“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. What could you possibly tell me about my business/industry that I don’t already know?”
There’s a very good chance you have said something like this to a business coach or consultant. I know plenty of business owners have said it to me over the past 13 years. And it’s a valid point. You’re an expert in your field. Maybe your parents or grandparents were in the business first, and you’ve inherited it. Perhaps you worked in the industry for many years as an employee, before going out on your own.
So, you’ve got as much experience as anybody could possibly have in your industry. You’ve seen it all! Possibly, but how much time have you spent studying your competition in the last year? How much research have you done on the latest marketing strategies that are most effective in your industry or market? Do you know what the most effective marketing strategies for your market are? Have you studied the trends in your industry? Not just in terms of growth or marketing, but in areas such as recruitment, I.T., logistics, and so on…
The challenge we find with many business owners we speak with is, despite their being an “expert” in their field, simply don’t have the time or the headspace to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. To really THINK about their business and the future. A good coach doesn’t need to be an expert in your field, because you already are! A good coach will teach you how to create the space, and make the time, to think about what you are doing, and where you are taking this business. Managing your business is about the here and now; selling product, getting it out the door, and getting paid. Leading your business is about having a vision for the future, and a clear plan for how you’re going to get there. Coaches exist to help you get clear about that vision, and will teach you (or get you to learn) the strategies required to take your business forward. And these are not necessarily industry-specific strategies. You don’t need to become a marketing expert in the “XYZ” field; you just need to become a marketing expert. You don’t need to be an expert in recruiting “XYZ”-experienced people, just you need to become a recruitment expert.
So, while you are continuing to gain experience and become an expert in your field, business coaches are continuing to gain experience and become an expert in all the other stuff: leadership, marketing, recruitment, finance, systems, and growth. We do the learning in those areas for you, so we can then disseminate the relevant information down to you and help you get clarity of what the best strategies are for you, and how to implement them and make sure they are working towards your best advantage.
Being an expert in your field is what got you where you are today. But to get to the next level, you will need expertise – either in the form of a coach, or through your own learning – in all the other areas of business growth. Whether or not your coach has experience in your industry, what’s most important is that they have expertise in business growth.
Find out more about what ActionCOACH can do for your business. Or if you simply have a question about something you’ve read here, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Email me at andrewgoldberg@actioncoach.com.
