Now more than ever it’s good to talk
Change is a constant in our life. At the present time running a team or a business we appear to be surrounded by change. If you have experience running things, you know the solution to a problem will pop in and out of your head when you least expect it. In your head you have the solutions to all those niggling problems or the way you can really grab the most recent experience. The problem is these thoughts circulate around and create noise and until you take actions they stay there constantly adding to the noise.
The best way to start to convert these ideas into actions is to talk about them. You can do this alone or with your team. Talking to yourself can help but you don’t always ask yourself the right questions. Talking to the team is good as long as you are ready to move the idea forward.
The third option is to talk to a mentor or a coach. A good mentor or coach should listen to you first and then help you verbalise the next steps you need/want to take. This allows you to continue the conversation with your team and hey presto your ideas are converted into actions. In most cases you already have the answer, the coach/mentor is simply there to help you move those ideas on.
During ‘normal times’ we can solve most problems and grab the opportunities we want. In changing times we often need to rethink the way we approach things. If we don’t convert the solutions we have in our heads into action, all we end up with is noise!
So what’s the difference between a coach and a mentor?
The Coach is performance driven, and is there to improve a persons on-the-job performance. The Mentor is absolutely development driven, looking not just at a persons on-the-job performance but looking beyond, taking a holistic approach to help a person develop and grow.
Getting the right mentor or coach
We are all different and one persons brilliant mentor might not fit another person. Coaches have different styles and techniques that again suit different people. Word of mouth is usually a good way of identifying a good business coach or mentor.
Google search will always help you identify the type of coach you are looking for. Coaches come in all shapes and sizes. From global teams like Potential Project who help you humanise your decisions in the face of constant change . Down to local Chambers offering coaching events designed to improve specific management or leadership skills.
In the UK, Be the Business can match you with a mentor that could suit your needs, if you are interested then contact them here : Find a business mentor | Be The Business.
90 businesses conversations and counting
We have had the privilege of having conversations with over 90 businesses in the last 9 months.
We’re not talking about the 5 minute elevator pitches over a coffee at a crowded networking event. We’re talking about actively listening to someone as they open up their hopes and dreams in front of you. These conversations are either actively mentoring the development of leaders or coaching specific leadership skills.
There are points in life where you genuinely feel you are watching real change happen in front of you. The last 9 months were one of these times. To each and every business might we just say again a genuine thank you for your honesty and your positivity. And to the various stakeholders who helped fund some of these meetings thank you (including BEIS, Cumbria LEP and Lancaster University).
If you are waking up in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea… And then forgetting the details in the morning, then it’s time to talk.
Give your trusted mentor or coach a call. If you haven’t got a mentor or a coach and need to talk then give us a call or an email and we can sit down and see if we are the right fit for you.
