It’s Springtime and that time of year that I actually like to participate in watching some LIVE baseball games at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. Anyone who knows me well knows that sports are not usually on the top of my preferred list of what I like to do but baseball is a game that I understand.
Since we transplanted our lives back in 1998 to Tucson from the East Coast we have followed the Arizona Diamond Back team thru their ups and downs. We don’t get to go as often as we like but nowadays when we do go we usually can garner some tickets from my husband’s boss. He has season tickets on the first row behind third base, SCORE! These seats definitely beat the ones we used to get when my son was a toddler and we sat in the nosebleed section although we always had fun when we went.
So baseball games got me to thinking about coaches and how baseball coaches have a lot in common with me when I coach a client.
You see Coaches matter both in business and in baseball. If a business owner works with a great business coach they can excel and grow their bottom line. In baseball, a so-so team can be taken to an unimaginable level based solely on the coach they have. Coaches in baseball like a coach in business serve many roles.
- They see the big picture. A catcher or first baseman may see the game only from their limited perspective; the coach sees everything on the field and how all the pieces fit together.
- They have the wisdom of experience. The average coach has lived through more games than the average player, and they’ve seen things that some players haven’t. They bring that experience to the team.
- They are invested in the outcome, but they are in it for the long haul. Just as kids can’t see past the end of the school year, players sometimes can’t see beyond the end of the season. The coach can put things into perspective.
- They inspire. Because they care deeply about the players and the game, they are able to connect with the team in a way outsiders cannot.
- They get you in shape. No one WANTS to do stadium steps or run sprints, but the coach knows that these exercises are what’s needed to whip the team into shape.
Just as you’ve never seen a winning team without a coach, you’d be hard-pressed to find a winning business person without a coach as well. As a coach I get coached by people who are many steps ahead of me. This broadens my knowledge base which in turn helps me to be a better coach for those that I work with.
A business coach can perform many of these same roles that a baseball coach does. They can help keep things in perspective, guide you from their experience and wisdom, help you think past the next fiscal quarter, and motivate and inspire you to move forward. They know what needs to be done, and in what order, so they keep you from wasting time and energy on unnecessary tasks.
The best coaches get personal satisfaction in helping you succeed, so choose wisely. Find a mentor with a history of successes not just in the field you need help with but as a coach as well. You wouldn’t want a baseball coach who was still reliving his glory days as a Major League player and felt in competition with the players on his team; you also don’t want a business coach who feels threatened by your success.
Ask around for recommendations, the best candidates come from referrals. Also, in today’s world taking a look on Google can help you gather information on someone’s qualifications. Please be sure to share how you have found a great mentor or business coach on this blog page.
If you’re looking for an online marketing coach please feel free to contact me for a complimentary 30 minute consultation. I’d love to hear about your business.
https://strategizeyoursuccess.com/staging2/coaching-consulting
So true Wanda! Any athlete (or musician) will tell you the importance of having a great coach. In addition to all that you’ve listed above a great coach brings out the best in each “player” by identifying strengths and helping the “player” to maximize those strengths while also strengthening any weaknesses. Such important advice for business owners!
Thanks, Jennifer.
So true. Funny how we expect our sports coaches to be tough on us, but we want business to be easy! Business is like a sport,you have to do the daily exercises and have the discipline to stick with the fundamentals to be a winning team!
Absolutely.
Great article! The right coach and the right team is key along with being COACH-ABLE! 😉 Thanks Wanda!
Yes, so true Michelle. You can have the greatest coach but if you don’t take the advice or direction it’s time and money wasted.
Love this Wanda. Explaining how coaching works can be very challenging, but your metaphor of a baseball coach hits it right on the mark. Your points are exactly why business coaching, or life coaching, work so well: perspective, in for the long haul, wholistic, inspiration and physical wellness. And yes, the best coaches get personal satisfaction from their clients winning, not just a pay check.
Right on, Aly. The best part of being a business coach of any kind is seeing your clients succeed. 🙂
Great article, Wanda! I really appreciate that you point out that great coaches bring out the best in their clients AND the client still has to do the work and “run those bleachers” to get the results they really desire!
Thanks, Denise. Yes, the work as you’ve put it in the past doesn’t happen from Magic Elves.