Quote of the Month
"A weak [person] has doubts before a decision, a strong [one] has them afterwards."
— Karl Kraus, Austrian writer (1874-1936)
January 2010 Recap:
FASTR Business Coaching
The sixtieth ISBO.biz gathering was held at the Chop House restaurant in Lexington on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010.
John Sipple owns Ignite Coaching and Business Consulting. Before becoming a business coach he spent 20 years in corporate work. He serves on the ethics committee of the
International Coach Federation (ICF), which is headquartered in Lexington, Ky.
One of the differences between a business coach and a therapist is that therapy typically goes back to the beginning and coaching starts where you are now.
Take some time—with yourself or with a business coach—to figure out what's going to be different in 2010. Will you have more revenue or will it be about the same? Will you have better cash flow because people will be paying their invoices quicker? Will you have happier customers? (How do you know if you have a happy client or customer, by the way? Because they come back, they say good things about you, they send referrals.) Will you have profitable clients this year? Will you offer new services? Will you be more effective in your marketing?
Answering these questions can be called goals or a roadmap, outline, business plan, overview, etc. How do you get there? "The pros say to develop metrics and objectives," said John. Check out the first letter in each sentence:
Develop metrics and objectives.
Use social media.
Network more.
Control your office supply costs.
Enhance your website.
Haha. There's certainly nothing wrong with any of these. But what's missing? You.
Focus on you. What do you want to do, how to you get there, what keeps you from getting there, how do you define success, where do you see yourself by the end of 2010?
"Create a vision for where you want to be at the end of the year," said John. He explained that business coaching is more direct than life coaching. "Define what you want and go get it," he said. "Don’t let things get in your way."
1. Think of a commitment or change you want to make.
2. Write it down. Describe it as a clear, realistic, and measurable outcome.
3. Work backward. Identify the steps necessary for achieving it and go back to the starting point, which is now.
4. Attach timescales and resources as necessary.
John's coaching model is the acronym FASTR: focused, accountable, strengths, tools, results. One of his clients was struggling with minor day-to-day issues and John was able to help her focus. "A coach can help you get through the noise of the day," he said.
Accountability works. Just reading the above assignment, for example, might cause some people to say "That's nice," and move on. But when you enlist a coach you're making an investment in yourself and making a commitment. A coach will engage you, as you meet once a week or however often.
Strengths. Do you regularly use your strengths to get the most out of your business? Do it. If creativity is your strong suit, go for it. "In corporate America job performance reviews they told you what you did well for 10 minutes and what you did wrong for 20 minutes," said John. If you've been told to work on developing patience, for example, but it just isn't in the cards for you, put that 'work' aside and play to your strengths.
Results. Coaches provide tools, techniques and assignments to help you get the results you want to get. "Listen to your instincts," said John. "Identify your strengths, acknowledge the weaknesses, know your promise, and develop a powerful plan to move forward."
What's your promise? Someone who gives massages is not just there to rub a back, but to take away stress/pain so the client can focus on other areas of their life. What's the 'promise' you have for your clients?
"To help others develop, start with yourself," said John. If there's a behavior you'd like to change, listen to someone and thank them for their feedback instead of getting defensive. "Be forward-focused and successful," he said.
We thank John for his presentation. Feel free to contact him with any questions.
John Sipple
Ignite Coaching and Business Consulting
http://www.BusinessIgnite.com
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This recap is available online at www.isbo.biz/BizTips.
Feel free to forward this newsletter in its totality to a
friend or colleague.
Have a fabulous January!
KS
Kathie Stamps
kstamps@isbo.biz
Charlotte Caldwell
ccaldwell@isbo.biz
Next meeting
ISBO meets the second Monday of each month. Plan to join us at noon on Monday, Feb. 8 for the next ISBO luncheon at the Chop House restaurant in Lexington.
2010 luncheon dates for your calendar: 2/8, 3/8, 4/12, 5/10, 6/14, 7/12, 8/9, 9/13, 10/11, 11/8, 12/13.
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