that were engaging, I hired a speaking coach. That year I gave 44 public presentations to private and public organizations include corporations, chambers of commerce, service clubs, networking groups, trade associations, dealer networks, franchise organizations, brokerage firms, etc. As a result, I landed new business, more speaking opportunities, writing opportunities, and created an entire programs and even a new business model (webinar classes) from the speaking. You see this coaching led me to activities well beyond the scope of what I was even considering.
When speaking before groups of seated audiences, I’ve asked people to raise their hands as high as possible. And, typically their hands go up. And, then I’ve asked them to raise them even higher. And, they typically extend their arms higher and reach their hands higher. And, then I ask them to raise them even higher. Now 1-2 people stand up to raise their hands higher. And, I ask them again. And, the entire group stands up while 1-2 others stand on their chairs and raise their arms and hands as high as humanly possible. And, so I’ve demonstrated why hiring a coach can make a huge difference. Because when I first asked them to raise their hands as high as possible, they saw limits as to what was possible. But, with some further prodding and poking, probing and pushing, they saw and demonstrated greater possibilities for themselves. But, it wasn’t without coaching that they got there because most of us don’t see our own limitations. We hold back ourselves from our full potential and settle for what is comfortable, normal and familiar or what has worked before.
Recently, I hired a business coach to help me achieve more success in my business. As a coach with almost 25 years experience in the consulting business, I can always learn something from another business coach. I have been consulting since 1987, but coaching since 2003. Always looking to improve and grow to my fullest potential, I have always benefitted when I reached out to other mentors, teachers and role models who could show me how to become more effective in my business. And, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I don’t know it all. Or, that I could learn a thing or two from someone younger or older than me who has achieved the level of success in their business that I would like to emulate. So, recently, I hired a coach to coach the coach. And, I’m glad I did. I have found my focus and excitement again. I have put into practice new habits that I should have been practicing all along, but lost sight of their importance. I lost focus and faith. Having a coach put me back where I could be and should have been. The results so far are impressive. I’ve reinvented my service offerings. I’ve increased my marketing spending and activity. And, I’m getting additional training and education. I’m generating more leads for my business as a result. And, I’m closing new business opportunities again!
Education, training and marketing are all investments I recommend to clients during a down economy. So, I’m taking my advice and proving it works!