8 factors that will influence your long-term career
8 factors that will influence your long-term career
An earlier version of this blog was first published here on 20 July 2021.
Do you think far enough into the future about how your future will be? Probably not. In practice, almost everyone leaves things until it’s too late. Then you have to settle for second best.
So I’ve been working on creating a coaching program – whether you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s – that gets you into the habit of thinking long now so you’re not wrong-footed later.
I’ve outlined the format of this program below – 8 things to think about – and I encourage you to get in touch for a chat if you’re curious, intrigued or ready to work on this.
Earlier this year, in another article, I speculated that you might be (then congratulated you on being) a Young Fogey if you were only in your 20s to 40s, but were already planning for retirement.
I wasn’t thinking of the money (because having a pension is a no-brainer – that’s why auto-enrolment came about).
I wasn’t thinking about being retired in the traditional sense (because being free from having to do any work at all isn’t necessarily good for your mental or physical health).
Instead, I was thinking of taking time today to manage, plan and structure your life and work tomorrow on your own terms, rather than by reference to conventional expectations.
Some people refer to the period when you stop working for one person or organisation as having a Portfolio Career. I’ve also heard über-fashionistas refer to it as an Encore Career.
By then, however, you’ve missed the boat. Because by the time you get to the Portfolio or the Encore stage, it’s too late to do things on your terms.
What I’m thinking of is what you do now to get to what I call a Designed Retirement. But what does it mean in practice?
It means you’ve planned enough to be able to choose whether to work for money (or not). To choose whether to do things (or do nothing). To choose whether to travel (or stay put). To choose whether to learn a new skill (or watch box sets of Norwegian crime dramas on Netflix). You get the picture…
The risk, of course, is that this all sounds ideal, unachievable and naïve. It’s also an approach – if you’re a goal-driven executive or a logical solicitor – that might be a bit scary if the goal can’t be identified, calibrated and benchmarked.
I get it.
But it’s quite achievable if you build up and recognise your experience, perceptions, preferences, resources and self-knowledge in a way that lets you design-think your own future.
This is where my coaching framework suggests that the 8 things to think about NOW if you want to control your career and design your retirement are as follows:
- What does the word “retirement” mean for you? Quiet and withdrawn? Busy and proactive? Something else?
- How does the word “retirement” make you feel? Resigned and worried? Hopeful and optimistic? Something else?
- How do you want to split your time when you have the ability to choose? Do you need a pie chart?
- Who else do you need to think about? Family (older and younger)? Friends (current and future)? Other people and their opinions of you?
- Which abilities, experiences, priorities, skills, talents, values (your Toolkit) do you develop and bring to your own party?
- How will you try out things to see if you like (or dislike) them or are good (or useless) at them and whether they’re worth including in your Toolkit?
- What practical steps will you actually do to implement your Toolkit and control your own agenda and how you live your life later?
- Do you want to look back and be a regretful Formerly Important Person (a FIP) or be present and look forward as an enthusiastic Happy Invested Person (a HIP)?
Coaching on big picture plans of this nature is obviously a process, not a one-off fix. It involves self-analysis, curiosity, discovery, trial and error and framework planning. But it also involves doing not just thinking. And you need to start now.
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10 reasons to have a Business Coach
10 reasons to have a Business Coach
Here are 10 reasons, in alphabetical order, to have a business coach:
- Accountability: as a coach I will hold you to account, check on your progress, care about how you own or manage your business, support, champion and challenge you. Self-help books are great, but they don’t do follow-up.
- Agenda: a coach will normally work on anything you want – however small or random. Not every business owner who sees a coach wants their business to go global or be worth millions. Some business owners just want to find the motivation to structure their day, market more effectively, get on better with staff, stick to a routine, explore local business opportunities, or just make a change means not working 24/7. You set the agenda in coaching and I commit to supporting you.
- Feelgood factor: coaching isn’t like sitting an exam. There’s no right answer. In fact, it’s exciting, stimulating and fun to be coached. I’m entirely comfortable using humour while offering you support, praise and challenge. You should expect to leave every coaching session feeling more entrepreneurial, capable and resourceful than you did when you started.
- Fresh Start: I have no preconceptions about you or your business. There is no agenda and no history to cloud my view of you. Unlike anyone else in your life, I see you and your business as you and it show up in front of me – not as your job title or as a brand I’ve known for years. I see you and your business as you and it are and as who you and it could be. Then I hold up a mirror to you so you can see too.
- Individual solutions: coaching is not one-size-fits-all. I don’t impose solutions. Instead, I appreciate the uniqueness of each business and know that each one is different. As a coach I help you understand yourself as an entrepreneur or business owner – what motivates you, what holds you back, what excites you, what gives you purpose.
- Listening: coaches know how to listen. When was the last time you were really listened to, without interruption, so that you could hear yourself think? There’s a reason for asking: “How Do I Know What I’m Thinking Until I’ve Heard Myself Speak?”. It’s not the same as talking to yourself when you’re driving or out for a walk. Neuroscience has found that having attention from another human floods the brain with chemicals that improve your thinking and reduce stress.
- Questioning: I will ask you questions – sometimes tricky ones – to help you find the solutions or goals that are right for you and your business. And then you (not I) will find solutions that are right for you and your business. Coaching is like having a bespoke suit that only fits you!
- You: you pay for my time, expertise and ability to partner you in your business thinking. We don’t have to take turns in a conversation – you can just indulge in pure “you time” and I may not speak much. When was the last time you weren’t interrupted and thrown off your train of thought?
- You and your business: perhaps for the first time in your life you can be entirely yourself. You can let go of trying to be perfect, people pleasing, or other habits you have acquired. I create an adult-to-adult relationship in which you will learn that being perfect doesn’t exist and also isn’t necessary. Instead, you will learn to accept and even celebrate your minor flaws! What’s wrong with being idiosyncratic? You will learn self-awareness, self-management and business growth skills that last.
- Effectiveness: behind every successful sportsperson is a coach. Behind many successful business persons there is a coach. Behind many successful individuals there is a coach. High achievers know they can’t do it all on their own. And there’s nothing wrong in accepting that you and your business can do more or better with support.
10 Reasons to have a Business Coach
10 reasons to have a Personal Coach
10 reasons to have a Personal Coach
Here are 10 reasons, in alphabetical order, to have a personal coach:
- Accountability: as a coach I will hold you to account, check on your progress, care about you, support, champion and challenge you. Self-help books are great, but they don’t do follow-up.
- Agenda: a coach will normally work on anything you want – however small or random. Not everyone who sees a coach wants to become a CEO or a Member or Partner in a law firm. Some people just want to find the motivation to tidy their room, get on better with a relative, stick to a fitness goal, explore what really matters in life, or just make a change. You set the agenda in coaching and I commit to supporting you.
- Feelgood factor: coaching isn’t like sitting an exam. There’s no right answer. In fact, it’s exciting, stimulating and fun to be coached. I’m entirely comfortable using humour while offering you support, praise and challenge. You should expect to leave every coaching session feeling more resourceful than you did when you started.
- Fresh Start: I have no preconceptions about you. There is no agenda and no history to cloud my view of you. Unlike anyone else in your life, I see you as you show up in front of me – not as your job title or as a parent, child or someone I’ve known for years. I see you as you are and as who you could be. Then I hold up a mirror to you so you can see you too.
- Individual solutions: coaching is not one-size-fits-all. I don’t impose solutions. Instead, I appreciate the uniqueness of each person and know that everyone has a different mix of beliefs, conditioning, needs, strengths, values, wants etc. As a coach I help you understand yourself: what motivates you, what holds you back, what excites you, what gives you purpose.
- Listening: coaches know how to listen. When was the last time you were really listened to, without interruption, so that you could hear yourself think? There’s a reason for asking: “How Do I Know What I’m Thinking Until I’ve Heard Myself Speak?”. It’s not the same as talking to yourself when you’re driving or out for a walk. Neuroscience has found that having attention from another human floods the brain with chemicals that improve your thinking and reduce stress.
- Questioning: I will ask you questions – sometimes tricky ones – to help you find the solutions or goals that are right for you and your blend of attributes and traits. And then you (not I) will find solutions that are right for you. Coaching is like having a bespoke suit that only fits you!
- You: you pay for my time, expertise and ability to partner you in your thinking. We don’t have to take turns in a conversation – you can just indulge in pure “me time” and I may not speak much. When was the last time you weren’t interrupted and thrown off your train of thought?
- Yourself: perhaps for the first time in your life you can be entirely yourself. You can let go of trying to be perfect, people-pleasing, or other habits you have acquired. I create an adult-to-adult relationship in which you will learn that ‘being perfect’ doesn’t exist and also isn’t necessary. Instead, you will learn to accept and even celebrate your minor flaws! What’s wrong with being idiosyncratic? You will learn self-awareness and self-management skills that last.
- Effectiveness: behind every successful sportsperson is a coach. Behind many successful business persons there is a coach. Behind many successful individuals there is a coach. High achievers know they can’t do it all on their own. And there’s nothing wrong in accepting that you can often do more or better with support.
10 Reasons to have a Personal Coach
"...able to quickly ascertain where the sticking points were within my business" - 2020
2020
Mark – Creative Entrepreneur / Photographer:
“As a creative entrepreneur, I have had the luxury of building my business from the ground up. Though I attained a solid position within the market, I felt there was a way to achieve even more, and as such, I started working with Wyn Lewis. Wyn was able to quickly ascertain where the sticking points were within my business and helped me weed out some of the emotional attachment I’d built up and make clearer decisions with regard to the structure of my business. Based on my work with Wyn, I successfully identified the next phase of my business and in August-November of this year, created one of the biggest projects my firm has done, confidently knowing that I had the right team and skillset to deliver. Thank you, Wyn for the guidance”.
Mark – Creative Entrepreneur / Photographer
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"...always delivering pragmatic advice, guidance and support" - 2021
2021
Judy – M.Sc., FCIPD, Senior HR Professional:
“I have known and worked with Wyn over many years, a key reason for that being that he inspires confidence and trust. Wyn takes the trouble to listen and seeks clear understanding of the individuals and organisations he engages with, along with the challenge being presented. He has extensive knowledge not just of the law, but of how businesses and people work which makes him a great coach and mentor, always delivering pragmatic advice, guidance and support. I trust Wyn to get it right and in the right way.”
Judy – M.Sc., FCIPD, Senior HR Professional
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Are you a high-functioning sleepwalker?
Are you a high-functioning sleepwalker?
An earlier version of this blog was first published here on 31 March 2021.
Recently I’ve developed two unexpected habits:
- the first is reading one pandemic novel after another. They all paint a picture that’s much worse than our ongoing Covid-19 world. They all have dystopian endings based on having to conform to a New Normal. They all have protagonists who thrive only by having, and implementing, a vision that challenges the New Normal.
- the second finds me coaching the protagonist in the novel (yes, it’s a bit weird). I find myself asking: what would be the best outcome here; how are you going to achieve that; how long have you got; who else do you have to think about; what will happen if you don’t do anything; and what’s the smallest thing you can do right now?
One of these novels, Station Eleven, by Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel, stopped me in my tracks. It brought together pandemic novels and coaching solicitors and executives. This was the dialogue:
- “I’m talking about these people who’ve ended up in one life instead of another and they are just disappointed. Do you know what I mean? They’ve done what’s expected of them. They want to do something different but it’s impossible now, there’s a mortgage, kids, whatever, they’re trapped. Dan’s like that … You probably encounter people like him all the time. High-functioning sleepwalkers.”
What does sleepwalking have to do with coaching solicitors and executives? Well, I’ve noticed from my coaching programs that many successful people experience the following at any stage of their career:
- a good income and a fine reputation
- but with concerns about such things as:
- business development
- promotion politics
- leadership challenges
- responsibility without recognition
- networking challenges
- appraisal and promotion pressures,
all of which muscle in and put you in I-just-need-to-get-through-this-to-the-end-of-the-day-or-week sleepwalker mode, and prevent you from having a vision that’s been distilled into a plan that actually achieves that vision. In other words, you’re working to progress, but you’re actually treading water.
I’m going to call this Limited Joy Syndrome (and if you’re a solicitor, you’ll be delighted if I go further and define it as “LJS”).
But what can my coaching programs for solicitors and executives do to alleviate LJS? As I’m a practising solicitor and have a coaching business, I know from coaching people that the following tips are useful:
- invest some time in mapping out, chronologically, all of your personal and professional achievements.
This helps to confirm your value(s) and capabilities in a work environment that can limit your aspirations
- think about which of those achievements led to an Ah Ha! moment that changed your personal or professional direction.
This helps to identify what drives you to do what you do (or want to do)
- ask yourself, if you had done this sort of exercise sooner, whether you would be doing or could do the same, or something different, now or in future.
This gets you thinking about how to shape your future.
These tips are, of course, only the beginning of any coaching program.
But (whether you’re newly qualified, a rising star, an established solicitor or thinking about succession planning or a portfolio career or an executive at any stage in your management career) a coaching program will get you to do at least this:
- learn more about yourself
- learn more about what you want
- learn more about managing and developing your future;
- learn how to navigate and spread out your talent between your job (you might also get promoted) and everything else (this is where LJS gets hammered).
So don’t run the risk of finding out that you’re a high-functioning sleepwalker with LJS.
But how do you minimise that risk?
- have chat about coaching programs by clicking here: https://calendly.com/wynlewiscoaching/45min
- call me on 020 3159 5161 to do the same
- think about how things might be if you don’t…
Wouldn’t it be better for you, and for everyone else in your life, if you had a goal that’s your (not someone else’s) choice? Yes, is the answer.
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Can I end a Coaching Agreement?
Can I end a Coaching Agreement?
Yes, you can. All you have to do is to give one month’s written notice. So the most you’re liable for is one month’s fee. Otherwise, there’s no lock-in or minimum period (though I do suggest that you try out coaching for three months before giving up).
You might ask this: why is it so easy to end a coaching agreement? Particularly given that when you sign up with many suppliers (e.g. your gym / phone / TV / broadband) they all want you to commit for at least 12 months and you don’t get your money back if you end the agreement earlier (and sometimes they charge you a penalty for ending).
The reason is that coaching works best when you want to commit to a coaching agreement and you want to be engaged with a coaching program.
Coaching doesn’t work well when someone else thinks you should be coached. Or when your employer thinks you should be coached.
It’s all about your commitment. Because if there’s any reluctance to commit or get involved with coaching – which is for your benefit – then the coaching doesn’t work and coaching sessions can just degenerate into a series of chats with no goals or outcomes. And everyone involved wastes their time (and you waste your money).
Now that’s not to say that coaching can’t feel a bit weird at the beginning. Because you’d be speaking with me as a relative stranger. And you might be thinking about things and speaking about things that you may not have discussed with your nearest and dearest or with your colleagues or your employer. You might not have taken the time even to think about stuff in your own mind – because coaching often releases thoughts and ideas that you already have tucked away in the back of your mind, but haven’t given them the light of day. So it can be a bit weird.
But even if it is weird, it’s worth giving it a go for a couple of months (say four sessions over that period – because it takes that long for a coaching habit to be established) before you decide to throw in the towel and stop.
And then if it still doesn’t work after a couple of months – either because it still feels weird, or because sometimes Life Gets In The Way – then we just call it a day. Or call it a day for the time being.
Otherwise, you’d be wasting your time and money; I’d be wasting my time when I could be working with someone else; and everyone would then lose out by just going through the motions.
So don’t worry about ending a coaching agreement. It’s fine. It’s not a problem. But just think about what could happen if you persevere with a coaching. You might fly…
Can I end a Coaching Agreement
Coaching v. Mentoring v. Therapy
Coaching v. Mentoring v. Therapy
One of the main features of coaching is that people aren’t sure what coaching means. Although “coaching” is a term that’s heard quite commonly these days, it’s still shrouded in mystery. So let me tell you first of all what coaching is not.
Mentoring is not coaching (although there are similarities). Mentoring would be me offering you the benefit of my experience and knowledge, which you can then adapt and modify for your own purposes. It’s a bit like “Been There, Done That, Got The T-shirt, Why Don’t You Do The Same?”. It’s useful in the right context. But it would still be my knowledge and experience, taken on by you, but which may not sit comfortably with you as an individual. This can have the effect of you not buying into it 100% because you don’t own whatever I may have suggested. I find mentoring best in a line management situation where suggestions can be made, but where there’s also a directive element too. So go for mentoring if you’re comfortable about listening to or learning from someone you respect, then adapting their ideas.
Therapy is also not coaching (although coaches are alert to where therapy may be needed). The reason is that therapy is about looking back to see how someone who may need help has got to where they are and how they can be made better. The point about therapy is that you never know if you’re going to open a Pandora’s Box. Because (mixing metaphors) if you take an onion apart, you’ll never get it back to the same shape it was in the first place if you try to piece it back together. So therapy is something people shouldn’t dabble with unless they’re trained therapists or psychotherapists. Go for therapy if you’re not well, or if you need help to heal.
Coaching is different. It’s more like a conversation between equals where I listen and ask questions and make suggestions about what you want to do in the future. But where the ideas and next steps come from you, not from me. Because you already have those ideas – in your mind or in your heart – based on your own experience. But perhaps:
- you haven’t asked yourself the right questions, or
- you haven’t had someone else ask useful questions or
- nobody has volunteered observations or facts that you may not want to acknowledge (because a coach isn’t there to be your friend).
Also, coaching involves someone – like me – who will nudge you or push you to do something. And hold you to account if you don’t do something, or at least promise to try something. Which in turn makes it much more likely that you’ll implement your ideas – because they’re your ideas and you own them and you’ve thought about them – than would be the case if they were my, or someone else’s ideas. In essence it’s a powerful way of me helping you unlock the ideas you already have, in order to improve your work, your life or your business. So go for coaching if you want to be in control of your career or future, but need someone like me as a sounding box, or as dissector of your ideas to refine them and make them better before action.
So the answer to the question: “What’s The Difference Between Coaching, Mentoring and Therapy” is this: Therapy involves looking back to see how to make you better. Mentoring involves one person making suggestions to another person. But Coaching involves one person – me – getting you to think about, develop and take control of your own life and business so that you (not someone else) are in control. And coaching involves more effort, time and money than you think, but the value you get out of it can be priceless.
Coaching v. Mentoring v. Therapy
Do I have to sign a Coaching Agreement?
Do I have to sign a Coaching Agreement?
Yes. You do have to sign a Coaching Agreement. There are several general reasons why you have to sign up. And there’s one very important main reason why you have to sign up.
The general reasons for signing a Coaching Agreement are that it contains the contractual elements that everyone who signs up for any sort of commitment should think about before parting with any money: a Coaching Agreement sets out who’s coaching, who’s being coached, when coaching happens, how much coaching costs, and how a coaching program can be brought to an end.
The main reason for signing a Coaching Agreement is that it makes clear who is responsible for what and, by doing so, gets rid of a lot of uncertainty. You get clarity about:
What the coach is responsible for, or agrees to do:
- Ask the right questions
- Understand the business
- Understand the numbers
- Identify the gap between now and your goals
- Come up with a strategy to close that gap
- Map out a plan to close the gap using the agreed strategy
- Provide guidance on specific issues (if asked)
- Track results (based on numbers submitted by you)
- Monitor and adjust the strategy
- Keep you accountable
What you (as the person or organisation being coached) are responsible for, or agree to do:
- Be transparent and not hide anything
- Keep an open mind
- Capture your numbers accurately and share them
- Be willing to try
- Work on your business each day
- Find time to implement the agreed strategy
- Actually implement the agreed strategy
- Agree priorities and stick with them
- Not miss any coaching sessions and generally be “on it”
Just by this simple allocation of responsibilities you get to know what’s going to happen and who’s doing what. It takes away the uncertainty. And that, in turn, let’s you focus on the coaching itself.
By the way – don’t worry about the length of my Coaching Agreement. Yes, it’s 6 pages long, but it covers all that’s needed and it’s better than having to remember things later on.
Do I have to sign a Coaching Agreement?
Does your coaching focus only on particular individuals and niche business sectors?
Does your coaching focus only on particular individuals and niche business sectors?
Yes (and no)…
Although I’ve been around the block enough times, and have lived long enough, to let me coach most people on most aspects of career development and life in general, and to coach many small businesses on business development and business structure, I do have two particular niche areas:
Career Development and Career Management for Solicitors and Senior Executives:
This is for solicitors and other executives who want to focus on “what next” to see if this involves more of the same, or something else, and whether this means full- or part-time employment, self-employment, retirement or something else and how to achieve this. I have programs designed specifically for Solicitors and Executives who are at different stages in their careers:
- the Uncertain Solicitor / Executive: you’re on a career conveyor belt, you may have got on the belt by accident and now don’t know whether to stay on the belt and speed it up, or slow down the belt and get off. You want to explore whether what you do is what you really want and, if so, what it means in the long term. You may want a change. Or you may just want to sense check you’re on the right track.
- the Rising Star Solicitor / Executive: you like what you do and are working towards the next (and next-but-one) stages in your career. You’re en route to Associate, Manager, Director, Member, Partner or Business Owner. You thrive in the job and are focused on getting to the top and love doing so. You’re happy with your career. But you need guidance on leadership and development. Your progress is encouraged, sponsored and supported by your organisation.
- the v2.0 Solicitor / Executive: you’re established, but are now asking “What next?” and want to explore whether what you’ve been doing is what you still want to do. You’re thinking of not doing what you have been doing, but still working. You’re interested in using your expertise as a springboard to something else, to give something back to society, to make a longer-term impact or leave a legacy, or to learn something new. You want (or must) plan for a different future.
- The Evolver: you’re interested in career and life planning that lets you do something other than retire. Well in advance of traditional retirement, from your 30s, 40s and 50s, you experiment and accumulate contacts, experiences and skills so that, when the time comes, you can control and decide yourself on your later-life choices and can have a so-called designed retirement (e.g. a mix of leisure / work / study / travelling / other activities) on your terms, rather than not working at all.
Business Growth for Boutique Law Firms, other SMEs and Entrepreneurs:
This is for people who own and manage a business, but who, despite having that status, actually own a job that controls them, rather than owning a free-standing business that generates profit to let the business owner work on (not in) the business and decide how to spend its profits and how to spend time independently, not as a quasi-employee. By setting up a rhythmic pattern of simple business-related activities, you create a system that generates more and/or new business.
Niche people and sectors
Dorothy followed a Yellow Brick Road
Dorothy followed a Yellow Brick Road...
A version of this blog was first published here on 28th July 2022.
Dorothy Gale followed the Yellow Brick Road…
… and, although challenged and exhilarated by several diversions in Munchkinland, was ostensibly disappointed by what she encountered on reaching the Emerald City: a charlatan wizard.
There are, of course, other analyses of The Wizard of Oz, one of the most well-known of which, attributed to Mr. Rick Polito, is this:
- “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
But there’s more to the film than this…
… although you may well be wondering, given the title to this Article, what any of this has to do with planning and controlling your career as a solicitor.
I’ll explain.
There are at least three elements you have to think about in the context of your career:
- the first is that, whatever stage of your own (yellow brick road) career path you’re on, you’ll be wondering (and if you’re not, you should be) how things will progress – both next and eventually;
- the second is that, if you don’t go beyond wondering and, instead, consciously assess where you are and where you want to get to and then take steps to control how you get there, you’ll end up somewhere else – which may be suboptimal;
- the third is that, at every stage of your own (yellow brick road) career path, you have to make strategic decisions, but wonder if you have the resources, the support and the time to do so (or, even worse, you drift along without making any decisions at all).
This is where two rarely-remembered features of The Wizard of Oz are relevant:
- the first is when the Wizard gives each of the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man a token that symbolizes the qualities they thought they wanted, but didn’t realise they always had: courage, intellect and passion respectively.
So perhaps the Wizard wasn’t a charlatan at all, but was an early-day career or life coach.
- The second is that, in contrast, Dorothy herself was consistent and persistent about her goal: getting to the Emerald City, which is a goal she achieved.
But even she had the benefit of being guided by the good witch, Glinda.
Career coaching involves applying the principles of The Wizard of Oz to your career as a solicitor:
- me being a bit like Glinda: not directing you, but listening, observing, questioning, suggesting, summarising and supporting you;
- you being a bit like Dorothy: taking time to ask yourself where you are, where you want to get to, how you can do that, what resources you already have, what resources you need and not being distracted from your goal by the intermediate demands of others.
I have three programs that form the framework for solicitors at different stages of their careers: the Uncertain Solicitor; the Rising Star Solicitor; and the v2.0 Solicitor. One of those will apply to you.
The benefit to you of recognising that you’re at one of those stages and then working out what to do next is that, later on, you can choose what you do on your terms, rather than on someone else’s terms.
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"...excellent in helping me to work out a way forward" - 2019
2019
Beatrice – Public Relations Professional:
“At the start, I felt stuck, unsure where to take my career post children. I was trying to work out what was important to me. Wyn has been excellent in helping me to work out a way forward and actually in restoring my confidence in my own decision-making. I feel that as a result I am in a much better place. Thank you.”
Beatrice – Public Relations Professional
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"...has the tools & the temperament to tweak my approach so that I can see positive changes" - 2019
2019
Simone – Solicitor and Media Professional:
“Prior to my sessions starting with Wyn, I was quite nonchalant about whether coaching would make any difference to my situation. What Wyn made me realise was that for every big dream achieved, it starts with one baby step. And though we are quick to overlook those small steps, Wyn also made me realise the importance of giving oneself a pat on the back after those small achievements, as this can do wonders for you psychologically and mentally. When the smallest step might seem insurmountable on those bad days, Wyn will go one step further and by mutual agreement, will send you that reminder text, much like a nudge, to get you up and running. My to-do list is the proverbial arm’s length x 2, but with Wyn’s help, I have managed to cross a few things off. Like the world’s finest athletes who all need that push or encouragement to persevere when things seem daunting, I find that Wyn has the tools & the temperament to tweak my approach so that I can see positive changes, and though I am a work-in-progress, I am certainly getting there!”
Simone – Solicitor and Media Professional
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How do I grow my business?
What is a Business Growth System?
You grow your business by having a Business Growth System in place.
A business growth system involves developing a series of business-related habits that create a methodology. This then generates more profit, which in turn not only brings your business more money, but also gives you more time to focus on those parts of your business that interest you most, as well as more leisure time when you can dispose of that money or do other things.
There are four (or five if you think long-term) elements to a business growth system. They’re called (1) Find Your Gap;(2) Do The Basics; (3) Define Your Message; (4) Know Your Numbers; and (5) Consolidation. Each element has several sub-elements that need to be methodically address if the synergy of all five elements are to result in the overall benefits mentioned earlier. Each of them comprises a separate part of the Coaching for Businesses program offered by WynLewisCoaching.
- Find your Gap: is where we start to understand:
- you and your business;
- where you want to get to;
- where you are now;
- the difference between here and there (this is your Gap);
- what you need (financially, personally, practically and in other ways) to bridge your Gap
- a clear goal;
- a sense check of your goal (is it even possible?)
- Do The Basics: this is where we establish the basic requirements of a successful business:
- as the business owner, it’s your responsibility (nobody else’s) to get and keep more clients/customers;
- if you don’t get and keep customers, your business will fail;
- most business owners don’t understand the direct link between:
- rhythmic business growth activity; and
- the rhythmic acquisition of clients/customers as a result;
- being reactive on an “everything will work out fine” basis isn’t enough;
- haphazard “spray and pray” marketing, with no follow-up, doesn’t work;
- to become a (more) professional business person you have to:
- introduce, develop, monitor, refine and leverage systems that result in leads, prospects and clients/customers;
- know your numbers (how much does it cost you to get a client/customer? what is the lifetime value of a customer? what are your margins? what work is most profitable?)
- you have to act and think like an investor with a plan to exit your business a few years’ time.
- the basic requirements for a successful business include:
- a marketing assets audit;
- activating Google Business;
- following up clients/customers;
- re-marketing;
- price review;
- getting reviews;
- publishing content in social media and other places; and
- having arrangements that capture enquiries.
Once you have the basics, all you need to do then is monitor and refine them every so often. But getting the basics in place is often overlooked.
- Define Your Message: this is where we focus on marketing your products or services so that you:
- understand your ideal buyer;
- present your business in a way that makes it memorable and needed;
- explain what your business does;
- think like a potential client/customer – why should they care about your personal circumstances – your product is more important than you are;
- establish your business as the place to go for your product or service;
- create an offer that a potential client/customer would be silly to resist;
- assess and work out the most effective marketing;
- follow up
- don’t focus on selling – focus instead on others buying.
Marketing and messaging don’t have to be “sales-y”. All that it involves is supplying information to people who are already looking to buy something. They key point is to do this in a targeted way. Then do it again. And again. And again. That then creates a rhythm, which creates a habit, which makes marketing easier, which results in business growth.
- Know Your Numbers: this is when we identify, understand and know how to manipulate your management financial data: it’s Business Maths…. The reason it’s important is that:
- most small business live from week to week / month to month / year to year and then send their data to their accountants to get their annual accounts done. But they (i.e. your accountants) only process your data – they don’t understand how your business works;
- many small businesses are OK if there is enough money in current account to pay for overheads, remuneration, tax and some contingencies;
- and most small businesses have no idea of the numbers that would let those businesses flourish and profit, such as:
- how much money did you make in the last 12 months?
- how many clients/customers/sales did you add this year?
- how much does it cost you to get a new client/customer/sale?
- how much is your average client/customer/sale worth to you?
- what is your most profitable work (i.e. which takes you least time and effort to produce the highest profit)?
- which bit of what you do or provide creates the most profit for the least effort?
There are also 12 key numbers you need to know. These are:
- your leads;
- your lead conversion rate;
- your prospects
- your prospects conversion rate;
- your sales;
- your average order value;
- your total revenue;
- your gross margin;
- your gross profit;
- your overheads;
- your remuneration; and
- your net profit.
These numbers let you know how much money you need to spend to make more profit and how effective is that to bridge your Gap. The extent to which you know these numbers will determine whether you focus on “busy-ness” or whether you are a business person. You need to know your numbers. If you don’t know the score, you won’t know your status.
- Consolidation: this is when we accept that business growth isn’t something that can be done once and then forgotten about. Instead, it’s an ongoing process that needs to be developed and refined and, sometimes, changed entirely. It has three stages:
- Stage 1: involves putting everything in place so that you know more about your business and can manage it better. This is what the first four stages are all about:
- Stage 2: involves improving, refining and generally polishing what you now have in place, so that (part of) your business can run itself; this then leaves you free to focus on other things; and lets you build (not create) your business: optimisation.
- Stage 3: is what happens when you have stabilised and maximised. It’s when you can expand your reach, your client/customer base, your products/services:
Everything that’s mentioned above is part of a system, rather than a series of one-of activities. Each activity builds on and/or is related to other activities to build and benefit from the system. It’s having a system that result in someone owning a business, rather than owning a job.
What is a Business Growth System
How much does coaching cost?
How much does coaching cost?
There’s a lot of secrecy about what people charge for coaching. Hardly anyone publishes prices. But the absence of a price list means that people who are checking out coaching are more likely to move on to a coach who is transparent about prices. After all, most people, wouldn’t go into a restaurant that had no prices on the menu outside (unless someone else was paying); nor would you instruct a solicitor to sell your home and buy a new home without knowing what it would cost.
There is, however, a spectrum of costs. At one end of the spectrum, some people coach for free or next to nothing. At the other end there are coaches who want £30k+ as up-front fees. But most people aren’t in that market. In practice they are more reasonable and simpler. Here are mine:
For individuals there are two phases to any coaching program:
- The introduction phase: this is free. It tends to be one 45- to 60-minute conversation during when we get to know each other to see if we could or should work together. During this session I usually like to do some coaching anyway, so that you get a flavour of what’s involved. After all, if you’ve seen what it’s like, you’re more likely to take things further. And the reason it’s free is that this when we get to know each other to see if we could or should work together.
- The actual coaching phase: this costs £399 per month. You get one 60-minute session every 2 weeks (though many people prefer one 90-minute session every 3 weeks). So if you coach for 6 months, you’ll have had around twelve 60-minute sessions or nine 90-minute sessions. In practice, the cost will be reduced by the fact that you can also have a free 15-minute check-in session each week if you’re “stuck” on anything. Some individuals want a premium service of coaching every week and 24/7 availability. This costs £1,499 per month.
For businesses there are three phases to any business growth program:
- The introduction phase: this is free and is exactly the same as for individuals.
- The set-up phase: this costs £750. It involves one 60- to 90-minute set-up meeting (and sometimes there are two meetings – but the price stays the same). Their purpose is for me to understand you and your plans, your business, and your issues. It is an important investment of time – like dating before you decide to go steady. It also includes two workbooks and a binder (there are four workbooks if a coaching program lasts longer – and most last for a year anyway).
- The actual coaching phase: this costs £499 per month. You get one 30- to 45-minute session every two weeks. So if you coach for 6 months, you’ll have had around 12 sessions of 30 minutes each. In practice, the cost will be reduced by the fact that you can have a free 15-minute check-in session each week if you’re “stuck” on anything. A 30- to 45-minutes meeting sounds short, but we cover a lot. There is no premium service for business growth coaching.
Currently, no VAT is chargeable on any fees. All fees are due in advance. But you can end a coaching program on 1 month’s notice, so your maximum exposure to fees is always capped at one month’s money. The cost of coaching may change, so for the current prices charged for coaching, click on the Prices tile on the WynLewisCoaching home page at www.wxl.coach
How much does coaching cost?
“I am finding our coaching sessions for Talem Law invaluable and certainly helping me to discipline myself to work on my business rather than in it” - 2022
2022
Mandy Aulak – Director and Co-founder of Talem Law:
“Thank for inspiring the idea. I am finding our coaching sessions for Talem Law invaluable and certainly helping me to discipline myself to work on my business rather than in it, as well as to identify areas where we can build upon and do things better“
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In your 20s, 30s or 40s and already planning your retirement, but feeling like a young fogey?
In your 20s, 30s or 40s and already planning your retirement, but feeling like a young fogey?
An earlier version of this blog was first published here on 6 May 2021.
Are you a Young Fogey if you’re in your 20s, 30s or 40s and planning for retirement? Yes. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But why is coaching relevant to this issue?
The term Young Fogey was revived in The Spectator magazine in the 1980s to describe someone who is younger in age, but older in thoughts and preferences.
Think of a current-day Influencer on social media, but who prefers a tweed suit to a T-shirt and jeans, who prefers brogues to Nike, or who likes present-day rap music, but checks their favourite rapper’s grammar.
Then think of a young business executive or young accountant or solicitor, who works hard and long hours, then (post-pandemic) plays hard, but still has a plan for when they get older and retirement beckons.
There you have it: the contemporary Young Fogey.
The problem is that others’ reception of the Young Fogey is a mixture of gentle humour, benign disparagement and a touch of charitable transferred FOMO by those who are also young, but are living only in the moment.
Of course, the Young Fogey will triumph. But only if this occurs:
- you must forget about the concept of “retirement” (i.e. not working at all any more). It’s no longer relevant. You must focus instead on building a long-term smörgåsbord of diverse activities and separate income streams that keep you interested, involved and remunerated when you’re older. Otherwise, you will get bored, wither away, or worse.
- you must have a clear image of what your non-retirement will look like (what do you want to do? how much do you want to be worth? how will you spend your time?) and plan your career in a such way that each job, each promotion and each new skill isn’t an accident or a haphazard opportunity, but is a conscious milestone in your career.
This is where coaching is useful.
These are some of the things you’ll learn from my long-term career coaching:
- where you’re going (or not)
- where you are now
- how to create and control a career framework
- how to fill your framework with active steps to a clear goal (which you can review and modify all the time)
- how to identify what you like (or not)
- how to identify what you’re good at (or not)
- how to develop and strengthen your network
- how to end up where you (not others) want to be
These are some of the benefits you’ll get from my long-term career coaching:
- less stress from not knowing what comes next
- an enhanced reputation
- clarity about your values, preferences and who you are
- how to help yourself (because your employer will help you, but ultimately for their own benefit)
But let’s return to the questions in the strapline:
- are you a Young Fogey if you’re thinking about retirement? Yes, you are. Because retirement, as a concept, is fading fast. So get over it.
- are you a Young Fogey if you’re thinking of how to manage your long-term career? Yes, you are. But that’s good, because you’ll have choices that aren’t imposed by others.
So much for the Young Fogey.
But are you an Old Fogey who should be thinking about this now, but thinks they’ll wait until later (when it may be too late)? If so, you need to get on my program for rapid career planning.
Finally, imagine this:
- you’ve got to a point where people expect you to retire
- but you choose to do less of one thing (working for one organisation) and do a lot more of several different things.
Who will have FOMO now
Not you.
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"...knows how to convey the issues and solutions so you quickly understand and apply them" - 2021
2021
SB – Associate Solicitor:
“I have learned a lot from being coached and mentored by Wyn, who is focused, experienced and knowledgeable. Wyn knows how to convey the issues and solutions so you quickly understand and apply them to your circumstances. I would highly recommend working with Wyn.“
SB – Associate Solicitor
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"...pushing me to consider all options thoroughly and from all angles" - 2018
2018
Anees – Solicitor, UK magic circle:
“I started seeing Wyn when I was skirting burnout and feeling very ready to move out of my current job.
I knew the options before me and the limitations I faced, and I needed someone with the requisite distance to help me think through them in a structured way.
Wyn fitted the bill perfectly. I found Wyn’s method to be just right: pushing me to consider all options thoroughly and from all angles – from the big picture to the everyday – but always gentle and supportive, and using a variety of techniques.
He also draws on a wealth of relevant experience from his career as an employment lawyer.
Wyn is a terrific listener and remembers even minor details of conversations from weeks prior, so you get the sense that he is someone who is genuinely invested in you.
Thanks to Wyn, I feel I am able to see my choice as a step in a career trajectory which is richer in detail with his input.”
Anees – Solicitor, UK magic circle
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Solicitors are decisive, right? Not necessarily.
Solicitors are decisive, right? Not necessarily.
An earlier version of this blog was first published here on 11 March 2021.
Last week I wrote here about some of the issues that affect solicitors during early / mid / established career paths.
I’ve explored in a separate blog – Are You Stuck On A Career Conveyor Belt – how my focused coaching programs can support and empower solicitors at all stages of a career.
Relevant questions include:
- why am I doing this:
- what do I want;
- how do I get from here to there;
- how do I bridge the gap;
- what skills set and networks do I need;
- what does my organisation expect; and
- what must I do now
Some law firms who want their solicitors to progress and excel deal with these questions head-on through good appraisals and coaching. But most don’t. Often, it’s down to the individual.
Of course, similar career questions relate to most of us. They’re not limited to particular job types or business sectors. All employers and non-solicitors would also benefit from strategic career planning.
Why? Because if you don’t plan where you (or your staff) are headed, you’ll end up somewhere else instead. That’s not good for anyone who wants to have direction. And most don’t want a career to be an adventure.
If you want to explore the dilemma of indecision and the benefits of decision-making in the future, get in touch via Wyn.Lewis@wxl.coach or via www.wxl.coach – for more information.
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Stuck on a career conveyor belt?
Stuck on a career conveyer belt?
An earlier version of this blog was first published here on 6 March 2021.
Are you stuck on the career conveyer belt of someone else’s ambition is the gist of what two different solicitors told me recently during our coaching sessions.
I wasn’t surprised by the less experienced of the two solicitors I spoke with. Having qualified 4 years previously, she was struggling with deadlines; not sleeping enough; watching her friends earn less, but have more fun; and was juggling ambition with the need for “me” time. As for the future, she didn’t know whether to stay on the solicitors’ conveyor belt and speed it up to the next level, or slow it down and jump off. We agreed it might be useful to sense check what she (not someone else) really wanted and how far away she was from what she wanted. So that’s what we’re working on. And it’s the basis of my coaching program for new(ish) solicitors: the Uncertain Solicitor.
Disappointingly, I wasn’t surprised by the more established of the two solicitors I spoke with. After more than 25 years in the business, he was struggling with the same issues, but with the additional nagging thought of his own professional shelf life and the need for a “Plan B”. He had enough money, but he too didn’t know whether to stay on the solicitors’ conveyor belt until he was asked to step off, or was pushed off, or to slow it down and explore something else – but not be perceived as copping out as a failure. We agreed that his concerns could be met by modelling some scenarios that could inform his decision-making. So that’s what we’re working on. And it’s the basis of my coaching program for more established solicitors: the v2.0 Solicitor.
These are examples of career belt curiosity (What Now) and of approaching a career belt milestone (What Next). There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s good that they are willing to be coached and empowered to think creatively and to explore their options. Because if you don’t plan where you’re headed, you’ll end up somewhere else instead – which can be serendipitous, or leave you floundering.
That said, even solicitors who are focused on the next (and next-but-one) stages in their career can benefit from thinking strategically. You need to get noticed; to develop different professional and personal networks; and to have an effective plan that’s good for you and is good for supporting and promoting your organisation (which has invested in you and wants you to hit the ground running after each promotion). It’s also essential that you understand the politics and practice of promotion. And this is the basis of my third new coaching program: the Rising Star solicitor.
You’ll see from this that I coach solicitors to plan, manage and develop their careers and have a better work-life balance. Doing this also has a knock-on effect of improving my solicitor clients’ mental health and resilience. Also, not many people who coach solicitors are (like me) practising solicitors. So I can Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk.
Stuck on a career conveyor belt?
The Solicitor's Roadmap
The Solicitor's Roadmap
A version of this blog was first published here on 28th July 2022.
Dorothy Gale followed the Yellow Brick Road…
… and, although challenged and exhilarated by several diversions in Munchkinland, was ostensibly disappointed by what she encountered on reaching the Emerald City: a charlatan wizard.
There are, of course, other analyses of The Wizard of Oz, one of the most well-known of which, attributed to Mr. Rick Polito, is this:
- “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
But there’s more to the film than this…
… although you may well be wondering, given the title to this Article, what any of this has to do with planning and controlling your career as a solicitor.
I’ll explain.
There are at least three elements you have to think about in the context of your career:
- the first is that, whatever stage of your own (yellow brick road) career path you’re on, you’ll be wondering (and if you’re not, you should be) how things will progress – both next and eventually;
- the second is that, if you don’t go beyond wondering and, instead, consciously assess where you are and where you want to get to and then take steps to control how you get there, you’ll end up somewhere else – which may be suboptimal;
- the third is that, at every stage of your own (yellow brick road) career path, you have to make strategic decisions, but wonder if you have the resources, the support and the time to do so (or, even worse, you drift along without making any decisions at all).
This is where two rarely-remembered features of The Wizard of Oz are relevant:
- the first is when the Wizard gives each of the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man a token that symbolizes the qualities they thought they wanted, but didn’t realise they always had: courage, intellect and passion respectively.
So perhaps the Wizard wasn’t a charlatan at all, but was an early-day career or life coach.
- The second is that, in contrast, Dorothy herself was consistent and persistent about her goal: getting to the Emerald City, which is a goal she achieved.
But even she had the benefit of being guided by the good witch, Glinda.
Career coaching involves applying the principles of The Wizard of Oz to your career as a solicitor:
- me being a bit like Glinda: not directing you, but listening, observing, questioning, suggesting, summarising and supporting you;
- you being a bit like Dorothy: taking time to ask yourself where you are, where you want to get to, how you can do that, what resources you already have, what resources you need and not being distracted from your goal by the intermediate demands of others.
I have three programs that form the framework for solicitors at different stages of their careers: the Uncertain Solicitor; the Rising Star Solicitor; and the v2.0 Solicitor. One of those will apply to you.
The benefit to you of recognising that you’re at one of those stages and then working out what to do next is that, later on, you can choose what you do on your terms, rather than on someone else’s terms.
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What can I be coached on?
What can I be coached on?
The range of coaching topics is limitless. You can be coached on whatever you want to think about.
It can be something that’s bothering you (or your employer). Or it can be something that excites you (or your employer).
There is no video that accompanies this Answer, but you’ll see below the aspirations, concerns, hopes, ideas, issues and thoughts about actual and potential coaching topics:
- Accountability | acting up | alternatives | ambition | anxiety | authority | autonomy
- Board membership responsibilities | business development | business growth
- Career guidance | career management | change | clarity | client relationships | coaching | colleague relationships | confidence | conflicts | CVs
- Decision-making | delegating | diary management | difficult conversations | difficult people | director duties | doing, not talking
- Employed to self-employed status | being an expert
- Female executives | first 100 days in a role | fitting in | flexible working | friends and family | future-proofing
- Goals | grief | groups
- Home v. office-based working | hot-desking
- Impact | independence | interviews | interview practice | interview skills
- Job-related issues | job-hunting | juggling work with everything else
- Kindness
- Leadership | leadership styles | leadership trends | liking yourself | listening
- Managing yourself | managing colleagues | making a difference | marketing | maternity | mentoring | mergers | messaging | metrics
- Negotiating | networking | new colleagues | new job (first 100 days( | new job (your predecessor) | new business owner
- Onboarding | organisational issues | outplacement
- Perfectionism | personal development | power | power politics | presentation skills | procrastination | productivity | promotion
- Questioning | quitting
- Recognition | redundancy | relationships | responsibility | resilience | retirement | returning to work
- Self-employment | shyness | stepping up | stuck in a rut | stuckness | succession planning | systems
- Team members | team-working | terms and conditions | thinking time | time management
- Uncertainty | understanding – not just responding
- Values | visualising | VUCA world
- Wellbeing | what could be | work-life balance
- Xyrophobia | other things beginning with an x
- You – and what that means
- Zooming-in techniques | Zone of Deference behaviour | Gen-Z
One, at least, of the coaching topics mentioned above is theoretical, rather than one I’ve actually coached on. See if you can guess which one it is.
What does coaching involve in practice?
What does coaching involve?
The answer depends on whether you’re doing individual coaching or business growth coaching.
Individual coaching focuses on you personally doing things to change or improve your career, life, performance, presentation skills or your own whatever-it-is-you-want-to-focus on. If you want to get an idea of how broad are the types of issues that people want to address, then take a look in the Library at my answer to the question: “What Does Coaching Cover?” You might be surprised.
Business growth coaching, instead, focuses on how you, as a business owner – either on your own (as a sole trader) or with your co-owners – can introduce regular and rhythmic activities and practices into your business that generate regular new business and new clients. The result is that:
- what you call your “business” really is a business (it generates income when you’re asleep)
- you don’t have what you call a “business” but is actually no more than a job that requires you to work all hours of the day and night which, after you’ve generated your revenue and paid off your suppliers and other business costs, leaves just enough – if you’re lucky – for you to get by with.
What you really want is a business system that generates enough cash to let you live (not just exist). And that’s the aim of business growth coaching.
What do individual and business growth coaching have in common? It’s a method like this:
- Before you start, there’s always what people call an introductory / chemistry / discovery / get-to-know you call. The reason is that it’s essential to see if there’s a “fit” between you and me. This is essential is that a lot of what’s covered in coaching is often private, or sensitive and needs you to be confident about me being trustworthy and confidential and someone you can talk to. It also requires me to be comfortable about being able to work with you (because some people who want coaching actually need therapy or mentoring). If there was no mutuality, it would be a bit like a shotgun wedding – which is a form of union that doesn’t really have a good press.
- Then, if we both decide to go forward with coaching, we deal with the formalities. There’s always a written Coaching Agreement document – so you know what’s expected of you and what you can expect from me, and I know that you know what’s expected of you and of what I’ve promised to bring to the party (for more about this see my separate video called “Do I Have To Sign A Coaching Agreement?”. It’s mutuality of obligation and mutual understanding. And the Coaching Agreement document also covers confidentiality, privacy, time commitments, duration and the price of coaching (the price of coaching is dealt with in a separate video called “How Much Does Coaching Cost?” that you can also find in the website Library).
- At the start of a coaching relationship there is also at least one set-up meeting – usually between 60- to 90 minutes – for me to understand you and your plans (if you’re doing individual coaching), or you and your business (if we’re doing business growth coaching). This is a really important up-front investment of time – it’s a bit like dating before you decide to go steady.
- Then the actual coaching starts – and it’s here where there can be a difference between individual and business growth coaching.
- In my experience individual coaching is best done in 60- to 90- minute chunks every two weeks or so (although some people prefer to engage more frequently). The reason is that the 3-week interval is a useful time for you to think about what we’ve discussed, then prepare to do things, then do those things, then get ready for the next coaching session. And it’s also because Life Often Gets In The Way when you’re doing individual coaching and you have family, friends and your job to juggle.
- In contrast, I find that business growth coaching is best done in 30- to 45-minute chunks every 2 weeks – without fail (barring illness or holiday). The reason is that building up, developing, exploring, growing and refining your business systems and your customer or client basis, can only be done if you’re on it all the time. What I suggest is that you’re on it for 90 minutes every day, which then means that our coaching sessions every 2 weeks are basically catch-ups and check-ins. The reason this works is that, when you do business growth coaching, you also get a detailed workbook – two at the start, then another two as a coaching program progresses – to support you and guide you – so you’re not alone.
There are also two other common features of all coaching:
The first is that I do expect you to put our meetings in your diary for 6 months in advance – whether it’s a 2- or 3-week series – because it means you have something to focus on and it also tests your commitment. Remember though that, after an initial period of 3 months (because it takes that long for a coaching habit to develop) you can cancel a Coaching Agreement at any time on 1 month’s notice – you’re not tied in. And you can always get in touch between the 2-week or 3-week sessions if you’re “stuck” and need a chat – you can just book a call through my automatic calendar.
The second is that, regardless of whether we’re doing individual or business growth coaching, there’ll be a mixture of conversations, some practical exercises, some face-to-face in-person work, other work on Zoom, some written work, some actual activities involving other people and other organisations (even if that only extends to Facebook or LinkedIn) and, later on, understanding your numbers (in other words reading and understanding your P&L and management and other accounts). Because then you know how much you have to spend to make money; what is your break-even point; and knowing the point when, if the numbers stack up, you are profitable.
What does coaching involve in practice?
What does it take to become and be a coach?
What does it take to become a coach?
The bar to becoming a coach is low. Why? Because the coaching profession is unregulated; there are no compulsory exams; there’s no regulator to impose sanctions if a coach is ineffective or does something wrong; there’s no obligation to have professional indemnity or other insurance; and there are grey areas between coaching, mentoring, therapy and other personal development methodologies that some coaches mix up. In fact, you can set yourself up as a coach in just a few hours. That’s why the bar to becoming a coach is low.
But the bar to becoming a good coach is high. Being a good coach is an ongoing process which, for me, so far, has taken about 4 years overall, including about 300 hours of training, 200 hours of actual coaching, at least £25,000 of personal investment, as well as verification by my trainers and accreditation by the International Coach Federation – and all of this is on top of being a practising employment lawyer. It’s that sort of commitment and investment that makes for a good coach. So, if you have any concerns about my credentials, I hope that dispels them.
But what is involved? It’s a mixture of theory, practice, courage, confidence and being trusted.
The theory part covers how people interact, how the brain functions, basic principles of neuroscience, psychotherapy, NLP and transactional analysis as well as more day-to-day theory about how to listen, how to observe body language, how to ask the right questions and how to engage with someone so as to build up trust and confidence within an important relationship.
The practical part covers how to put the theory into practice by using exercises, listening actively and having detailed conversations to develop a plan that identifies where you want to be – the future; identifies where you are now – the present; identifies how we close the gap between now and then; and gets and keeps you enthusiastic and regularly checking-in so you don’t feel on your own and can sense check things when you feel stuck or unclear about things.
When it comes to business growth coaching, there are additional methods for (i) getting the foundation blocks of your business in order – your current marketing, leads, pricing and getting reviews; (ii) then fixing your marketing and your messaging to make you an obvious choice in your chosen field; (iii) then a lot of work about “knowing your numbers” – basically what’s your revenue, what does it cost you to get that revenue, what’s the average income per customer or client generally and over their customer-life, and (iv) generally getting into the habit of doing things rhythmically so that you regularly work on your business, which in turn creates new business, which in turn ends up with you being the owner of a business, not of a job.
Putting together and the mixing up the theory and the practice, as well as relying on personal experience and expertise, is what requires courage and confidence, but which in turn generates trust and confidence in me by the person or the business owner being coached – bearing in mind that I’m not here to be your friend, nor to make you happy (though that may happen) but to make you think and grow personally, commercially and financially so you are more in charge.
What does it take to become and be a coach?
What is a Business Growth System?
What is a Business Growth System?
A business growth system involves developing a series of business-related habits that create a methodology. This then generates more profit, which in turn not only brings your business more money, but also gives you more time to focus on those parts of your business that interest you most, as well as more leisure time when you can dispose of that money or do other things.
There are four (or five if you think long-term) elements to a business growth system. They’re called (1) Find Your Gap;(2) Do The Basics; (3) Define Your Message; (4) Know Your Numbers; and (5) Consolidation. Each element has several sub-elements that need to be methodically address if the synergy of all five elements are to result in the overall benefits mentioned earlier. Each of them comprises a separate part of the Coaching for Businesses program offered by WynLewisCoaching.
- Find your Gap: is where we start to understand:
- you and your business;
- where you want to get to;
- where you are now;
- the difference between here and there (this is your Gap);
- what you need (financially, personally, practically and in other ways) to bridge your Gap
- a clear goal;
- a sense check of your goal (is it even possible?)
- Do The Basics: this is where we establish the basic requirements of a successful business:
- as the business owner, it’s your responsibility (nobody else’s) to get and keep more clients/customers;
- if you don’t get and keep customers, your business will fail;
- most business owners don’t understand the direct link between:
- rhythmic business growth activity; and
- the rhythmic acquisition of clients/customers as a result;
- being reactive on an “everything will work out fine” basis isn’t enough;
- haphazard “spray and pray” marketing, with no follow-up, doesn’t work;
- to become a (more) professional business person you have to:
- introduce, develop, monitor, refine and leverage systems that result in leads, prospects and clients/customers;
- know your numbers (how much does it cost you to get a client/customer? what is the lifetime value of a customer? what are your margins? what work is most profitable?)
- you have to act and think like an investor with a plan to exit your business a few years’ time.
- the basic requirements for a successful business include:
- a marketing assets audit;
- activating Google Business;
- following up clients/customers;
- re-marketing;
- price review;
- getting reviews;
- publishing content in social media and other places; and
- having arrangements that capture enquiries.
Once you have the basics, all you need to do then is monitor and refine them every so often. But getting the basics in place is often overlooked.
- Define Your Message: this is where we focus on marketing your products or services so that you:
- understand your ideal buyer;
- present your business in a way that makes it memorable and needed;
- explain what your business does;
- think like a potential client/customer – why should they care about your personal circumstances – your product is more important than you are;
- establish your business as the place to go for your product or service;
- create an offer that a potential client/customer would be silly to resist;
- assess and work out the most effective marketing;
- follow up
- don’t focus on selling – focus instead on others buying.
Marketing and messaging don’t have to be “sales-y”. All that it involves is supplying information to people who are already looking to buy something. They key point is to do this in a targeted way. Then do it again. And again. And again. That then creates a rhythm, which creates a habit, which makes marketing easier, which results in business growth.
- Know Your Numbers: this is when we identify, understand and know how to manipulate your management financial data: it’s Business Maths…. The reason it’s important is that:
- most small business live from week to week / month to month / year to year and then send their data to their accountants to get their annual accounts done. But they (i.e. your accountants) only process your data – they don’t understand how your business works;
- many small businesses are OK if there is enough money in current account to pay for overheads, remuneration, tax and some contingencies;
- and most small businesses have no idea of the numbers that would let those businesses flourish and profit, such as:
- how much money did you make in the last 12 months?
- how many clients/customers/sales did you add this year?
- how much does it cost you to get a new client/customer/sale?
- how much is your average client/customer/sale worth to you?
- what is your most profitable work (i.e. which takes you least time and effort to produce the highest profit)?
- which bit of what you do or provide creates the most profit for the least effort?
There are also 12 key numbers you need to know. These are:
- your leads;
- your lead conversion rate;
- your prospects
- your prospects conversion rate;
- your sales;
- your average order value;
- your total revenue;
- your gross margin;
- your gross profit;
- your overheads;
- your remuneration; and
- your net profit.
These numbers let you know how much money you need to spend to make more profit and how effective is that to bridge your Gap. The extent to which you know these numbers will determine whether you focus on “busy-ness” or whether you are a business person. You need to know your numbers. If you don’t know the score, you won’t know your status.
- Consolidation: this is when we accept that business growth isn’t something that can be done once and then forgotten about. Instead, it’s an ongoing process that needs to be developed and refined and, sometimes, changed entirely. It has three stages:
- Stage 1: involves putting everything in place so that you know more about your business and can manage it better. This is what the first four stages are all about:
- Stage 2: involves improving, refining and generally polishing what you now have in place, so that (part of) your business can run itself; this then leaves you free to focus on other things; and lets you build (not create) your business: optimisation.
- Stage 3: is what happens when you have stabilised and maximised. It’s when you can expand your reach, your client/customer base, your products/services:
Everything that’s mentioned above is part of a system, rather than a series of one-of activities. Each activity builds on and/or is related to other activities to build and benefit from the system. It’s having a system that result in someone owning a business, rather than owning a job.
What is a Business Growth System
"Wyn is ... a great tactician, support and coach through these often challenging processes" - 2020
2020
Martin – CEO, global energy corporation:
“Highly recommended – Wyn is not only an excellent employment lawyer, with many years of invaluable experience, but also a great tactician, support and coach through these often challenging processes. I have no hesitation in recommending Wyn’s services
Martin – CEO, global energy corporation