If you’ve come to coaching after working for someone else — maybe for decades — it’s a huge shift to have your own solo business.
Suddenly, you are completely autonomous. You make all the decisions. No one is expecting you at work. No one will tell you what to do or how to do it. No one but you can hold you accountable for your actions.
That can be terrifying! And it’s liberating. But it requires a big adjustment in the way you think and the rhythm of your work.
These are things not widely talked about in the how-to’s out there that can make a big difference to your anxiety levels as a coach, your happiness in the work and your tangible results.
I’ve discovered a little secret … a habit really … that helped me to stop doing, doing, doing for my coaching business in a mindless way. And, anyone can do this. It’s a business saver.
Success in Coaching Takes Conscious Thought and Intentional Actions
Have you ever noticed this? We live a lot of our busy lives in a half trance. Most people operate on auto pilot, even if they don’t feel confident about what they are doing.
Here’s what usually happens at work …
You sit down at your desk or wherever the action happens and start doing. You keep doing until you are tapped out, frustrated or have run out of tasks. And that’s your day. Tomorrow will likely look the same unless there is a pattern interrupt.
The problem with doing for doing sake when you own your coaching business is that it won’t get you where you want to go.
You want to attract a steady stream of eager coachable clients who are willing to invest and transform. That will take thinking things through, planning and strategizing your actions.
Conscious thought and intentional action are muscles to start building right now.
Set a Date to Meet with the CEO of Your Coaching Business
I’m not going to get into the how-to’s of strategizing right now but I’ve got something for you now that, if you put it into habit, will help you get ready to be a strategic thinker for your coaching business every day.
Set a regular date to meet with the CEO of your coaching business — that’s you! It’s a much-needed pattern interrupt for mindless activity — what you do when you are just trying anything and hoping it will work. It will help you come down to earth.
During these meetings, ruminate about yourself in your role as business owner and about your business. Give some conscious thought without having to act.
When you are in your first year or so of your coaching business, I recommend doing this at least monthly:
- Schedule a time on your calendar for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. Make this time sacred. Don’t cop out on yourself and not show up or double book.
- Push away from tasks, remove potential interruptions.
- Clear your mind by getting into your body. Take a walk or lie on the floor and do a quick body scan.
- Ask yourself a set of powerful questions. I have some for you below and you can make up your own given your situation. Make the questions open-ended — who, what, where, when, how and why — so they cause you to reflect.
- Consider recording your answers on your phone’s recorder app or jot notes by hand. Alternatively you could enlist a colleague or your own coach/mentor to help with this process.
Value yourself by taking this regular time out. Be real with yourself. It’s a beautiful way to take care of yourself in your business.
12 Powerful Questions to Consciously Move Forward in Your Coaching Business
This is the set of questions I like to ask myself during my quarterly CEO meetings:
What have I learned about myself (over the last month, quarter, year)?
What outcome(s) do I want to bring about (right now, next month, this year)?
Why is this important to me?
How does this align with my personal values and integrity?
How specifically would this serve me or others?
What obstacles or fears arise?
What do I need to overcome those obstacles or fears?
What specific actions will I take?
How can I do this in a strategic way?
When will I take each action?
What aspects of myself do I need to call upon to do this?
Who could help me?
This is a basic set of questions that can work well anytime, such as the beginning of a new quarter or year. And, you might get more specific in questions if you are having one of these meetings with yourself for a more specific reason. For example, you could be thinking through a single decision …
- Maybe you have realized that you’re not attracting ideal clients and need to think through why that is and how you could make small incremental changes for a better result.
- Or, maybe you’ve just run a promotion that did didn’t pay off and you need to decide what you’ll do next time.
- Perhaps you are considering a change in your niche and want to tease that all out.
Take a moment to create your own set of powerful questions to uncover your thinking and strategizing for that specific concern.
One of many reasons why coaching is such a valuable service is that it encourages the client to slow down, self-reflect, answer powerful questions and come to conscious decisions.
As a coach and business owner, turn your coaching skills to your own advantage and coach yourself regularly.
How will you integrate the habit of conscious thought and intentional action for your coaching business now?
