Business Coaching Tips: Reasons Working With a Coach Makes You More Effective
Let’s imagine for a moment you work. A lot and things tend to get out of hand pretty quickly. Files are piling up on your desk; your to-do list is getting so long it’s controlling your life, one way or another.
Of course, the business idea of going to work is probably starting to get tedious because, well, chasing after chores and wasting time putting out fires isn’t fun. And exhausting and infuriating not true?
Who knows, maybe some little voices in your head are whispering to you that you should think about getting another job because the money you earn isn’t worth the effort and energy you put into it? The problem, however, is that you don’t really have time to look for another job. Maybe you own a business, in which case what you do is more than a job that you can change overnight.
So what do you do next?
In our experience as business coaching experts, this type of situation is more than common. In fact, if you recognized yourself in the descriptions above, chances are you’re like most people.
If so, your best bet is probably to start doing things differently. Clear? Well, instead of spending your life working FOR your business and IN your business, consider working ON your business and making it work for you.
In this article on business coaching tips, we’ll explore that “ON” mindset. While most people do everything they can to work as hard as possible, here are some tips for working smarter. Because nothing else makes sense, if you think about it.
Does that seem relevant to you? Are you ready to go? Perfect. Keep reading.
Business Coaching Tip #1: Work on Your Business to Stop Thinking Short Term
It’s a fact: working ON your business is the best way to stop thinking in the short term, but implementing a new way of working is usually tricky. Freeing up a few hours each week and using them to start thinking about the future is the best way, if you ask us.
Look back; figure out what works and what doesn’t. And think strategically. What must be done to take the next step Why How When Thinking about the future is essential; just make the decision to start, really.
Business Coaching Tip #2: Work on your business to realize that the urgent and the important are not the same.
One of the main benefits of the “about your business” approach is that it gives you the opportunity to reflect on what is important and what is not. The point is more serious than it seems: urgent and important are two radically different concepts!
Now we know it what is urgent tends to become important, so trying to differentiate the two concepts is illusory. We often hear that, but the reality is different and things don’t work that way.
First of all, most urgent things are urgent because someone else is putting some kind of pressure on you. In other words, the urgent thing on your plate may not be urgent or important to you.
Second, the urgent is everywhere, but the important is often hard to spot. For instance well, long-term strategy is intangible and difficult to grasp. So it’s rarely seen as urgent – let alone important – but its super important if you want your business to move forward.
Think about it, how often do you take the time to work on ways to take your business from brick and mortar to digital? When was the last time you worked on planning your future cash flows instead of just looking at past ones? When was the last time you thought about the problem you solve and the vision behind everything you do? What impact are you trying to have exactly?
Business Coaching Tip #3: Work ON your business so you don’t play firefighter anymore
This point will come as no surprise given what we’ve written previously, but in our business coaching experience, working on your business is the best way to stop spending your time controlling fires. Why because firefighting is all about compensating for organizational deficiencies, and it turns out that taking the time to see the big picture helps to review the way things work really.
Working ON your business will give you time to set goals and priorities (we’ll get to that in a minute), but it will also give you the opportunity to think in terms of process development. This is precisely what you usually miss when you devote your energy to handling pressing matters.
Business Coaching Tip #4: Work on your business so you have time to reflect on how things have worked so far
Often, working on your business gives you the opportunity to reflect on yourself – and that usually makes a big difference. As an entrepreneur, as an executive, and even as a regular employee, seeking to see the big picture in everything you do creates a unique opportunity to look back and consider how things have worked so far For the company But also for you.
Business coaching gives you the opportunity to reflect on what has worked well, but also to pinpoint what is not working so well.
What is missing?
What can be improved?
What should be stopped once and for all?
Think about it.
And act.
Business Coaching Tip #5: Consider Priorities
The focus on priorities is very important, because if you don’t have priorities, you can only struggle and adapt to the flow. But where to start again, business coaching and a few hours with an Impactified Business Coach can make a big difference.
When setting priorities, it’s best to think in terms of annual and quarterly goals. Clarify what you’re trying to achieve by the end of the year, formalize it in words, then convert it into quarterly goals and the big picture is there. Year-end goals are like the smell of the air, whereas quarterly goals are all about implementation and short-term action.
The next step is to think in terms of actions and determine what needs to be done, strategically speaking, over the next few months. The exercise is interesting, on the whole, because it allows you to refocus your attention on what really matters. It’s as simple as that. Try it and see for yourself!
Want to check out our other 25 business coaching tips? Read our full article ’30 Reasons Working on Your Business Makes You More Efficient’