Sunday, June 15, 2008

What will a Business Coach do for my business?

We already have a question!

It's amazing, really, how critical the world of Business Coaching has become. A FocalPoint Business Coach is a certified, trained professional who has years or experience backing them up.

We just started this blog , and the world has responded. " I just purchased a ( construction)company. What would a Business Coach do for me? "

Great question.

Many of our Coaches have left corporate America, where they ran mega-companies. ( AmeriTrade, Chiquita, SAP, Liz Claiborne, US Army, Various Major and Regional Banks, etc) Some ran smaller companies, either as owner, or C-level and above. Either way the value they bring to the table for a business owner or executive is made to be impactful.

Let me begin to answer your question with an answer you wouldn't expect.

"I don't know....."

Now, before you get angry, what I mean is, I don't know enough. So, "Dave" if you give me a bit more detail, I'm happy to go deeper on that answer.

If I had to take a stab in the dark, I'd assume you were talking about a situation we see often- where a new owner ( or executive ) comes in , and there is resistance from the old team.

They feel threatened, maybe a little scared, and generally worried.

You, on the other hand, have big plans, a vision for change and a timeline to get it done in! ....and they know that.

Before you can get them to help you with the changes, it might be time to set out some rules for "Dave's Construction company" ( you didn't leave a company name, Dave) , or, at least the rules for how you want things to go.

Imagine you're the new coach of a college football team. You head out onto the field on first day of practice and survey your new team as you begin the walk across the field. As you walk up to them, you take a mental inventory.

".... Hmm.....
These guys seem like a fit and healthy looking bunch.
They look like they're goofing off, waiting for me to show up.
They seem dressed for running practice- maybe they think we're doing time splits today.
Hey, how come no one has pads?
There's not many guys out ,either...
Hmm, I don't see anyone that looks like D-Line or even O-Line material. Not one of these guys breaks 195!...."

Finally, you're standing in front of them...your new team. Yup, you're the coach. The Football Coach - of a soccer team.

See, what if your construction company is like this? For you to teach them how you want this business run ( game played) - they're going to need new rules before anything can happen.

Business Coaching is a lot like coaching in professional sport. The high performing individual in our case is the business owner and their team, not the athlete. The output isn't the Superbowl, it's winning at business.

So, working with a FocalPoint Business Coach, here's one of the base rules we'll teach you more about. Brian Tracy talks about this concept of Personal Responsibility. We've also seen it referred to as Victor /Victim , or the Winner/Whiner Concept, or having an Internal and External Locus of Control. ( Jay Abraham, Tony Robbins, Verne Harnish)

It goes like this, and it can be applied to any team you are working with.

There are only 2 kinds of people in the world. That’s it.

If you’re trying to drive a change in culture in your business, or with a Business Coaching client, this is an indispensable tool.

And these 2 kinds of people are easy to spot, if you know what you’re looking for.

The 2 kinds of people are defined by how they act react to a P.R.O.B.L.E.M. This is a business coach tool that smart business owners grab onto and learn as much as they can about.

Acronyms and other learning tools will be an important part of keeping your message real and remembered. The acronym we use for P.R.O.B.L.E.M. is People Reacting Oddly Because Life Expects More .

To define this concept, take a blank page and draw a line across it like this, dividing it in half ( top from bottom)
"----------------------------------------------------------"
That line represents Problems in the world. How we, as business people and humans act and react to those PROBLEMS plays a big part in how well your team will change.

Then on top of that line would be the Winners of the world. Winners are people that other people want to be around, right? Well, under that line would be the opposite of Winner….. “Whiner”

Please don’t use the word “loser”. Defining people with a such a negative word is destructive and will alienate you from your client and your team. Look – the definition remains the same, but its far better to say WHINER.

Over the next few days, I’ll tell you a bit more about the things that make a person above or below that line.
Dave, drop me a line if I'm not answering the exact question you had - and thanks for reaching out!
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