Everyone Needs To Train (and everyone needs a Coach!)

I subscribe to a weekly newsletter from the Nightingale-Conant company.They, mainly, provide educational and motivational audio products. I have and listen to many of their programs.

The newsletter that arrived in my Inbox Sunday night was quite interesting, specifically a table describing the ratio of training-to-performance for different professions/events:

The point they were trying to make was that sales professionals could really benefit from their coaching services. By getting a coach, they reason, the sales pro will prepare more (both inside and out of the coaching conversations/calls).

The interesting – and great! – thing is that anyone can benefit from coaching and greater preparation. Even you.

Let’s assume you spend approximately 12 hours each day on work-related activities (this includes: commuting, time working, time wasted and any extra time you spend before or after work, answering e-mails, etc.). That leaves precious little time for much else. Assuming sleep and getting up/ready account for seven hours, that leaves only five hours for everything else.

What does it mean to you that you only have five hours each workday for you, your family and anything else not related to work?

It can be – and sorta is – dis-heartening (on its face… ). But how you respond to that “reality” is critical.

You can either view it as an opportunity to be careful with the (clearly) precious resource or you can wonder if there’s ways you can be more strategic and effective with your time (and expand the five hours… ).

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My estimate above includes 90-120 minutes of daily commuting. Sadly, for most people that’s accurate (and for some, it’s an under-estimate!). One way to be more effective with your time, and to build in some training time to your day is listen to inspirational/motivational/educational audio programs during your commute.

Brian Tracy calls this turning your car into a classroom. And it works. On average I spend half my time in the car listening to audio programs; many more than once.

But that’s just once “tactic” you can employ. How can one be (even) more “strategic?”

How can one improve both the tactical and strategic aspects of life – comprehensively?

Get. A. Coach.

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I have written before about the power and usefulness of coaching (click here for the proof). One way to summarize why/how coaching works is that you don’t know what you don’t know.

With a coach you will look at your life, holistically and comprehensively, and get clear on what you want, what needs to happen to achieve your goals and what’s getting in your way.

A coach will offer resources that will help you move forward, faster and easier.

A coach will support you when necessary and help hold you accountable when you need something “firmer.”

A coach will help you to train. Training shouldn’t be reserved for lugers, or football players, or even sales professionals.

Our lives are what we make them – and with a coach you will be challenged to think bigger and better about your life. A coach will offer the structure and resources you need to make your bigger/better life real.

(Shameless self-promotional plug: if you want to work with me, click here.)