Very often, when business owners or entrepreneurs seek out my ‘advice’ or want to be coached, it’s already too late. It’s a common trend.
They have their head in their hands and tell me that now is the time they’re ready to listen. Of course, there are ways a coach can become involved to alleviate pressure in those situations, or at least to offer support, but a business coach’s best value is before the going gets tough, and not when it may be close to business rescue.
Think about a business coach like a silent business partner. Someone you know and whose counsel you trust, who sits on your hypothetical board and offers space for perspective.
And allowing for that special space to think and to dream regularly provides a golden perspective when you’re spending too much time in the business and not on the business.
You can look for this with colleagues, partners or even spouses with mixed results. Often there’s an emotional barrier or entanglement that renders that pure perspective impossible. It is simply not the right environment for your business’ wellbeing. A coach understands coaching in your business and has a good sense of general business knowledge, but also can sit and listen unmoved by ego or the slippery slope of trying to be right.
I’ve made a success of so many entrepreneurs by helping them to unlock a state of clear perspective within themselves. It’s only within this space that we’re able to confidently make decisions. And this confidence doesn’t derive from ‘being right’, but rather from the process of creating perspective to facilitate the space in which the correct conclusion is realised.