Strategic Discipline Blog

A CHANCE MEETING

Lunch time, the last day of the ScaleUp Summit in San Antonio.

I search for a table to sit down to be served.  A table with several open settings is close to me.  I sit down next to a young female who is engaged in a conversation with the gentleman next to her.

The woman next to me finishes her conversation. I ask her what she does. It doesn’t take very long for me to be impressed.  

Elaine Pofeldt is a writer, editor, and editorial consultant. She edited Verne Harnish's book Scaling UP and assists with his columns for the Fortune and the Huffington Post. Even more impressively she’s about to publish her first book, The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business: Make Great Money. Work the Way You Like. Have the Life You Want.

After exploring her back ground, she asks what I do, eventually revealing I too am working on a book. She probes to discover what the book is about.  Her questions reveal her curiosity and interest.  Her sister-in-law recently died from cancer. She watched, helpless to prevent its effects on her sister-in-law’s attitude, family, and husband.

We exchange business cards, I promise to send her some of my Toastmasters speeches, book outline, and chapters. She indicates she admires Verne and Gazelles coaches and has an interest hiring a coach to help her with her growing business.

Elaine and I have been working together for almost two months since our meeting in late May.  She’s given great direction, guidance and feedback.  I’m more focused and clear on the direction of my book “Cancer Cured,” than ever before.

CATALYST

That’s the purpose of hiring a coach.  Coaches should be catalyst.  As this graph shows, coaches help you attain what you want faster than you would by yourself and with less energy expenditure.

When I discovered I had cancer, a former customer, who had moved to Israel, offered me the One Thing that ultimately led to my Acute Myeloid Leukemia cure.

I wouldn’t be here without Alan Fendrich’s recommendation of meditation as a possible remedy. I owe Alan my life!

As we shared in What’s Your One Domino for 2017?  No one does it alone.  No one.

In The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, Gary Keller shares, “No on succeeds alone and on one fails alone. Pay attention to the people around you.  Seek out those who will support your goals, and show the door to anyone who won’t.  The individuals in your life will influence you and impact you-probably more than you give them credit for.  Give them their due and make sure that the sway they have on you sends you in the direction you want to go.”

If you read the links I’ve highlighted on catalyst, you’ll find I’ve surrounded myself with people who have always supported and encouraged me.  It starts with The Best Coach in the World and continues with Alignment – How Will 2012 Play Out for You? My two older brothers, Gary & Jim, were a source of great inspiration, support and encouragement throughout my life, but especially when I was young.

One of the benefits of having a coach, provided they are sincere and persistent, (two of my strengths) is their desire to see you succeed. In some cases, they will see the path much clearer than you do.

My High School Basketball coach saw my potential much sooner than I did.  My first radio sales manager realized my potential for achievement years before I did.  I eventually achieved the goal he foresaw when I became a radio station owner in 1992.

Many times, the people we have conflicts with, spur us to our greatest achievement.  Your coach and you may disagree. Yet if you both share your best interest, the truth will emerge and you will succeed far beyond your dreams.

Reservations about hiring a coach are natural. Read this blog, Coaching Catalyst - The Best Leaders Have One, to discover the leaders you might not have suspected have a coach.

Coaching Testimonial

At the close of June, my customers have a Quarterly Planning meeting.  We always start with the previous quarter victories to remind everyone of the obstacles faced, the hurdles overcome, and to recognize our achievements.

After our victories review for BE-CI (Building Engineering-Consultants, Inc.) one of the leadership team provided the following, “Doug Wick began coaching our team a few years ago and brought an organized and focused approach to growth to our firm.  His methods can be unorthodox at times, but when tested, his recommendations for our growth have proven to be valid and produce tangible results.  Doug and I have had our conflicts in the past regarding when and what we should do, but looking back from the time we started to where we are today, and the success we’ve enjoyed since having Doug coach us, it’s been amazing!  Our staff has grown by almost 30% and we've seen more than a commiserate growth in revenue.  We are equipped to grow even larger thanks in large part to the tools and guidance Doug has provided.  While his involvement hasn't reduced the significant amount of work and dedication it takes to grow a successful business, Doug and Positioning Systems’ has been a key driver to our success, and I’m sure we wouldn’t be where we are without him.

~ Joseph C. Ferrell, P.E. Vice President of Engineering, BE-CI

Thank you, Joseph! 

If you’ve ever been or had a coach, you know the value of having someone who believes in you.  Who stands by you unequivocally no matter the obstacle, or the depth of despair you are feeling.  They support and encourage you, have your back when your goal seems a dim view in the distance. They share in your achievement, and allow you to take all the glory.

If you’re looking for someone to support, encourage, and provide you with the resources and knowledge you need to achieve your greatest goals, contact dwick@positioningsystems.com.

Ruth Graham’s Tombstone – Next Blog

How many times during the day do you feel disappointment? Most often we feel disappointed about the efforts of others, and in some cases more about our own failure to live up to our expectations.  Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth Graham, has an interesting Tombstone (She died in 2007). I’ll share this with my thoughts on how and when to ease up.