You’ve made it! You are in the major leagues now. All the hard work, sacrifice, dedication, time and effort have paid off--and now you are the leader of your company. Congratulations!
I've been where you are. I moved up through the ranks in my former company, finally becoming CEO and President. On the day that appointment was announced, a long-time co-worker greeted me with this observation: "Great! Now you know everything!"
That statement stunned me; how did I go from an employee, expected to do my best, to being a leader expected to know everything?
Well, I certainly didn't know everything--and I still don't. And you know what? Neither do you! Think of any major sport you find interesting. After thousands of hours of practice, hard work, and perfecting their skills, professional athletes still have, and need, coaching. Why? Because details matter when you are at that level. You need someone who is on your side, who has an outside perspective, and who has real-world experience to guide and mentor your thoughts and actions. Someone to bounce ideas off and who will challenge you and ask critical questions. One of the blind spots we all have is that you don’t know what you don’t know.
In choosing a coach, mentor or guide here are 73⁄4 questions you need to ask yourself:
1. What are my inherent strengths and weaknesses? Most of us are not fully self-aware. We have blind spots. In selecting your coach, consider where you need help. Where are your weaknesses? Might they be in sales, marketing, social media, accounting, finance, operations, recruitment, people management, strategic planning, or any of the other endless challenges regularly faced by business leaders? None of us are good at everything. A good coach will help you improve your capabilities. Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” The coach you choose should be one of your five--and he or she should significantly improve your average!
2. Is the coach a life-long-learner? Unfortunately, it is easy for "experts in their fields" to rely too heavily on their past experience and education. The problem with this is that the world is ever-changing. A good coach will be continuously looking to improve her or his knowledge. Although you may diligently strive to keep up to date on the most current business news and literature, it is extraordinarily helpful to have a coach who regularly searches and shares innovative ideas, trends, and knowledge.
3. Does the coach have a strong community of support? How deep is the coach's bench? Does the coach have the expertise of other individuals in their organization to strengthen their capacity to serve your needs? Are they well connected to relevant industry and subject matter experts? If you require a specialist with expertise beyond the coach's skills, does he or she have a network of vetted professionals you can rely on?