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Once again, conventional wisdom is wrong. It's the belief that partnership coaching is only for partners who are in trouble.
It’s unfortunate because successful business partners who get along well benefit greatly from coaching. Even when everything is going well, there are always areas that can be improved and successful people always want to improve.
In fact, consider the clients of well-known coaches such as Tony Robbins. I use him as an example because everyone knows him and that his clients are high level business execs and politicos who are for the most part successful and become moreso with coaching.
As the objective observer, an experienced partnership coach sees the blindspot that often mean money is being leaked. No one, no matter their level of success can observe their own blindspots. A coach can suggest strategies, hold partners accountable and in general, bring clarity to areas of vagueness and disagreement.
Coaching you about your business without a doubt affects your personal life as well. Actually, your business is a large part of your personal life. It’s about you, how you want to live your life and what you want out of it. It’s about your long term vision, your values, changes you are considering, relationships beyond your partner and what’s next for you if and when you decide to leave the business. In the present it’s about what is working, achieving goals or taking a second look at them for modifying, strategizing and staying accountable. And it's about how you balance all of the totality of elements in your life. An expert coach will inspire valuable personal growth and development to happen.
What can a business partnership coach offer a client that a book couldn't? Most self help books sit on shelves. They can be excellent in pointing out issues, and some of those will be right on. But unless you are self-motivated, able to be objective about yourself, your partner and your business, create the best strategy and hold yourself accountable, the books are generally not going have the impact you desire. A good coach would be able to personalize the issues to your unique situation and inspire you to operationalize what it is that you need to do.
It is well known that when business is up, it is wise to continue marketing. The same principle applies to your partnership.
Some of the things I focus on with partners who are doing well, is to identify and describe the details of what is making it work. Once you actually look at those and define them, they become tools that you can pull out of the tool box when you need a solution. Without this examination, you may be doing them mindlessly. Like driving a car…do you think through all the steps you go through to have it function successfully? Not usually, but if you did consciously pay attention then in an emergency you might make a more thoughtful decision rather than operating on automatic, which may not be the best response.
Using deep questioning and active listening, skills which I teach, often brings the comment, “I never thought of that”. At that point the door to new options opens and additional possibilities not previously apparent can now be examined and considered.
A Monthly Maintenance program is usually ideal for most successful partnerships plus an Annual Tune Up at an event such as a retreat.
It’s too bad that the stigma of coaching still exists among many business owners because they deny themselves of realizing their business potential, financial gain, and personal growth they could enjoy if they were to avail themselves of the service.