Even the best of the best needs someone in their "court."
Corporate goals and objectives don’t work in nature. Increasing revenues, cutting expenses, and HR training are foreign concepts for Team Mother Nature. In nature, rabbits jump and run … stink at swimming … but they are still on the team … trying not to be someone else’s lunch. Not in business … be good at everything or the world will eat you up.
How about embracing a different business concept? What if we taught our bunnies to run so fast and jump so high that when they came to a body of water, they just sailed over it? How about when our bunnies fell in the water and started to sink, we sent them a lifeline to get them back running and jumping?
Coach ‘em up or coach ‘em out could be simply replaced with coach them! Everybody needs a coach. Serena Williams, the greatest tennis athlete of our generation, had a tennis coach her entire career. Tiger Woods has multiple coaches, swing coaches, life coaches, nutrition coaches, and trainers. When he hit a developmental wall … he looked for someone to coach him over it. Neither athlete achieved greatness on their own, and each sought continual coaching and development. Even the best of the best needs someone in their “court.”
My sports guy was Joe. This man pushed me, cared for me, taught me what a positive mental attitude could accomplish … oh and along the way I learned to play basketball. He knew the X’s and O’s and clearly communicated them in a way that I could understand. Joe could assess my skills and run appropriate drills to enhance my performance. When I was down … he built me up. When I was cocky … he showed me how much I had to learn.
My business career was blessed with several coaches. In my first career, in the for-profit world, I had a few mentors that “taught me the ropes.” I was successful and quickly rose in the ranks, but along the way I realized I was LOVING developing people and hating maximizing my boss’s bonus. I needed to be where my personal skills and values aligned with a mission I believed in. So, I made the jump to the non-profit world, specifically camp and conference centers. These were new waters. One of my mentors suggested I hire a coach to help transition. I needed a business focused Joe! With a little research I found the perfect person and we clicked for years. This experienced partner knew the non-profit world; they listened, helped me process, offered support and wisdom, and held me accountable.
We all need coaches. People to laugh with, cry with, offer us wisdom, provide accountability, show us the ropes … to build us up and to push us. The world can be a rough place all on your own. Go run and jump and surround yourself with people that will coach you over the water!
~ Glenn Svetnicka
Senior Consultant and Coach
The Sherry Group
