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The Irony Of Not Getting A Coach

“The coach doesn't have to play the sport as well as you do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best." Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google "I just don't get why business leaders need someone like you." This, or a version of it has been said to me many times by business people. Now when I hear it, I have to stop myself laughing so as not to come across as rude.

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“The coach doesn’t have to play the sport as well as you do.

They have to watch you and get you to be your best.”

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google

“I just don’t get why business leaders need someone like you.”

This, or a version of it has been said to me many times by business people. Now when I hear it, I have to stop myself laughing so as not to come across as rude.

At the top level of just about any field, you’ll find that the best performers all have coaches.

Athletes, actors, singers, musicians, speakers all have coaches. Why? Because to be the best, your gains are in the areas you can’t see – and someone else needs to point them out.

In fact in today’s world, it would be seen as unprofessional if we heard of someone at the top level not having one, if not several coaches.

But in the world of business, they’re still, bizarrely, seen as the exception. Most men I know will think nothing of paying a fortune to do a workshop with a top golfing coach, but baulk at the thought of paying for something similar in relation to their work.

I think one of the reasons is that to some it’s incorrectly seen as a sign of weakness, or an admission that they are weak as a leader.

It could also be because that everywhere you go more and more people are claiming to be a professional coach and many of those people have made claims that defy belief.

From my experience of working in the ‘coaching industry’ for over 22 years, it seems to me that people who would benefit the most from a coach are often the most hesitant – precisely because of what coaching involves:

  • Being vulnerable
  • Talking about your challenges
  • Committing to goals
  • Acknowledging that there is plenty of room for improvement
  • Becoming more responsible for the way your work and life is

Get the right coach and better results will come. Yet we hesitate.

Ironically, the very things that are holding us back from a higher level of performance and a better level of life are the reasons we probably need a coach in the first place.

Best,

Shane

P.S. – You can get the benefit of working very closely with two very experienced coaches for a fraction of the normal fee involved in working with them. The 3 month virtual Flip The Script program, created by myself and Dr. Michael Gerharz is still taking registrations at the reduced early-bird fee up to 31st July. Details and registration here.

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