What Top Athletes Understand that most Others don’t; The Importance of Coaching

What the best performers get that most others don’t is that having the right coaches saves you time, money, and energy so that you can focus on your highest payoff work.

“I can always make another buck,” Alan Weiss told me, “But I cannot make another minute.”

What the best performers get that most others don’t is that having the right coaches saves you time, money, and energy so that you can focus on your highest payoff work.

I’m sure that Tom Brady could research the best food to eat, exercises to perform, how to improve his footwork, and what equipment fits best. Or, he could hire coaches so that he can focus on doing rather than learning. Having coaches seems to work out well for him.

How does not having a coach work out for you?

Suppose you were like me a few years ago. In that case, you can spend hours reading books on building your solo practice, creating a value proposition and sound business model, marketing without feeling like a goofball, and turning prospects into clients without feeling pushy.

Like many business leaders, you can spend hours reading books about how to lead, gain buy-in, manage change, eat last, go from good to great, and boost performance and sustainable success.

Yes, you are smart enough to figure it out on your own … eventually. You learn on your own, undergo a series of trials and errors until you find something that works for you, and scour the internet for new ideas to innovate.

Good. Great. Bravo!

Have you thought about the opportunity cost of lone-wolfing it?

What could you be doing instead of learning about your job on the job?

Tom Brady and other top performers spend their time in the arena — practicing their profession and applying it when it counts. They avoid spinning their wheels in discovery learning and needless trial and error.

“Wow! He solved my problem in 15 minutes,” a friend told me. “I’ve spent years spinning my wheels, and he got me going in the right direction in 15 minutes. Thank you!”

What I love about having a coach like Alan Weiss is that he can tell me in 5 minutes what would take me 5 hours or longer to figure out on my own.

I get back all of that time and energy I would have spent spinning my wheels. One success tends to pay for a year of coaching. Everything else is profit. I read voraciously, and coaching helps me implement the general ideas in books into specific ideas that work for me.

I can spend the next 5 minutes practicing with him and then implement what I’ve learned.

Here are some keys to finding the right fit for you:

1.They’ve trod the path you want to tread. They’ll shorten your path to success and help you avoid the blind spots that created crashes for many others. Avoid the people waving the coaching certificate who’ve never walked a mile in your shoes or gone where you aim to go.

2. They’ve got coaches and mentors. “Who’s your coach?” is an excellent filtering question. If they don’t believe in coaching for themselves, why do they try to sell it to others? There’s a term for that.

3. They get you. You want someone who takes the time to learn about your goals, the keys to success, and the puzzles you need to solve. They don’t care enough to be your coach if they cannot recap all that back to you satisfactorily.

4. They got you. Your coach has your back. They are responsive. They boost your energy, hold you accountable, and always act in your best interests.

5. They can help you. Your mentor got the firepower to shorten your path to success, position you for the future, and reduce your risks.

Are you ready to soar to new heights? Schedule a call to see if we’re a good fit for each other.

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Chris’s leader archetypes have given me a framework to think about leader diversity and what natural inclinations people bring to the table. It’s also helped me communicate more effectively and develop action plans with my team and clients.

Karen Seitz, Founder and Managing Director, Fusion Partners GlobalWe are seeing at least a 50% improvement in ownership and engagement, and our conversion numbers have increased by 15%, bringing more revenue into the company.

Stefan McFarland, Vice President, Aspire
Working with Chris has helped me visualize and communicate more clearly, gain the buy-in that inspires greater performance, and put my subordinates in positions to succeed. Andy Weins, CEO, Green Up Solutions

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