Making the Most of Your Coach: Part Two
Happy February! Now that the whirlwind of the New Year is officially over, I know that most of us are really digging into what we want for ourselves and our businesses this year – and that probably means getting help from others.
Whether you’ve just decided you want to start working with a coach or you’ve been doing it for years, I want to make sure that you’re not spending your time and money with her for nothing.
Last week, we discussed three of my five key guidelines for getting the most out of your relationship with your coach – participating (even when it’s hard!), communicating honestly, and asking questions and getting support often.
This week, I’ll be sharing my last two success strategies.
Let’s get right back into it with number four.
4. Celebrate All Your Wins
I’ll never forget when one of my clients came to me and announced with pure joy, “I have three clients in my group program!” I hesitated before I answered, just to make sure that her joy was real. And then I celebrated with her – “Three clients is amazing!”
She went on to offer scholarships to two other people so that she could run her group program with five people in it. She was absolutely thrilled. And she went on to continue growing that program every time she offered it. Today she gets more than 50 participants every time she runs it.
The thing is – she could have been upset that only 3 people joined – but she chose to look at every step forward as a celebration. Maintaining this mindset throughout the evolution of your business is CRUCIAL.
To this day, in my business, I have moments during launches when I feel like not enough people have bought – and I have to remind myself to dance around in celebration of the people who have bought.
This also holds true for celebrating non-numeric wins. One of my clients did her very first webinar and only ten people registered. No one showed up to the webinar – and she did the whole thing anyway, for practice and integrity. We celebrated enthusiastically on our next call – she’d done it!
It is by celebrating every win that you bring in even more success. You also fend off disappointment, which robs you of your joy and leaves you working at half capacity.
This strategy is a big one! Please step into it. EVERY SINGLE ONE of my most successful clients has embodied this – celebration of numeric and non-numeric wins at every single step.
5. Take Massive Imperfect Actions – Do What Your Coach Says
One of the things I tell all my clients is that hitting your goals happens when you combine imperfect actions with great coaching.
Action + Strategy = Results.
Many people confuse actions with movement.
Movement is learning how to do a skillset – it’s sitting down with your planner, reading a book, taking a training, blocking out your time, and so on.
Action is actually doing the work – doing the sales conversation, giving the talk, going out to meet people, picking up the phone.
Movement is safe.
Action is scary.
Movement is necessary to create confidence and readiness to act.
Action creates results like more time and money.
I put this point last because it is the most obvious one – yet it is where so many students fail. They stay in a place of movement – learning, planning, thinking, organizing, getting ready – instead of moving into a place of action.
And it’s such a shame!
Because the whole reason you hire a business coach is to be able to risk taking MASSIVE UNCOMFORTABLE ACTIONS and have someone to catch you when you fall!
My most successful clients did the uncomfortable things, even when they didn’t feel ready. Even if they weren’t sure what to do or how to do it.
And then they came to the call and shared their results, and together we course corrected, game-planned, and changed direction where needed.
This is the best way to use your business coach – get clear with her on what massive actions you should be taking. Then TAKE THEM! And report back with the results.
Two keys to remember:
- You must be a good listener in order to hear the actions.
- You must be organized in your note-taking in order to remember the actions.
I suggest using an online note-taking software like Evernote. Create a notebook with your coach’s name on it and use it every time you speak with her.
And there you have it! All five of my key strategies to succeed with your business coach –
Participate (even when it’s hard), communicate honestly, ask questions and get support often, celebrate all your wins, and take massive imperfect action.
A business coach can help you and your business soar as high as your hopes – but only if you dedicate yourself to putting the work in, doing the hard things, and engaging with her in a clear and consistent way.
These processes are nowhere near easy – but I have seen over and over just how worth it they are.
You got this.
