My Name's Paul, and I Have a Coach.

As you may already know, I practice what I preach in the fact that I have a coach. In this article, I want to reflect on my coaching journey as someone who loves being coached, rather than someone who coaches, and share some of the benefits I get from my monthly sessions.

I find that my sessions have a profound impact the on my productivity, my effectiveness, and overall success of my business. As an entrepreneurial business owner and leader, I find this structured, safe environment has been genuinely crucial for the growth of my business and my own mental health and prosperity.

Firstly, my coaching sessions help me to clarify and articulate the vision I have for my business. When working ‘in’ the business, I, like many leaders of organisations can lose sight of my overarching goals or can become blurred. My coach offers a fresh, external perspective, helping me to identify and articulate my goals clearly, and subsequently focus on achieving them. This is an invaluable benefit in an environment that is often bogged down by the minutiae of daily tasks and operational details.

Secondly, my coaching sessions enable me to prioritise my objectives effectively. It's a common pitfall for entrepreneurs and owners to get caught up in immediate or urgent tasks, side-lining what's essential for long-term growth. My coach helps me to distinguish between the urgent and important, creating an environment where strategic tasks are given the weight they deserve.

Additionally, my coaching sessions help to cultivate better decision-making skills. When faced with challenging choices, it can be beneficial to have a seasoned advisor to provide objective advice and new perspectives. Coaches bring their wealth of experience and diverse industry knowledge to the table, equipping us with the tools to make better, more informed decisions, ensuring the focus is always on what's best for the business.

My coaching has also helped me to overcome obstacles and handle challenges with more resilience. In the business world, setbacks are inevitable. A good business coach doesn't just provide solutions but also enables leaders to develop their problem-solving skills, thus allowing them to deal with future challenges independently. This emphasis on resilience building ensures that business leaders keep their focus on the important aspects, even in times of crisis.

Finally, as a BNI member and someone who is a bit of a learning junkie, coaching promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement within not just me but the business as a whole. It drives me and my team to consistently evaluate our performance, learn from our experiences, and strive for better. This attitude fosters a focus on improving areas that are critical for business success.

To summarise, coaching is more than just guidance; it's about fostering an environment of clarity, prioritisation, better decision-making, resilience, and continuous learning.

It allows us to shed the non-essential tasks and focus on what is genuinely important. By honing the ability to focus, a business can not only survive the pressures of today's dynamic business environment but can thrive and achieve sustained growth.

As such, I’ve never viewed coaching as a cost or expenditure; it's a strategic decision that can yield significant returns in the long run – it’s an investment.

Paul McCartney is a veteran of the commercial radio industry where he dealt with thousands of small and medium sized businesses over a 27-year career. He launched, managed, and turned businesses around during his career and has a passion for good sales and marketing, the engines of a good business. He was awarded an MBA from the University of Leicester in 2008 and lives in Kent with his wife Josephine.