Today I wanted to share with you a conversation about working with a coach and I invited a dear friend, Dave Gorham, onto the podcast to talk about what coaches do, how to find one and if we each might need one.
I started my journey of self-evolution about 18 years ago when I started working for a coaching company out of Toronto, Canada that coached hundreds of entrepreneurs. At 26 year’s old, I started being around coaches, learning from coaches, participating in coach training, reading about coaching and, eventually, being coached. A foundational aspect of my self-development at the time was rooted in the idea that if you really want to make a quantum leap, you need to hire a coach.
Fast forward nearly two decades and I actually still believe in the power of coaching, although I would now add some fine print. Yes, a coach can be a pivotal success partner but I’ve got to be willing to do the work. I’ve got to hand over my excuses and knuckle down with consistency. I’ve learned that grit coupled with the self-awareness a good coach can facilitate is an unstoppable combo.
Knowing that people listen to the 60 Mindful Minutes podcast because they’re interested in growing, becoming more, doing more and evolving, I thought this was a good place to discuss the topic of coaching.
Dave Gorham works with Frame of Mind Coaching, which is owned by Kim Ades, who I interviewed a few episodes ago. Besides coaching high-level producers, he’s a lifelong learner and he owns a successful property management and brokerage company.
What’s ahead is a conversation about what’s possible when we hire a coach. I’ll wrap it up with my favorite takeaways, so be sure to stick around until the very end.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Before I dive into my favorite takeaways, I want to answer a question you might be thinking: Do I need to hire a coach or do I need to find a mentor? And the answer, at least to me, is a coach and a mentor could be the same thing. If spending thousands or even hundreds of dollars to hire a coach to work with you week after week just isn’t possible, absolutely find a mentor. Find someone who is willing to share their knowledge and experience with you, for free, in exchange for your keen attention and commitment to action. Here’s what else you can do:
- Create a board of directors or board of advisors for your life. Identify three to five individuals who you can tap to give you feedback and support in specific areas, which could include finances, business, family life, health and spiritual well-being.
- There’s a myth that we all have to pay our dues, that it only counts if we put in the work for the long haul. But what if we could create a quantum leap in our progress and ability by hiring a coach? What if we could leapfrog over a learning curve because we found someone to trade us advice, training or knowledge for money? Would the money be worth the opportunity to get to your goal five years faster? Think about what it would be like to invest in yourself.
- When we make the commitment to get better in any area of our life, it helps to have skin in the game, as Dave says. What he means is that when we write a check as part of our investment, it can have the effect of dramatically increasing our commitment to the process.
- We’re designed to get better. We are wired for progress. We strive to continually get better because we can. Think about where you’d like to get better and then ask, what’s stopping me?
- And finally, I loved this thought: learn to be your own coach through your journal. Pour your thoughts onto paper and start to look for your patterns, tendencies and habits. Explore what wirings and automations are at work in your blind spots. Get curious about what’s holding you back. Use your journal to excavate your mind, heart and soul.
A big thanks to Dave for being this week’s guest. You can learn more about him at www.frameofmindcoaching.com.
Until next time,
