In my last blog I talked about having a process to get things done so that you can do more and get where you want to go. Sometimes you need more than just a process, you need help. A good resource for that is a coach, one who is experienced and knowledgeable in the area we need help.
As many of you know, growing a business is difficult and it is understood why so many don’t make it in the early years. We simply don’t know everything, as hard as that is to admit. This is where coaches can be so valuable. A coach can give an outside perspective, experience and awareness that we just don’t see ourselves. Tiger Woods has a coach and so do many of the Fortune 500 CEOs who get coached by Marshall Goldsmith and Bill Campbell.
At my company, Efficience, we want to take it to another level. We could use some help in a few key areas, so we are working with the coaches at The Great Game of Business to create awareness around our critical numbers and setup a better profit sharing arrangement. These key areas will get the entire team in the game, and motivated to work together and to go after the big objectives.
We have also enlisted the coaching knowledge of Square 2 Marketing to help us create a better Brand Promise and a marketing plan that will expose us to our target market and bring customers to us. We will better hone in on our key phrases that potential clients use to “search” for our custom software services or for any of our software products.
If you’re a big fan of making your company better and making yourself better, like I am, then there is nothing like having someone to challenge you and hold you accountable. Marshall Goldsmith verifies this in his study of 250,000 respondents, saying “Very few people achieve positive, lasting change without ongoing follow-up. Unless they know at the end of the day (week or month) that someone is going to measure what they promised to do, most people fall prey to inertia. They continue doing what there were doing.”
I have worked with Steve D’Annunzio, founder of the Soul Purpose Institute, on and off for the past 10 years as my life/success coach. He has challenged me and helped me gain insight about myself that has been invaluable to my personal and business growth. From my experience, coaching has made all the difference in the world.
You may be thinking, “That all sounds great, but I’m not in a position to afford a coach…where does that leave me?” How about getting another peer to help you? In exchange, you can do the same for them, holding each other accountable for reaching your goals. Organizations like EO are great for being around other businesses owners, offering a forum group which is a lot like having your own private board.