I Don’t Need A Coach – I Know What I’m Doing
“I Don’t Need a Coach – I Know What I’m Doing.” (And You’re Probably Right)
I’ve heard this a lot. Usually from smart, capable people who’ve built their business from scratch, who know how to make decisions, and who’ve got more experience than they often give themselves credit for.
And honestly? I don’t disagree.
Most people I work with do know what they’re doing. That’s exactly why coaching matters, because you’re not starting from scratch.
You’re trying to take something good and make it better. More aligned, more sustainable and more reflective of who you are and how you want to live. If you wait until something needs fixing before working with a coach, it can often be too late… or at the very least, take a lot longer to get back on track. Coaching should be proactive to avoid derailment, to avoid burnout. It should provide space to think and enable planned proactive actions that will enable you to achieve success more efficiently and in a way that’s more enjoyable.
Business coaching adds someone objective in the room, someone who’s not emotionally tied to your people, your product, or your past decisions.
One client I worked with had a strong senior team, a great offer, and very healthy numbers, but she still felt that ‘something’ could be better. Coaching didn’t give her a ready formed next phase plan. It gave her questions, space, focus, revealed blind spots, posed opportunities and risks. Coaching provided space to pull apart the options and realign the business around what she actually wanted (personally) from it, and what would work well in her existing markets.
Another came to me saying, “I don’t need a coach, I just need to get through this quarter.” Fair. But the problem wasn’t time, it was a lack of clear direction. He was so deep in delivery that he’d lost any sense of where the business was taking him, and whether it was still worth the cost.
A good coach isn’t there to slow you down. They’re there to help you move with intention. To make sure your business trajectory isn’t dragging your personal life with it.
And again, this isn’t a sales pitch. Coaching only works if the relationship is right. The person you work with needs to understand how you think, care enough to challenge you, and have the experience to know when to push and when to pause. Coaching is not (should not) be a commitment beyond your need (make sure to check the small print if someone if trying to tie you in).
Like in sport, where it’s completely normal to have a coach if you’re serious about your performance, it’s about edge. Fine-tuning. Perspective.
You don’t need a coach to know what you’re doing. However, if you want to do it better, clearer, lighter, easier, then having someone in your corner might just change the game.
Author: Sarah Brennand
