Deadlines

26th September 2013

I was speaking to my son at school yesterday, and he was saying how great his new tutor is (a surprise in it’s self). The reason for this outpouring of praise was that his tutor had been setting him deadlines for getting things done, and then holding him accountable to achieve them (even more surprisingly). Now you might well think that this is the last thing that a teenager would want, but in fact he has recognised how much this type of pushing and pulling has allowed him to achieve in a relatively short of space of time. So in fact it is because of the constant badgering, rather than in spite of it, that he has pulled his finger out, and finally done the key things he needs to be doing for all his university applications.

This conversation just reminded me how important the setting of deadlines is in the coaching process. Getting the business owner to agree to taking certain actions before the next meeting means that things constantly move forward at a far greater rate, than if they are left to do things in their own time. It is also why I try to keep the meeting dates every 3 to 4 weeks at the outside, because otherwise things get left, and nothing progresses. It is natural way for most people to leave the tasks to the last moment, rather than set time aside. So if we don’t meet for 5 or 6 weeks, there is a mad scramble a day or so before I turn up, and more often than not an admission that the “homework” has not been completed. Keeping deadlines tight, and pushing people to stick to them, helps focus the mind and ensure that time is allocated to the key tasks set.

So if you have difficulty finding time to work on the business, find yourself a coach. You’ll never look back.

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