Don’t Think You Need a Business Coach? Think Again.
Another year is ending. And what a year it has been! Have you been struggling to meet your goals amidst the chaos the world has brought? Are you even sure what you truly want your goals to be? If that sounds like you, then there’s never a better time than the present to work with a business coach.
Anyone, no matter their field or ambition, will see the benefits of working with one, both in and out of the board room.
Looking for proof? Here’s how everyone can benefit from a business coach.
1. Learn to Make Better Goals, and Achieve Them
Only 8% of people actually achieve the goals they set. That’s due in part to people’s ability to set vague and unrealistic goals. If a goal is measurable and specific, they’re more likely to be achieved.
The problem is, many of us don’t understand how to create smarter goals. But, with a business coach to bounce ideas off of, it’s more likely that you’ll follow through. After one win under your belt, there’s a better chance you’ll keep the momentum rolling.
[Tweet “The problem is, many of us don’t understand how to create smarter goals. But, with a business coach to bounce ideas off of, it’s more likely that you’ll follow through.”]2. Feedback that’s Constant (But Also Actionable)
Here’s a crazy thought–it’s impossible to truly see yourself. If you want to get an idea, you can look in a mirror, or consult a photograph, but you are unable to see yourself without a filter of a tool.
That same kind of paradox applies to self-reflection. Research shows that we have a limited sense of self-awareness. You can’t give yourself effective feedback or see your own blind spots and the input you’re getting at the office can come with bias and baggage.
But, when a coach gets to know you, they can provide unbiased, constructive feedback that serves to benefit your growth. This isn’t your basic feedback. Instead, it’s done with care, and the goal to mold the feedback into actionable growth. That positive feedback loop can lead to personal growth, but it might also help you see yourself more clearly.
When a coach gets to know you, they can provide unbiased, constructive feedback that serves to benefit your growth.
So, a business coach is not only a resource for growth, but they’re also an unbiased sounding board for when issues arise. Working together, you can take a step back, process the feedback, look for paths to growth, and get a better view of who you are now, and with hard work, who you can become.
3. Strength Building
When it comes to personal strength assessment, we often mistake the forest for the trees. It’s rare for individuals to be able to identify all the unique values they inherently bring to a venture or the workplace. But, if you don’t know those strengths, you can have a hard time setting yourself apart. Let’s face it, most of us get gold medals in being personal critics, but few of us have the patience to pinpoint what we excel at.
That’s where a coach can be your own personal hype-man. They can help you identify what sets you apart (because you might not even know!), and how to let that skill shine in the workplace.
Let’s face it, most of us get gold medals in being personal critics, but few of us have the patience to pinpoint what we excel at.
As those strengths begin to develop, a business coach helps you build on them, deepening your skill set to better tackle the hard problems that arise when building or running your own business.
4. Work on Weaknesses
So, we’re great at identifying what we’re bad at, but many of us are powerless to change it.
Sometimes it just feels like negative behaviors are engrained. You’ll never change, relying more on strengths, which in turn makes your weaknesses, well, even weaker.
A business coach can help you look at your weaknesses straight in the eye, tackling them instead of letting them be. Once you can identify a weakness, you can properly address it; whether that be working to strengthen it on your own, or learning to delegate to those with relevant skills.
On your own, you might be aware of things you could stand to work on. But, with a coach, you’ve got an accountability buddy to address weaknesses in many possible ways. Who knows? With a coach, you might become one of those people whose weakness is “caring too much.”
[Tweet “A business coach can help you look at your weaknesses straight in the eye, tackling them instead of letting them be.”]5. Grow, Grow, Grow!
Few of us are altruistic enough to improve just for improvement’s sake. We wouldn’t blame you if a major motivator to working with a coach was salary growth, business expansion, or the bottom line.
A business coach is focused on, and committed to, your personal growth. They want to build skills on top of skills. That could mean sharpening negotiation skills for the big contract, or simply working through ways to accelerate outreach and growth. A business coach has the tools to help you grow as a CEO, business owner, or entrepreneur. You’ll work together to form a strategy, leveraging strengths, weaknesses, and the growth you’ve made as a tool to seek more.
Next Steps: Getting a Business Coach
For lots of us, the idea of working with a business coach feels like a far-off or lofty goal. It’s a someday venture, but not today. Not with your current budget, workload, company position, or future goals. But, that’s where companies like Aspire360 are hoping to change things. Aspire360 blends online learning with one-on-one coaching to make the process more streamlined, affordable, and results-driven.
Join an Aspire360 Axiom group today to get support and feedback from other founders, with professional insight from seasoned coaches and serial entrepreneurs.
If you’re looking for a sign to work with a coach, here it is. To the rest of you, what are you waiting for?
Eleanor Haglund is the Founder and CEO of Aspire 360 and an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School (CBS ‘21). She has a background in strategy, operations, and communications in the coaching, publishing, and pharmaceutical industries.