For a successful life, hire a Business Coach

I hired my first business leadership coach about three years ago. In hindsight, I wish I had done it decades earlier. I know if I had, I would have done quite a few things differently in my career and probably saved myself a whole lot of heartache and frustration.

But like so many of us, I was uncomfortable asking for help. I felt I could (and should) figure it out myself through the school of hard knocks.

Now I know better.

Instead of being penny-wise and pound-foolish (as the old saying goes), I would have invested in myself. Instead of feeling selfish to ask my partner if it was ok for me to spend a few thousand dollars on coaching, I would have explained the value of coaching and how it would help me to advance my professional career faster to create more abundance for our family while simultaneously reducing my stress levels and leaving me with more energy for fun and freedom.

I’ve worked with 3 coaches over the past three years. Each was excellent and provided me with exactly what I needed to grow and improve. Why three different people? I was drawn to them because of their unique qualities and experiences. Each coach brought a different approach and perspective to their practice, and I gained so much insight as a result.

Coaching has been an investment to accelerate my personal and professional success. And since I believe that every one of us deserves to be authentically successful, I want to share the 3 big value propositions that coaching provides.

In a nutshell, the top 3 value-drivers of business coaching are:

1. 1. Accountability: I’m much more determined and less likely to procrastinate when I have publicly committed to do something. Achieving smaller, realistic but challenging goals allowed me to build iteratively towards my big vision. Progress felt do-able, not overwhelming and it was fun to be able to share my wins with someone who truly was cheering me on.
   2. Fresh perspectives: I thought that I had a growth mindset and could envision better ways of doing things, but the ideas and options that my coaches shared with me opened up a world of possibilities that I hadn’t considered. I had to challenge some long-held beliefs about “how business works” to see the potential of doing things differently. What a difference it has made!
   3. Candid feedback from a trusted advisor: So often in a leadership role there are few people that you can trust enough to give you sound career advice. How are you perceived by your peers? Your leaders? Your sub-ordinates? Having someone to bounce business ideas to validate my thinking process, allow me to practice and role play through difficult conversations or to hold a retrospective to assess how I can improve helped me feel confident to handle nearly any situation at work with greater confidence.

I now realize the true value of business leadership coaching isn’t the dollars spent. It’s the fact that all areas of my life feel more successful now.

Are you ready to enjoy greater personal and professional success?

Barri Harris is a soul-centered business coach and workforce transformation consultant. You can find her @barriharris or barri@barriharris.com.