Play bigger in your coaching business
The whole notion of playing bigger in your coaching business is really a metaphor for what you’re willing to do to elevate your actions to match your vision of ascending to your next level of success.
So, what are you willing to do to play a bigger game?
Very simply your answer is WHATEVER IT TAKES because that’s EXACTLY what you have to do to play a bigger game!
In my last post, I shared that when you play bigger, you’re playing with the best players who also play big.
Remember, bigger is where the best players play!
In this post, I want you to understand that there is limited time available with each of the BIG players in the game. That means you must maximize your time with the high level players.
I remember years ago when I was a senior manager in Corporate America. I did exactly what I’d like to suggest you do and I identified a mentor at the higher level of the corporation. I reached out to my mentor, arranged a meeting to talk with her about what I wanted and how she might be available to support me.
In preparation of my meeting, I dug deep into what I wanted from the relationship. I gathered lots of data about what you do when you have a mentor. (I was very knowledgeable about what to do as a mentee.) I put together an agenda because I didn’t want to waste her time and when the time came, I was ready for the meeting.
Or so, I thought I was.
What I didn’t research was the work my mentor was doing and how she was showing up in the corporation. I didn’t know, for example was that my mentor, Bobbi, was a bright, artsy, funny and informal manager who loved to engage with her staff on a deep level. She enjoyed challenging her staff to engage in out of the box thinking to address problems when they surface.
So, when she invited me to a meeting to listen in, all I could think about is what I wanted to learn and how she could help me. Me, me, me! It was only in that meeting that I realized just how little I knew. Neither my preparation, nor the data I had compiled, came close to what I was able to learn that day just by being a fly on the wall. I learned to listen.
Here are the lessons:
- It’s almost always important to listen so you can learn.
- Focus on cultivating the relationship not just on what YOU need from the relationship. After all, relationships are about connection and communication — that goes both ways.
Where are your opportunities to maximize your time (and opportunities) in your “next level” relationships?
Wendy Y Bailey
WendyY Bailey is often called a Force of Nature and a trendsetter in the coaching industry and for good reason. With more than 20 years of experience, she brings fearless innovation and bold strategy to entrepreneurial leaders, coaches, speakers, trainers, and consultants across the globe serving clients across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Spain, and Italy. Affectionately known as “WendyY” by clients, business associates, and colleagues, she’s also lovingly called “Auntie” or “Mama Coach” for her signature blend of Southern charm, fierce wisdom, and deep coaching insight. That special mix helps her clients double, triple, even quintuple their bottomline profits. WendyY is an internationally recognized thought leader, award-winning coach, two-time bestselling author, and sought-after business mentor.
