Do we abdicate true responsibility for our business success? Don’t look for inspiration in another coach’s experiences when the answer lies with you

By Ginny Baillie

Imagine that, like me, you work with clients on being self-directed, taking inspiration where they find it, but holding ultimate responsibility for their own actions and results.

Then why do so many coaches, including myself at times, think they’re going to find the answer in another coach’s experience?

Why are we enthralled by someone else’s five-step plan or exacting process to a six-figure business? Just because they have accomplished this doesn’t mean we’re going to. My own success is no guarantee of your success.

I was contacted by a coach recently who wanted to hire me to work with them on business development. I had two questions for them: “Have you considered hiring a business strategy specialist?” and “Do you know how many other coaches I am working with?”

The latter question is important – is my business successful if I only have other coaches as clients working on their business success? For me that has the sniff of pyramid selling, the industry feeding off itself, rather than creating business success in an expansive manner.

I wonder if as an industry we need to be more open to working with other professionals to support our business development. I also wonder if we believe in coaching so strongly we think it is going to answer all our business needs, even if actually it is not always a good fit.

I’ve written before about making a big investment in coaching that didn’t pan out the way I expected. When I think about the process I used to make that investment it was based on emotion, other coaches’ experience, the coach’s sureness that they could help, and then, rather like a child who is told they can’t have something, it became all about finding the money to pay for it.

At no point did I reverse think it. I did not say, “Right, I’ve got this pot of money to invest in my business and my life – what is the best use of that money?”

The investment was too high, the expectations too high – really, it was doomed from the start.

Yes, the coach had a part to play in that, but the responsibility was mine. I realise that I thought the brave step of hiring them would be some sort of guarantee.

In the way we can’t see our unconscious biases, I think we should be disrupting our thinking when developing our business strategies. Yes, get inspiration from other coaches, but then make it your own – keep a strong hold on the responsibility for your success.

Set up peer groups for the purpose of being cynics when it come to presenting your plans, encourage critical evaluations of your strategies, share your ideas with people who think least like you.

Get away from the collusion of your regular groups – or upgrade them to genuine critical friends. Shop around for different business support and consider different experiences.

Whatever you do, remember no-one cares as much as you do about what happens to your business. Take all ideas, inspiration, feedback – and craft them into something that is genuinely yours.

You are the guru of your business.

 

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