As reported in part one of Why one-to-one coaching is key, more and more business owners are benefitting from the transformative effects of The Icehouse’s one-to-one business coaching service.
“Without Jamie [Brock], we probably wouldn't be in business anymore,” says Nathan Hall, Managing Director of Chemwash Rotorua and Hamilton, and an Icehouse Coaching alumni.
“It got to the point where I didn't enjoy coming to work. From the outside looking in, it was okay. But from the inside, [we] weren't dealing with work very well. The big thing for us is the accountability that you get. You’re a business owner, the guy at the top, everybody looks to you, but who's holding you accountable for the things you need to be doing?
“Jamie came in and said, ‘you guys have got to sort your structure out. You’ve got to work out who's doing what and how are you going to do it?’ It was quite simple, but we needed somebody to show us how to do it.”
According to Kabbage, a US-based financial tech company, the awareness and willingness to be coached is there. 89% of business owners who don’t have a mentor wish they did, and 92% of small business owners agree mentors have a direct and positive impact on their growth and the chances of business survival.
The majority of owners are understandably so immersed in the daily operations, that finding the time and the money to invest in themselves is an impractical dream. This often points to a bigger problem – the owners discipline, where big-picture goals and objectives are pushed to the side in the belief that the distracting short-term things are more important.
Where is the ROI in coaching and are there tangible and statistical outcomes? The Icehouse’s coaching service has an impressive Net Promoter Score 92 over the last 18 months. Icehouse coaches work closely with owners to understand their businesses, their strengths, and areas requiring improvement. Many of The Icehouse business coaches are, or have been, business owners, so they have a clear understanding of the pressures of running a business.
For Miriama and Reuben Reid, Co-Founders of The Cohorts, the desire was to plot a future, and they acquired the services of Craig Caminos.
“When we hit a point where we feel like we're out of our depth, engaging people that have got that experience and knowledge in the areas that we don't, is just a logical step.
“We enjoy his insights and his experience – it’s at a different level to us. And having someone with that history, applying their understanding and knowledge of structure and process when we're wanting to work out what the next 10 or 15 years looks like for The Cohorts, is invaluable.”
Such a personalised approach, providing tailored guidance and support, focusing on individual needs and goals means the owner gets real-world and relevant coaching based on the owners specific business, while one-to-one time enables problems to surface and be triaged quickly, paving the way for immediate improvements and a clearer view on how to tackle more significant challenges across all areas of the business.
The results are often transformative. One-to-one business coaching can assist with:
- High-level strategic planning – Coaches assist owners in creating and executing strategic plans. They help set clear objectives, establish action plans, and help owners navigate potential obstacles.
- Skills development – Coaching fills knowledge gaps and provides the tools and strategies to empower owners to tackle challenges more affectively and diligentl
- A growth mindset – One-to-one coaching can help find a quicker pathway to foster more intelligent and collaborative strategic decision-making and unlock company-wide potential, leading to sustained growth and success
And much more. In our experience, often an owner will enter coaching sessions with fixed ideas around why their business isn’t performing. As the relationship develops, it becomes clear that the real problem wasn’t a, b and c, but x, y and z.
This can include personal roadblocks manifesting in the workplace – around self-doubt, resilience and imposter syndrome. Often solutions come from the courageous conversations held in a secure, supportive and safe environment.
As Josie Adlam, one of The Icehouse’s most sought-after coaches says: “Business coaching isn't about telling people what to do. It's about helping them discover what they need to do. It’s a framework for backing yourself to be able to discover solutions to challenges and be able to spot opportunities.
“The person who comes for coaching is always looking for personal growth. So they might need a little bit of extra backing – perhaps their support system is lacking, so they just need an outside person for different perspectives and different lenses on things.
“Coaching also keeps that accountability towards their longer-term goals and visions. It gives owners the opportunity to get there faster, and avoid the same mistakes others have made. It's really about accelerating their growth, both personally, and for their business.”
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