Having worked with a wide range of agencies in a number of different countries, helping them grow through the many pains our industry faces, I’ve learned there are five key reasons having a qualified agency coach works. While each agency has its own specific challenges and opportunities, every agency owner or manager I’ve coached agrees on why coaching works.
1. The unknown becomes known
With 15 years of experience building and eventually selling a highly successful agency, I’ve already gone through what lies in your future. My experience turns the unknown into the known because I’ve been there, done it, made the mistakes and learned the lessons. While not everything can be known, all agencies follow nearly identical growing pains and having someone in your corner who has been through it all is invaluable.
2. A focus on what works
Not knowing what to work on, or what to work on first, can cause paralysis and delay critical decisions and actions that are necessary. A great coach will be able to crystalise the thinking and highlight not just what needs to be done, but how it needs to be done. If I knew then what I know now I would have been able to build and sell my agency far quicker with a greater focus on doing what works and less time either doing the wrong things or doing nothing at all.
3. Self-improvement and confidence
I tell everyone the difference between a coach and a consultant is that a coach’s job is to help you become better at your job, while a consultant takes work away from you. A good coach will empower you, train you, and back you in becoming a decisive and effective business owner, with the knowledge and confidence to grow your agency.
4. Accountability
The problem with being the owner of the company is that you’re only accountable to yourself, and that’s not a good thing. A great coach doesn’t just help you identify which parts of your business need your focus and energy, they will also hold you accountable. It will always be your business and your decisions on what to do but getting them done requires accountability.
5. Perspective
An often-cited quote about the value of coaching is, “you can’t read the label from inside the bottle.” When you’re inside the business you quickly lose the ability to look at the business in the same way a coach would. The day-to-day operations overwhelm your time and focus and it becomes difficult to step back far enough to see what needs to be done to achieve your business objectives.