Up the line.

10th April 2014

This evening I am going to be conducting a seminar for business owners. Although I have done this very same presentation many times over the years, I still feel nervous in the run up to it, and I have learnt that for me this is a good sign. On one occasion when I calmed my nerves down too much I found that when it came to it I was not as sharp or as alert as I normally am, and although the presentation was all right, I felt that I had underperformed.

As a coach I cannot afford to show a lack of energy or enthusiasm, as my clients all need to feed off that. Of course like everyone else I have my downs from time to time, but I simply cannot allow anyone to see this because no-one wants a coach who comes along and moans, essentially draining their energy, rather than energising them!

As a business owner, you too must be aware of this, because your team look to you for inspiration, and draw on your leadership skills and drive. I remember a great scene in the film “Saving Private Ryan” when Tom Hanks is asked if he thinks the top brass have sent them on a wild goose chase, to which he replies that no he thinks they are absolutely correct in their judgement. He then goes on to explain that you should never complain down the line, only upwards, otherwise you would be undermining their authority. Equally well as a business owner if you complain or moan about your lot to your team, you are simply undermining yourself and the vision you have for your company.

It is nigh on impossible to be strong and positive all the time, especially if you are a business owner with no-one to turn to for help or advice. However, if you take on a coach, you will have someone who you can off-load your problems to, and “complain up” to, and you can leave it to your coach to provide the energy for you

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