Becoming Your Own Boss, Even if You’re Not Self-Employed

A question we’re often asked by our business coaching clients is how to succeed while working for a difficult boss. Good question.

We don’t know the answer.

However, the path we follow is one they almost never expect! When someone tells us he can’t succeed because his boss is difficult, we have to do some digging.

At some point, we’ll turn the mirror back on the client. What that means is that, in coaching people to business success, we follow the principle of personal responsibility that Brian Tracy discusses in Focal Point.

Here’s what he has to say that turns the average person upside down, “The acceptance of personal responsibility lies at the core of the personality of every outstanding man or woman.” What that means is that, no matter the situation, when things don’t go as you’d planned, you take responsibility for the outcome.

So, how would we, as business coaches, use that principal with someone who believes a “bad boss” is holding them back? We’d first begin to share the tools to understnd how a person can take responsibility for their own success, just as if they were self-employed. Using that approach, rather than blaming the system in which he works, helps us to move a client to a place where he’s making decisions and acting upon them as though the buck stops at his desk.

For some, this is a major shift. For others, it’s tiny shift in perception. It’s a lot of fun when we get to do it with entire teams ( divisions, groups, etc)

In Executive Coaching that one shift in thinking can be seismic in a client’s future! Every decision is suddenly seen in the context of “how do I want to run my business?” whether it’s how he wants to find new clients for his employer or how he can better manage his department. When you can define what you do for a living as a business that you control, it becomes worth careful planning and extra effort.

That’s a lot different than feeling trapped in a job!

This is part of showing our clients how to get control over their day, their career, their life.

You see, once an executive sees themselves from the viewpoint of “self-employed”, rather than someone at the mercy of a system, they start meeting and redefining their goals at warp speed! You don’t need to quit your corporate job and start your own business to benefit from this move toward becoming responsible for your success.

And so, now you’ve had a glimpse into how a business coach works to help a client succeed. Our clients are smart, motivated people who simply want a shift in worldview to help them achieve their goals.

If you have a though, post a response to this blog. We’d love to hear from you.

Steve Thompson
President
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy

If this economy has you thinking about how to get the edge, here’s someplace you’ll want to visit: FocalPoint Coaching. And if you have questions about how you can become a business coach, why not learn more about one of the premier business coach training systems?