I’ve never been the type of person who wanted a personal trainer. Everyone I know who has a personal trainer talks about how much pain they are in all the time. I have pondered more than once why anyone would pay someone to cause them pain on a regular basis. I see them hobbling around, hunched over after working on their core and thinking, that isn’t me!
I started ballroom dancing eleven years ago. I was sore after I first started but mostly because I wasn’t very active, so my muscles were learning how to come alive. I did not moan or hunch over, though I did learn about icing my feet after a long party and using muscle rubs from time to time. Every time I watched someone who danced better than me, I thought to myself, “I want to do that,” and I now invest time and energy into getting better and better.
I recently had an epiphany. I am one of those people with a personal trainer – I just call him my dance teacher. As I’ve learned more about dance, I’ve needed to learn how to make my body move in completely different ways. We have changed what my body thinks is “normal” and I often feel at least uncomfortable after a dance lesson. I’ve learned about pre-workout beverages, upped my protein intake, eliminated some things from my diet, and added massage and chiropractic services to my regular care agenda.
Why am I willing to do this? Why do I subject myself to the discomfort? (Today my knees are killing me – turns out the way I use my legs isn’t quite right for hitting lines in Rhythm dances.) I do this because I want to dance better and I want it badly enough to put in the necessary work (and deal with the discomfort) to get there. Fun fact: the things that I was sore after doing last year I perform effortlessly now. I can see where the work has paid off.
This is the same in business. If you want a stellar team, you have to take the time to find great people and then invest in helping them get even better. You need to have the difficult conversations that help people have the a-ha moments that bring about improvement. When things go wrong and there is drama, you need to wade into the fray and sort out the mess and then help your team get back to productively working together. Sometimes it means kicking someone off the team who isn’t working out. A lot of those actions aren’t fun and some are downright painful.
Want more sales? Get out of your comfort zone and meet more people. Call on more customers. Make more proposals. Add new products. Develop new marketing channels. Read new books. Consider new approaches.
Want to provide fabulous service? Anticipate client needs. Handle mistakes gracefully. Be responsive. Handle difficult customers (which may mean letting a few become non-customers). Demonstrate client appreciation. Follow up.
Want more time off? This means building a support system that works even when you aren’t working. See team building above.
None of the things I’ve suggested are rocket science. Most of them are things you already know. The question isn’t: What should I do? The real question is: Do I want it badly enough to do things that aren’t comfortable? Or that might even be painful? That require me to grow, learn new things, and maybe even become something different than what I’ve been. Only you can determine if you want it enough to put in the effort.
If you want your business to thrive enough to do the hard things, you need a team of experts, because no one can have all the answers. Look for a CPA that fits your business and your ideas for business. Have a business attorney who answers your questions and helps you stay out of the danger zones. Hire a great insurance agent who helps you make certain you are protected.
Thinking of adding a business coach to your team? Let’s meet! Schedule a strategy session at www.iWantMoreSuccess.com.
Charlise Latour a business coach and owner of Accelerate Your Success. She works with each client to determine what their goals are and create a plan so they can achieve them. She is actively involved in Dancing & Singing With The King which raises money to promote dance education including working with local schools to offer dance classes during the school day. This is a natural fit as she is an avid ballroom dancer.
