Do you need a coach?

And why is the answer yes?

I’ve been a coach for more than half my life - but it didn’t start willingly. I was a “volunteer” coach for the youth soccer program that my high school coach put together. Every Wednesday after our regular practice we had practice with our teams of three and four year olds, many of whom were playing soccer for the first time. It was more or less like herding cats for 45 minutes, trying to keep the attention of six kids at a time was near impossible, but every session was fun and I found I really enjoyed it. And that was it for me, I’ve been a coach ever since, for 15 years on the soccer field, and the last three as a business coach.

The material that I’m delivering is different, but being a business coach requires a lot of the same skills I learned from my coaching mentors and instructors over the years. I had some really good coaches to look up to, people I learned a ton of stuff from, and who undoubtedly made me a better coach. I learned that in order to help players and teams get better, I needed to get better as well - I needed to develop my skills, hone my instincts, and practice new techniques. I had to work on getting better as a coach the same way I was asking my players to work. Working now as a business coach is no different - I’m asking business owners to be reflective, to work hard on themselves, and to think about things differently for their business; and I have to be willing to do the same.

I believe that everyone needs a coach. No matter the activity, no matter the goal, if you’re trying to get better at something, a coach can help you. There is a reason all-star athletes like Damian Lillard or LeBron James spend so much money on personal trainers and coaches - it’s because they know they need help to continue to improve if you want to stay at the top. Top surgeons hire coaches to help them with their planning and techniques, professional chefs are always learning from the people that have gone before them; any industry has its own examples of top performers getting better through coaching. And for those of us who are not starting at such lofty levels, there is an even stronger argument for finding someone to help guide you. Whether you want to improve your sports performance, your art, your skills as an entrepreneur, your cooking, or anything else, there is someone out there who could help you.

A coach, a mentor, a trainer to show you things you can’t see for yourself, and help you accelerate your growth. Sure, you could struggle on your own for countless hours and maybe get to where you want to go, but there is a way to shortcut all of the potential wrong turns, to get guidance from someone who already knows the way, someone who can give you feedback and help you match your performance with your ambitions. Find a coach - someone to help you on your journey.

I had an amazing session with a mentor this week - she helped me unlock some issues I’ve been running into with a client, and showed me things I hadn’t even considered before. The moment she said some of these things it was like she flipped the light switch in a dark room - it was all so clear, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. But without her there to show me, to lead me, to turn on that light, I wouldn’t have found it on my own (or if I had it would have been far too late). And I don’t just have one mentor, I have a handful of people I talk to regularly, to sharpen my own skills, to build myself up, to help show me the way. And I can’t calculate how valuable their feedback and insight has been over the course of my career so far. There are so many things that I’ve picked up that I never would have seen for myself; I’ve learned lessons that other people have had to pay dearly for, and I’ve heard from them how to avoid those same pitfalls. The impact of a good coach cannot be underestimated.

Admitting you can’t do something on your own is challenging and asking for help is never easy. Most people fail over and over again before ever reaching out and asking for help, hoping it’s not too late. But getting a coach to help you along your journey isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. You’re choosing to get help, you’re choosing to work on getting better - for me that is the ultimate sign of strength. There are always areas where you can improve, and finding someone to help you sharpen those skills means you can accelerate your growth and achieve your goals faster.

So what is one area where you’d like to improve? What steps can you take today to find someone to help you? Do you need a coach in a particular area of your life? What are you going to do about it? And if you’re a small business owner looking for help - let’s have a conversation!