One of my Coaching Clients sent me the following message this afternoon:
i read a quote yesterday that says Authenticity trumps professionalism every time. obviously i want it to be both!
My response was something that I have seen proven over-and-over again, in every facet of life:
You have my permission and support. I shall be happy to write you a note. Authenticity, sincerity, passion, energy. Its all tied together, and fuels success.
Let’s be part of the Solution.
brian patrick cork
Eighty seven percent (87%) of all startup businesses fail inside the the first eighteen months. Most are “walking dead” inside the first nine and founders don’t realize it, or refuse to recognize this agonizing and expensive reality.
Gnomes’ three phase business plan
I’ve long postulated that a formula for success is: Product, Timing, Management, Cash, and a Plan. If you have all of these elements in-place and working in your favor, you greatly increase the odds of defined success. If any of these elements are missing, you will most likely fail.
These are absolute and corollary principles of business.
Last month I spoke before roughly one hundred wanna-be entrepreneurs (most are “intrepreneurs”, at best) and started with:
“Most Business Plans are a contradiction in terms”.
For perspective, read: Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs, and them Corporate Fellas from 2007.
However…
I’m working with a local technologist through the literal startup of his App and SaaS development tool company. He has been uncommonly successful as part of a team that had a solid liquidity event. Now he wants to strike-out on his own.
Whats makes this fellow unusual is his keen desire to fund his own venture and limit, if not eliminate, the need for any outside capital.
We are long-past mundane things like the appropriate structure of his company. We are currently focused on generating specific dates and budget for driving key milestones that maintain his optimized focus and performance. For example, this is expected to result in a list of key features that are to be added to his brilliant software. I have him a bit in the weeds this week helping him generate a ”defensible” financial model for he and I to adjust as I we learn more about his emerging market and the resources required to meet it. It is absolutely critical that we accomplish thees things in order to understand the impact of assumption and actions on potentially predicted financial outcomes.
He made a very good report this morning. Below is my response for your context:
Well done.
This is absolutely imperative work. History (not to mention statistics) shows us all that preparation such as this establishes focus, pace, and appropriate priorities based on critical resource-driven milestones. The two most important resources you have today are time and capital. They go hand-in-hand. So, both must be managed with very high expectations. Its not just that “time is money”. Through our efforts together you will realize that your time, and focus, properly managed, will generate more money and greater value through the development of tools people need, want, and are willing to pay for.
All that probably seems obvious through the principles of shallow thinking. But, mapping-out the process and to actually realize the most efficient path to a productive business requires exquisite planning, a reasonable and relevant strategy, meaningful products, timing, and cash. All of that requires uncommon focus. And, the integration of those elements is where most entrepreneurs fail. But, you won’t.
On Apr 10, 2013, at 9:58 AM, Walker <REDACTED> wrote:
I have been “chewing” on your comment about the type of coaching being too broad. You bill yourself as a business coach and recruiter. You see a natural progression there.
How is that different than me billing myself as a business coach and life coach? I see a symbiotic relationship between the two. I’m not sure people can truly separate them fully.
Your thoughts?
[REDACTED]
This was an awesome opportunity to clarify and make a point about why I feel some men can coach, and others should not.
That said, you must decide whom you want others to guide you; but, also why and how.
So… Ponder my response to Walker:
“The progression in my coaching practice relative to recruiting and now business and executive coaching is relevant and “contiguous” (that word was used to describe me by a past client that has run three Fortune 100 companies).
But, it started with capital formation and private equity (venture capital).
I was recruiting and building management teams to protect and grow our investments. But, I also operated some of the companies and ran large sales organizations that exceeded expectations.
Thusly, mine was a natural progression into a recruiting business that had it’s noble start with a ready and eager customer base (the best way to start a business, especially a service-based business).
My recruiting practice enables me to become influential with top and key decision-makers in several ways. That in turn led to my credibility as a coach (aka “trusted advisor”) for decision-makers across the Startup, SMB and Enterprise categories.
A clear and direct result is I have credibility based on documented experience/ success with raising money, building companies, growing organizations, and leadership decision-making.
The bottom-line is that men and women come to me for business and executive specific guidance.
The problem; and, it’s a genuine problem, with generalists, or “life-coaches” is a lack of specialization that allows for a focus that you can tie to very clear expectations and deliverables. Examples of expectations and deliverables include but are not limited to:
Here is a critical example for you: I am coaching a fellow that came to me specifically because he felt “burned” by a life coach that appeared to run out of meaningful purpose after just three meetings, but kept the engagement going by dragging the client into all manner of exercises and “rabbit holes”.
Perhaps an exception to this is Coaches that focus on Christian business leaders (I believe an example of this is Convene and Wisdom Hunters) that want to manage their activity, organizations or entire company based on Biblical context. That is symbiotic. But, I like the word, “relative” or “correlative”, better. As far as I know, the Wisdom Hunters mentors and Convene “Chairs” (a term lifted from Vistage International) are not deeply experienced in a variety of business success stories. However, they have a deep understanding of the Christian belief system, and can apply it in a meaningful way to help leaders that might have an otherwise successful business.
However, the more general you are in your application of business process, the more vague the result. This typically causes in a significantly less, or marginalized – and, meaningful result.
NOTE: That makes referrals less likely. And, referrals are critical to building a sustained serves business that reduces the “juggling bowling balls” problem.”
Let’s be part of the Solution.
brian patrick cork
A prior Coaching client of my own has recently taken-up the mantle, himself.
It makes good sense. Walker is a very bright and insightful man. He’s had a fascinating career-path and has genuinely begun to sort-out what he is good at, what he wants to do, and who needs him. In fact, once he convinced me of all that it was relatively simple for me to then put on my recruiting hat and place him with one of my professional services clients clients as a sales leader.
Walker sent me an email recently outlining his activity with his first coaching client. He shared with me his words around, “the journey”:
Excerpt:
The bottom line is that you get to decide what you want your purpose to be. That is the whole idea of freedom that God gave us from the beginning.The blog a few blogs lower on failure applies to the importance of allowing yourself the freedom to continually discover new purpose or rediscover old purpose. It’s the journey we discussed last Monday. The journey may be riddled with success and failure, but it is purpose that gives the entire journey true value.
That prompted my response to him (which I’ve augmented for this post, after additional thought):
So… Are you a “life” coach? A “business” coach, or a “balance” coach. Or, are you a coach that is focused on leveraging the Bible to drive activity?
Maybe you will respond, all of the above. That will make for an interesting puzzle for your own clients.
By the way… There is a coach for every client. Just like there is investment capital for every project. However, that does not mean it should happen. Don’t take offense to that. I’m still your coach, for life. Just be mindful of it.
It’s what you don’t know that can kills you. And, what you don’t teach could kill someone else.
Most people, executives in particular, need specific goals, objectives and milestones. This drives behavior and results. The leader that does not want these things more often needs to be a follower. That is why they feel they don’t have a purpose.
By the way… I’m thinking Walker needs to use “Walker” as part of his own branding, and part of his approach. Perhaps something like, “Cloud Walking”, or “Talkers and Walkers”, as in learning how to “walk your talk”. If he is successful we all win.
Let’s be part of the Solution.
brian patrick cork
