We are a nation that loves its sales. Use the keyword, “Bargain,” and the search results can be overwhelming. The cut-rate game applies to most everything. We have bargain clothes to bargain cars to bargain business coaching.
As to that last point, bargain business coaching, it is not surprising that short-cuts, “quick ‘n easy,” no-frills and simple solutions abound. It is quite easy to find all manner of business coaching courses that spoon feed knowledge.
The problem is that there are no bargains. Without doing the work, there can be no honesty; without doing the work of understanding and problem solving, there can be little progress.
An anonymous quotation: “Awareness is the compass that points us towards our true north.”
Not surprising. Many executives never find their “true north.” They are so used to be everything to everybody, they forget who they are, what they stand for, even what they believe in.
The process of gaining awareness and moving toward solutions in not automatic, it requires work and inner courage and knowledge. A sense of greater authenticity cannot be bought or sold; a sense of greater knowledge cannot be achieved without effort.
Not so long ago
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.”
~Theodore Roosevelt
Not so long ago, a potential client contacted us wanting what he described as “The Entire Vim Coaching Package.” However, he wanted us to cover everything in five sessions. We had scant idea of what he was talking about. We tried to explain that the development of greater awareness and the ability to reach client to progress could vary. In fact, everyone’s development toward a mindset of greater awareness varies
The process of business coaching is individual – and tailor made. What may be an important issue to you, may not apply to another client. The development of a program that leads to greater authenticity, and an awareness of understanding how each executive’s role is determined by many distinct factors.
In the end, we respectfully declined to work with the client. Interestingly, they could not understand why. It wasn’t that the client was “bad,” and in fact, he was a great person, but it was a matter of mindset. If individuals are unwilling to do the heavy lifting, nothing will be gained.
About Bargains
To an executive leader who is unwilling to put in the necessary work, quick and easy packages or shortened courses are often the way they want to go in order to boast about a credential or easy course of study. Frankly, in the “business” of executive coaching, it happens all of the time.
In other words, executives frequently look for a bargain where, the executive leader can claim a credential – but it doesn’t help. What does help is doing the work necessary to become truly successful as an executive leader,
Every executive leader from Conrad Hilton (the hotel magnate) to Abraham Lincoln talked about the problems that came with making bad bargains. What the quotes all have in common is the sense of being cheated. For the executive leader, who makes an effort to cut corners, the results are predictable and disappointing.