Look at any sports team worth following, they all have one thing in common: They have a COACH! Many of the professional teams have many coaches with individual specialisations and expertise.

Your local under-14 football team even has a coach, the under-12 netballers have one as well because a good coach will get the best out of the individual, and when those skills and abilities are combined with other team individuals, and all individuals work collectively toward a common goal, then you become a team.

Now let me pose this interesting question to you.

You are in business, this is serious stuff and you’ve possibly got a lot at stake. I’m thinking; credibility, reputation, your brand, theirs your well-being and of course money – possibly lots of it.

At some stage, you should work out the total cost in terms of real $, so you know exactly what’s at stake. This is called responsible management and strong leadership, which I’ll write more about in my future blogs.

For those with staff, they totally rely on you to keep the ship floating, no matter how rough the seas and so do their families, their children do too. They say an inner circle of around 50 people are attached to each of your employees. If they are out of work, 50 people will be affected. To be clear, how many employees did you say you have? Now do the math!

With the much added pressure and total reliance on your team, who is the person coaching and supporting you?

I reckon you’ve got more at stake than the under 14’s.

Time to change up the game and ask yourself why haven’t engaged a coach for you and your team.

For the year ahead, how are you placed to engage a coach and advisor, someone you can:

• talk openly, honestly and confidentially about your genuine concerns
• Share ideas & strategies for growth
• develop your people
• celebrate the wins
• keep you accountable and on track
• who will give you an outsider’s perspective because they are not connected and not involved with the personalities or politics of your (every) workplace?

Just imagine your freedom, your relief of being able to share that massive load you are carrying on your shoulders alone, with someone else who’s walked in your footsteps before, who’s successfully built businesses and exited with pride, satisfaction and a genuine sense of achievement. This is what you need, someone who can walk the talk with you, alongside you for the long journey ahead.

I’m thinking about professional athletes who have a small window of opportunity to become a champion or be a member of a championship-winning team. This has got me thinking about how those athletes and their elite coaches see the world.

Below is a sampling of terrific quotes from champion athletes about coaching, and what they have learnt from their coaches throughout their distinguished careers. You’ll recognise many of these names:

• “Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work.” – Usain Bolt, Gold medal Olympic sprinter.
• “You will always miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian hockey player and leading scorer in NHL history.
• “Do not undervalue yourself. Be able to express your value and what impact you can make. Show how your experiences translate and can help a company.” – Katie Smith, three-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA assistant coach.

• “Coaches who let a championship team back off from becoming a dynasty are cowards.” – Pat Riley, former NBA coach of five championship teams.
• “If you are worried about what someone is saying about you- those words will take away from you what you are setting forth to accomplish in preparing for and trying to make the team or trying to make a certain spot. My advice is to have confidence and believe in yourself!” – Julian Edelman, wide receiver, Superbowl winner and MVP
• “It doesn’t matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that’s all that matters.” – Serena Williams, professional tennis player and 21 Grand Slams.
• “It isn’t the mountain ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” – Muhammad Ali, three-time world heavyweight boxing champion.
• “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” – John Wooden, American basketball coach and winner of 10 NCAA championships.
• “Winning and championships are memorable but they come from the strength of the relationships.” – Jim Calhoun, former head coach of the UConn men’s basketball team.

• “Be the hardest working person you can be. That’s how you separate yourself from the competition.” – Stephen Curry, guard, Golden State Warriors.

There are a lot of similarities between running a business and running a team. Just like an effective coach in sports, an effective business coach can help business owners put the strategies, systems, and processes in place that will grant them more time, more energy and financial freedom.

Finding a good Business Coach, however, is imperative to your company’s success. It requires a little time and effort, and yes, patience both with oneself and the process. It’s time to become proactive about your success.

Whether you’re just starting, established, struggling, or highly successful, you can benefit from business coaching by increasing your profits, building a true dream team, managing and marketing more efficiently, and having effective processes and systems in place that will allow you time to work on (rather than in) your company.

This is precisely how I can help!