I want to chat today about the value of finding the right mentor and guide. Why? Because as an entrepreneur it is often that we feel alone. I know because starting a whole new adventure made me feel lonely and scared, and at a times trying to learn all the new skills just simply overwhelmed me. However, it doesn’t have to be paralyzing.
Whether your goal is to turn your business into a profit center or move into a different role altogether or correct a behavior that isn’t working for you, the right coach or mentor can accelerate and enhance your efforts. Maybe you want your next promotion at work to be the right one and you need to clarify your strategy for making that happen. Or, maybe, you’re a CEO and need a coach to help enhance your voice, relationship skills or integrate work with parenting. Whatever it is, if you remain teachable and open-minded, you can multiply your successes and change things that aren’t working for you by getting yourself a good coach.
That’s been my experience throughout my career. And when I was stuck and couldn’t get out of my own way, the more I found the input of a good coach invaluable. Here’s why.
The most critical role of the coach is to help you get to clarity on where you want to take your business, correct a problem or embark on a new adventure and then determine the skills and steps needed to get there. If like me, you’ve already enjoyed significant success but maybe can’t see your way to more growth or even a different direction, this is where a coach is essential.
When I was growing my salon in past years and especially now, as I move into a new enterprise, I found evaluating my strengths and skill with an objective person invaluable.
If you’re already experienced some success, you’ve probably relied on your considerable skills and innate capabilities. What I found with working with a coach is that it allowed me to get an objective view of what really worked for me. I also was able to label some things that were just in my DNA as strengths-in my case, creativity and developing people. What I learned is we sometimes take things we intuitively do well for granted.
It also called attention to some areas that I had never really paid that much attention to or needed improvement if I was going to be successful at my current goal. And it allowed me to see how I may have relied on my strengths to the exclusion of some other skills it would be worth developing.
Working with a knowledgeable coach helped me see the logic of my plan to establish my online coaching and mentoring programs. In my case, when I reviewed my life and work experience, it was very clear that this made sense as I’ve been training and coaching people all my life. As a kid, I was a leadership counselor in the Working Youth( Israel’s Girl Scouts.) At 18, when I was required to go into the Israeli Army, I became a Special Forces training guide.
As a salon owner, I was obsessed with growing the best possible staff to support my salon goals. I trained over 200 people and empowered them to meet their maximum potential. My reputation for developing people went far beyond my salon walls. I’ve spent years mentoring women in business and in the last decade have been involved in several companies and seminar programs that do just that.
So walking through that background with a coach made me see it was a natural next step for me to start a training and coaching business. I’m lucky as I can marry my skills and interest in my life work. It’s so fulfilling and satisfying for me to see people grow. I love watching people move from one level of competency to the next. With the help of a coach, I could see my goal was realistic and then evaluate where I needed to build my skills inventory to make it happen.
I’ve always worked with coaches and mentors because everybody, no matter who you are or what you’re doing, thrives with input from knowledgeable coaches. You do better with this objective support and the continuous evaluation of what you’re doing well and what might need tweaking. You need someone to guide you, help you stick to your plan, motivate you, show you what you’re missing or don’t know.
A coach and a support team is a luxury you can’t afford to be without. Of course, we all lean on family and friends and the love of our inner circle is the foundation of our lives, but you need people who are experts at what you’re doing; people who have “been there, done that” and have lots of experience to share with you. Most importantly, they can objectively evaluate your progress and what’s needed to get to your objective.
One of the best coaches I’ve ever encountered is Jenny Blake. I heard her speak at a women’s conference in Boston and waited all day to meet her. I finally got a few minutes with her as she signed my copy of her book Pivot. Among many other things, she’s empowered me to be confident in my creativity, which is a natural instinct of mine that I pretty much took for granted. I still participate in her mastery group from time to time and we have a video strategy conference once a year. Her online course, Delegation Ninja, is a life saver for any entrepreneur. Here is the link to that course, http://www.pivotmethod.com/delegate, and be sure to use the Coupon Code: Ronit, which will save you $100 off the $297 price.
So how do you go about finding the best coach for you?
In my experience, two things stand out. You need to be fairly focused on what you want to achieve and it needs to be a communication fit. You can expect a coach to provide clarity for your objective but you have to have a pretty good sense of what you want to achieve and this is the right time for you to do it. It’s also critical that you just click and can communicate honestly. The best coach in the world is of no value to you if for, whatever reason, you just don’t connect.
I suggest you follow these great tips:
- Ask for recommendations from people in your network.
- If a coach is doing a seminar in your area, take it; then decide if it’s someone you can work with.
- Do a thorough interview of potential coaches. Gather all their specs-how long in business; the number of clients, etc.
- Ask to talk to “graduates” of programs.
- Make sure they offer a complimentary strategy call. If they don’t, rule them out. This is a key tool to determine if you and the coach are a style/communication fit.
- Find out if they offer support after the intensive coaching period over-ongoing mastery or group programs.
- Ask if they offer video learning and a feedback accountability system.
- Ask if you can keep the materials after your sessions/program ends.
- Ask them for references.
- Don’t overlook logistics. Pin downtime commitments, how they work and if their hours and time zones are compatible with yours.
If you can connect with the right coach, you will be amazed at the progress you can make toward your goals. Do it! You’ll be so glad you did.
