Professional Coaches » career coach

The Top of The Stairs

admin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:37:47 +0000

Recently, a client told me that he had been bumping his head on the ceiling. He wasn’t any taller since I’d last met him and the context of the conversation was about business. His business, specifically. He was an entrepreneur who had built a successful business but now, he told me, he was bumping his head on the ceiling of growth. He knew he needed to grow but he didn’t know what the right next step was.

We chatted about this for a while as I inquired about what he thought the next step of his business was and what had been the experience of others who had done similar things. Finally we discovered together what the right next step was. It turns out, without realizing it, he had recently achieved his goals in business.

When he started his business he had wanted to create a growing, successful company that was enjoyable to work in and that provided him and his family with a sustainable income. Nothing elaborate, just the good honest hardworking dream of an entrepreneur. He wasn’t seeking fame or fortune, he just wanted to do his own thing and provide for his family.

What he needed, we realized, was a new vision; not just a next step but an entire next staircase!

So together we started creating a roadmap for the future. Rather than looking at the next step for him (which was unclear because there was nothing more for him to achieve) we started looking at what was at the top of his dream staircase. Did he envision an even more prosperous business that he could sell before retirement? Did he want to create something to pass on to his children once they’d grown? Did he want to achieve fame and fortune after all?

It turns out, in his particular case, he wanted to create a business that was somewhat automated, not so he could leave it for weeks and sit on a beach, but just so that he could start spending more time with family as his children got older.

As soon as he said that, it all started to click into place. By looking at the top of the staircase, we could immediately see what steps needed to take place to get there. In his case, he needed to start exploring various automation software, employee training, and (in a little while) a business manager.

Rather than thinking that he had reached the top of the staircase, we changed his thinking so that he had just reached a landing in a much larger staircase.

Now it’s your turn. You might not be there yet. But you may eventually get to that landing. It would be helpful now to consider what the top of the staircase is for you and what steps you need to take to get there.

Is the vision you have for your ultimate business success achievable through the steps you’re taking now? In some ways, this entire "staircase" exercise is an exit strategy exercise but it involves a greater emphasis on the steps you need to take today to get there. Spend some time with your clients working through this process to help them envision what’s at the top of their staircase.

Contemporary VA

@contemporaryva on Twitter. Follow us to stay updated with our many resources that include business, accounting and bookkeeping, social media, and much more!

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Three Skills Everyone Should Have

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:53:58 +0000

Murphy’s Laws says that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Recently, I was reminded of this during a particularly crazier-than-usual week. It was a veritable flurry of mini-disasters. Now, I realize that in the big scheme of things, my flat tire or missed appointment or forgotten tasks are minor compared to the struggles and trials of other people in the world. However, when taken together, it was still an exhausting week for me!

It’s funny that we know things and then forget about them only to be reminded of them again. (If only it would stick!!!). During this past week I was reminded of 3 skills that everyone should have. And believe me, I covet these skills and wish that I reflected them more often!

Skill #1: Acceptance of adversity. When things go wrong – and they will – we need to accept it. That doesn’t mean that we have to like it, but it does mean that we have to simply acknowledge that it has happened and move on from there. There have been plenty of times in my own life and in the lives of people I coach where we face adversity and fly off the handle. Tempers flare, frustration mounts, and there’s yelling, swearing, and tension. It happens and I admit it here because I know this happens to other people, too.

But our lives will dramatically improve when we respond in a more constructive, accepting position when we are face adversity. Rather than flying off the handle, we need to accept that something challenging has happened and then we need to move on from there.

Skill #2: Flexibility. When things go wrong – and they will – we need to get flexible. Once we’ve accepted the adversity as having happened (skill #1) we need to move off of it and start working toward a solution. Flexibility means that we get creative to develop a solution to solve the problem or at least to keep us going in spite of it.

Flexibility in the face of adversity also means that we need to continue on with other things in life, too, even if part of our life is impacted by adversity. (For example, when I got a flat tire last week, I still had to get dinner ready and get the kids to bed regardless of the added tire stress).

Skill #3: Asking "What can I learn from this?". When things go wrong – and they will – we need to ask ourselves "what can I learn from this?". I was reminded recently during a huge rainstorm we had when our neighbor’s pool overflowed and ran down our sloped backyard and into our basement. Until then, we didn’t even know that our backyard sloped ever so slightly toward our house. So we did something about it.

In trying to figure out what you can learn from each situation, you can transform every experience into a personal coaching experience and you will grow from it.

Possessing these three skills – accepting adversity, being flexible, and learning from the situation – will transform how you face challenges. These skills are must-have skills for anyone and they make ideal coaching topics to help your clients, no matter what kind of coaching you might do.

Contemporary VA

@contemporaryva on Twitter. Follow us to stay updated with our many resources that include business, accounting and bookkeeping, social media, and much more!

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A Place for Professional Coaches

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:53:26 +0000

(Our "Welcome Mat", sticky post. You’ll always be welcomed here with this post when you visit!)

Professional-Coaches.com is a place for professional coaches to find and share tips, information, resources, strategies, and even just casual exchanges.

The business of professional coaching is a growing one and one that requires continuous learning, sharing and networking. We encourage coaches to stop by and see what’s new, share their thoughts and resources, and learn and discuss.

With the support and knowledge of others, we can all foster our goal of helping others reach their goals.

Do you often find yourself Googling to assist you in your coaching journey? Wouldn’t it be great to have one primary place to find many resources and thoughts for professional coaches? That’s precisely the goal of Professional-Coaches.com but we can’t do it alone.

Nuestro Casa es Su Casa (Our house is your house). We invite you to make yourself at home and share with other coaches. We would love for you to be our guest blogger, as well as comment with your thoughts and share your resources and strategies.

Welcome home. We look forward to your arrival each and every time.

Karen J. for Professional-Coaches.com

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