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On the Path: Life Coaching for Small Business Owners
One of the distinctions that sets coaching apart from
other types of consulting is that coaching specifically
addresses the client's sense of who they are in the world, and
helps the client make life choices that are aligned with their
personal values. In my opinion, there tends to be a split in the
psyche of America between personal and career development. If
you look in the index of your local telephone company's Yellow
Pages ™ you can easily find "Business Services" and "Counseling
Services." In my local directory, I notice that the business
advertisements use a lot of words like, "strategies,"
"leadership," and "business planning." The counseling listings
include, "addictions," "crisis," and "mental health." All of
those services are valuable, but where does the over-worked
owner of an independent business, who is getting burnt out, and
rarely gets time with loved ones, go for support? What about the
sole-proprietor in a specialized service industry, like an
alternative health practitioner, who is just starting to grow
their business and wants to do so in a way that honors their
belief system? What kind of support is going to best suit them?
It seems that many of the business consultants are
geared towards the needs of larger, more corporate companies. In
general, consultants are the resource one might use to learn how
to set up and run a business or to delegate specific tasks to,
such as webmasters, accountants, and the like. Counselors on the
other hand, are the resource one might use for changing
behaviors and healing personal issues. The small business owner
may not need help managing a large executive staff, nor have
terribly difficult personal problems for which they need to
receive therapy. But that doesn't mean that they don't need
personal support as they go about making the changes necessary
to have a successful and profitable business. One of the
beautiful things about coaching is that it addresses the client
as whole and complete person. Life coaching may include the
development of practical business skills, but it also includes
the development of the person who is creating the business.
Coaching is not just concerned with what a person does, but
coaching enhances who a person is being while they're going
about the tasks of daily life. It's personal empowerment in
action.
According to the Small Business Bureau's report, Small
Business Economic Indicators for 2002 "Small firms represent
about 99 percent of employers, employ about half of the private
sector workforce and are responsible for about two thirds to
three quarters of the net new jobs." They are the creative pulse
of America. Ignited by the spark of wanting to make a difference
in the world, and the desire to live a life of freedom,
entrepreneurs start off passionately. However, the creativity
that motivates a small business owner to go into business in the
first place often gets dampened as the daily administration of
the business takes over. There is so much to do: formulating the
business, structuring the business plan, implementing the plan,
and still trying to maintain a life. What started as a quest for
freedom and the ability to control one's destiny, has now become
a chore of monotonous practicalities and financial struggle,
leaving the business owner with even less freedom then before
they started. At what point does the business fail? Maybe the
business owner just finally gives up and quits. Is it that the
owner didn't have a viable idea? Did they not try hard enough?
Tough times? It would be presumptuous to second guess why so
many new businesses close, but the small business owner would be
wise to gather as much personal support as they can to keep
themselves energized and on-target. The American Dream is
possible, but it doesn't come easy.
As a coach, I love to work with entrepreneurs. There is
a special magic in the creativity that inspires someone to begin
their own business. A business can truly become a "calling," as
the owner walks a path that leads to spiritual growth and
provides benefit to the community. I admire people who create
meaningful lives, and are willing to face the challenges that
come with following their inspiration. Some challenges however,
can intensify to the level that they become "spiritual
wake-up
calls." When a business has gone flat, profits are non-existent,
and the business owner's personal life has diminished, I believe
it's time to stop and revaluate before the business goes into a
fatal downward spiral. At this point I think it's imperative to
work with the business owner directly. If the owner isn't happy,
if their energy is low, they're not going to be in a creative
solution-oriented state of mind. This is going to have a
negative effect on everyone around them, both at work and at
home. Albert Einstein said that solutions to problems cannot be
found at the same level of energy that created them. Simply
"trying harder," or "doing more" may not only be impossible, it
may be ineffective as well. For the most positive results, it is
essential for the business owner to revitalize their health,
relationships, and to feel inspired again.
Inspiration, "in spirit," is the revitalizing flow of
new energy, awareness, and ideas. Like a breath of fresh air,
inspiration allows us to feel alive. When I am coaching a
client, I inquire deeply into what is most inspiring to them.
Through a process of questions, self-inquiry, and sometimes
professional assessments, my clients begin to remember who they
really are and to get their priorities back in order. We might
discuss their values, life purpose, or simply what it is that
they want to create. What I find is that people respond more
creatively and productively in business when they are first
taking care of themselves. Inspiration and motivation go hand in
hand. There is a natural tendency to want to take action when
one has the rush of creative renewal. That is the perfect time
to set business and personal goals, especially within the
context of the client's stated priorities, and who they want to
be in the world, beyond any experience of what they have done
(or not done) thus far.
Having a renewed sense of purpose and commitment is
vital to moving forward again, but that does not mean it will go
unchallenged. Here is where coaching is especially valuable. For
new results to occur there has to be a well-conceived plan and
follow-through on implementing the plan. There is a natural
tendency to repeat old patterns. Change does not usually come
from insight alone. In my opinion, that's why a lot of self-help
techniques and seminars don't work. Lasting change is an
internal process that results from direct experience, and really
"getting it" for one's self. There are slow and fast ways to
integrate transformative learning, but the change must be
internalized for it to work. As a coach, I walk my clients
through the process of implementing the changes they want to
make. And although it doesn't make challenges any less likely to
occur, coaching increases the self-mastery of the client and
helps them align their decisions and actions to their stated
goals. Over time, things get smoother. Choices become clearer.
The small business owner is supported and empowered to make
professionally savvy decisions, sourced from an intuitive
knowing about what is right for them, instead of acting and
reacting unconsciously to circumstances. Immediately, the client
is living from their values on a daily basis, resulting in
personal satisfaction at the end of the day. The split between
personal and career development begins to mend.
Since I'm a coach, I will end with a question: What
would the world be like if everyone felt personally fulfilled in
their work, satisfied from being recognized for their gifts and
talents, and also had abundant quality time with their loved
ones? Do you think the world would be different? Would your life
be different? If anyone has the power to create a paradigm shift
in the balance between personal life and work, it's America's
small business owners--and that change needs to begin with the
owners themselves. A professional coach can help you keep your
sense of self while you journey on the path that leads to your
success.
About the author:
Jaya Schillinger "The Turnaround Queen" at www.InspirationInc.com
is a certified life coach & small business consultant with over
20 years of business ownership & management experience in the
fields of personal development, health, and beauty.
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