What would you like to change about your performance and that of your business?
No matter how successful we are most of us would ideally like to change some aspect of our work performance or our personal life where it is impacted by work. Perhaps we are “workaholics” who can’t switch off…much to the annoyance of partners and friends.
Perhaps we lack the original “VISION” we had for the business when we started it. Over the years we have been ground down by the pressures and demands of the business to the point where we are fire fighting on a regular basis.
Some business owners/managing directors feel the business has got beyond their control and is running them rather than the other way round. They feel “stuck” or impotent, no longer able to make the decisions that would move the business to the next level. They need more Sales, more Profits, more Cash, but can’t seem to see a way to get them.
Equally some of us lack the skills or confidence to deal with those difficult “people issues” that seem to rear up at the worst possible times. We often try to ignore them and hope they go away……..but they never do!
The good news is that it does not have to be this way.
Getting help for performance improvement is often something that the owners/directors of SMEs do not feel applies to them, either on grounds of cost or time or because they see it as a “big company ” activity: or they are too stubborn or proud to admit they need it!
However, improving the performance of the person or team running the business makes good business sense for a number of reasons:-
- Improved focus on the key issues
- Improved long term planning
- less time wasted on peripheral issues
- Improved management of people leading to
- improved morale, retention of talent and lower spend on recruitment
- improved culture leads to improved ability to attract top talent
- Lower stress levels for employees at all levels
- Positive impact on the bottom line thorough higher productivity, improved effectiveness and lower spending.
Why Coaching rather than Training?
Very few of us fail to get some benefit from attending a training programme; but several months later we have often forgotten what we learned or failed to make use of it in our daily routine so the benefits are lost.
Research shows that Coaching is more likely to result in sustainable change and also that if managers attend training and are provided with coaching their productivity will rise by more than double the improvement with just the training.
In 2003 a study for Nortel Networks concluded that the company achieved a return on investment from providing one-one coaching of over 500%.
Top sportsmen and athletes all use coaches to keep them improving. There is no reason to suppose that executive performance could not be improved by confidential, one to one coaching.
It may not make you “perfect” but is will help you move from the place you are to one where you are happier with your performance and perhaps your whole life as well.
