Now What?® Coaching

Category: Now What? Q & A

6 Habits of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur is one of the most alluring words in the English language.

People daydream about quitting their jobs to work for themselves, and those who already work for themselves dream of the day when the term lives up to its luster.

We’re fed romanticized images of total freedom and piles of cash, but it’s not nearly as easy as it looks. Being a successful entrepreneur takes a lot more than most people think.

Before you let your hopes and wishes get the best of you, let’s get down to brass tacks.

If you’re a self-employed freelancer, coach, consultant, or business owner, this is for you.

What does it take to pull it off? Your HABITS. It’s what you do routinely that makes a difference.

Here are 6 habits of highly successful entrepreneurs:

PLAN: Don’t wing it. Always plan at least a quarter ahead.

MULTI-TASK: There’s a lot going on at once; you need to get good at organizing chaos.

PRIORITIZE: You need to get good at determining what’s most important and must get done first.

DELEGATE: Stay on top of it all, but you can’t keep doing it all if you want to level up.

CONSISTENCY: When something works, do it repeatedly. Keep showing up.

SELF-CARE: Look out for your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

I work with clients to come up with systems and consistent execution of all these habits, and I’ve seen what happens when someone tries to run a business without locking them down.

You’re the product, the marketing department, the sales department, the operations department, and the finance department. It’s up to you, and you alone, to keep your skills strong and to keep your clients satisfied. Whether you have a team or not, the buck stops where you stand.

You can either daydream about enjoying the rewards of successful entrepreneurship or create the habits to support your success.

February 18, 2024
What is GRIT?
If there’s one quality you can’t do without on the path to success, it’s GRIT.

Reaching your goals often requires a stick-to-itiveness like no other.

You’re going to hit challenges along the way, and it’s possessing a dogged perseverance — despite adversity — that’ll carry you through. This kind of tenacity is what sets you apart from those who give up.

My youngest son is my GRIT hero. Despite dealing with some tough health and learning challenges, he’s tackling college with true grit, making the dean’s list, and rising above difficulties that could’ve held him back.

My clients navigating pivots in today’s tough job market are doing it with GRIT too — applying for job after job, getting rejected or ghosted by recruiters, yet sticking with it until they land that opportunity.

The coaches and business owners I work with have the fortitude to see things through. Being your own boss comes with the kinds of ups and downs that simply can’t be trekked without a hefty dose of GRIT.

Some of us are born with it, and some develop a sense of determination as we go. If you’re wondering what G.R.I.T. really takes, here’s what I think —

GUMPTION: You need the good sense, courage, and guts to just get out there and go for it!

RESILIENCE: You have to be able to recover quickly and bounce back from challenges.

INTEGRITY: Staying true to who you are and doing the right thing is a must in the long run.

TIME: Things take longer than we think to happen or to get done; are you willing to keep at it?

When you have GRIT, here’s what that looks like —

You have to continue trying and attempting new things, even if the going gets tough.

Are you a business owner? Continuously test new offerings, pricing, packing, and messaging until you find what works. You’ll get to the yes by hearing the nos.

Now, I know what you might be thinking…

How do I know I’m not barking up the wrong tree?
1. You’ll see signs of encouragement. Rather than hitting a brick wall everywhere you turn, you’ll take two steps forward even if you’re forced to take one step back.
2. You need a good support system that you can trust — a coach, a mentor, a community group, or a good friend to serve as a sounding board.
Some stubbornness can do you good, but GRIT doesn’t mean unreasonable bullheadedness. Discernment is part of the package.
February 11, 2024
The Truth in Coaching

When I started in the coaching industry 20+ years ago, most people were unfamiliar with the term “coaching” — outside of sports, of course. These days, I rarely meet someone who doesn’t know what coaching is — in the context of life, health, business, or careers.

We’ve come a long way! But when it comes to recognizing the difference between a skilled coach and someone who just slapped on a title? Not so much.

Coaching isn’t a regulated industry. You don’t need a license or specific training to call yourself a coach, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it allows for autonomy and creative freedom. However, when hiring a coach, you need to know what you’re getting into. And when you are a coach, you need to know what skills help your clients get results. What makes a coach good at their job?

You may have heard me say I’m a Master Certified Coach (MCC), the gold standard credential in coaching, issued by the International Coaching Federation. To earn this designation, I had to demonstrate evidence of advanced coaching skills and meet certain standards. It’s something I take seriously.

BUT the credential itself isn’t what makes me, or anyone else, a good coach. What makes someone a good coach is the skill of telling the truth.

Most people avoid the truth at worst or tell “polite” truths at best.

An effective coach will call you on your stuff and tell you the truth in a snap. We won’t let it slide.
Does this mean good coaches are all-knowing truth-tellers? Of course not.
It means we’re able to recognize incongruencies — when you say something that doesn’t match your actions, or when you act in a way that’s out of alignment with the groundwork and goals we’ve established.

For example —

You: My family is the most important thing to me.

Skilled coach: You mentioned that your family is important, but you also shared with me that you haven’t spent any time with your family this month. In what ways are you prioritizing your family? Where else are you directing your attention? What’s really getting your time?

It’s the coach’s job to pay close attention, notice when something is “off,” and question it. Inquiring into what you say, think, and do is what helps you see the truth — YOUR truth.

I know we’re getting somewhere when a client says, “Wow, that’s a really good question,” or — better yet, “I hate you for asking me that.” Bingo – we’re onto something!

It’s important to remember that when you enter into a coaching relationship, you’re agreeing to get called out on your stuff. You’re signing up for the truth … because living in our truth is where we all want to be.

This is how coaching changes lives and organizations. You have to answer some tough questions and confront big truths about yourself, your leadership (we are all leaders somewhere, even if it’s just with family) and your choices. Are you ready to face facts?

If you’re a coach, you need to learn how to work with the truth — to ruffle feathers (but in a productive way), and to uncover layers so you can get to the good stuff. It’s a skill set that requires training and practice.

February 4, 2024
What “I Don’t Know” Really Means

I love helping people make big changes in their lives.

Seeing someone go from being completely miserable or frustratingly unfulfilled in their career to being content, aligned, and fired up about their work is what makes what I do so rewarding.

But change isn’t easy, especially when you won’t admit what you want that change to be.

Notice I didn’t say when you don’t know what you want? I’m willing to bet you do know.

Here’s the thing —

I’ve been doing this for a long time. I talk to a lot of people who want to make a change, and their story often starts something like this:

“I want to do something different, but I don’t know what I want to do.”

I used to believe them. I’d jump right in and help them figure it out! But then I started to notice a pattern. By the time we got to the bottom of it, they almost always admitted knowing the answer all along.

So these days, if you tell me you don’t know what you want to do with your life — I believe you do know – but that you don’t want to admit it — even to yourself.

You’re afraid — to dream, to dare, and to do what it takes. You have a fear of failure and looking foolish or a fear of success and the change that comes with it … or both!

Walking into the unknown is scary stuff, but it shouldn’t stop you from moving forward.

You don’t have to know how to get there or what to do. Your change will come from pointing yourself in the direction you want to go and putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

It comes down to this: “I don’t know” is just fear, and “I don’t know how” is just more fear.

You know. It’s simply scary because it seems impossible.

Here’s my motto: Do one thing a day towards your dream.

One phone call, one hour of research, one class. One step, another tomorrow, and another the next day. You’ll get there!

January 28, 2024
DREAD Has a Message For You

Do you dread going to work?
Sunday evening rolls around, and you shudder at the thought of rolling out of bed in the morning.

Do you dread getting on a Zoom call with a particular client?
You check your calendar and cringe just thinking about the upcoming conversation.

We all do sometimes. Should you quit the job and ditch the client?

Not so fast! Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the reason behind your dread.

In my work with clients, it becomes clear to me that when you’re dreading something work-related, the feeling is usually driven by one of two things:

1. Fear

You’re afraid of something — failure, walking into the unknown, being unprepared, facing people who intimidate you, confronting a challenging situation, or grappling with imposter syndrome.

2. Misalignment

It’s out of alignment with who you are — it goes against your values, falls outside of your wheelhouse, distracts you from your goals, is something you want to put behind you, or you just don’t love it.

The first step is to figure out what’s causing your dread; this distinction matters. The source points to your best course of action.

If you’re dreading something due to fear, don’t forget what’s on the flip side of the coin: discomfort demands growth. So do it anyway! That might sound easier said than done, but the reward is well worth it. The more you push past fear-fueled dread, the closer you’ll get to your goals.

But if your dread is a symptom of misalignment, reach for the opposite remedy. Growth, in this case, comes from saying “NO — don’t do it!” When you have to drag yourself, kicking and screaming, into something that doesn’t serve you anyway, it’ll only lead you astray from your goals.

No matter the reason or the cause, you don’t have to keep dwelling in dread. Let it either motivate you or signal that it’s time to move on.

January 21, 2024
A Different Way to Frame Your New Year

As a coach, I want you to know that you can start over at any time, on any day. You always have the power to press reset and begin again.

But we humans are social creatures, so we tend to get our cues from what’s going on around us. The buzz right now is about the New Year ahead of us, filled with fresh possibilities and revitalized energy to go after what we want.

We’re all looking at a collective clean slate, determined to make our mark.

The thing is, if you’re anything like most people I talk to these days, you’re not convinced that this “New Year/New You” stuff will come to pass. You’ve been here before, and doubt is already starting to creep in.

Here’s the reality: 23% of people already gave up their New Year’s resolution last week, and more than half will give up by the end of the month. That’s just the way it goes.

I suggest you look at this new year in a new way, through a different frame.

Instead of focusing on a particular change you want to make or a specific goal — lose 20 pounds, run a marathon, save 20% of your take-home pay, wake up an hour earlier —

Ask yourself this question instead:

What’s the impact I want to make?

100 lives touched.

50 food-insecure children who have plenty to eat because of your charitable donations.

20 co-workers who love their jobs because of your efforts to recognize and value their work.

30 community members who are less lonely because you showed up to volunteer.

This is a way to do goals that are BIGGER than you. It takes your mind off of the smaller, self-centering, anxiety-inducing goals.

When a goal is bigger than you, it’s more compelling, motivating, and drives you forward with a sense of purpose.

Make it a game. Give it a number. Have FUN going for it!

You’ll look back at this time next year and thank yourself. I’m not saying your business, career, money, and health goals don’t matter. But I am saying if you place your focus elsewhere and take the pressure off, you might be surprised by what else falls into place.

January 14, 2024