This is my 100th blog since we started doing them over 2 years ago, so a landmark has been reached. But I doubt I would have reached this stage so quickly if it hadn’t been for Alison, who always pushes me to complete them every week.

As with many things in life and in business, it is so much easier not to do something, than to do it, and particulary when it doesn’t necessarily have a huge impact on anything, it is simple to let yourself off the hook. There are plenty of excuses for justifying why you don’t do things, but if you have someone “nagging” you to get it done, then it is much harder to ignore.

As a business owner it is important to empower people around you to take responsibility for their job roles, and if they require you to do something to allow them to complete their role efficiently and effectively, then you should give them permission to chase you until it is done.

Being a business owner is a lonely place to be, even if you employ large numbers of people. When things are going well everyone wants to be part of it, but when things are bad, you suddenly find yourself making key decisions on your own. In these situations you can often wish that you had someone to talk things over with, but without a sympathetic ear it can lead to procrastination and dithering, rather than making a decision which will move things forward. Doing nothing, whilst apparently the easiest way out, is seldom the best option. In most cases we instinctively know the best way to go, so analyse your options, make a decision and live with it.

If you find it difficult to take these decisions, then either allow your team to hold you more accountable, or get a coach to ensure you do the things you know you should be doing, but keep finding excuses not to do them.

Why do the things that you don’t like doing, and are not very good at? So many business owners make the mistake of wasting time on the parts of the business which they really should leave to others. Of course when you first set up your business, the chances are that you will need to cover all the disciplines, (depending on whether you start up on your own or with one or two others), but you will quickly learn what you are good at and enjoy doing, and equally well what you don’t like doing (invariably the things you are bad at).

I recently met a couple setting up a new business. They have both worked for other people in the past, but have decided now it is the time to set up for themselves. It pretty soon became clear that they are technically excellent at what they do, but have little to no knowledge of cash flow, break-even, team set up and management, structure etc etc. The good news was that whilst talking it through they quickly saw that these gaps in their knowledge could greatly hinder their growth and ultimately could actually cause their venture to stumble and fall. On realising this they said “that’s why we need a coach”, in other words they really understood the power of getting help from others to do the things that they are not good at.

The other benefit of focusing on what you are good at, and enjoy, is that you are likely to be far more productive as well. When you are concentrating on these aspects, think of the business you bring in and complete. If you are wasting time on other chores, then you are taking out valuable money generating time.

If you don’t know how to do this, get a coach to help you.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen and heard of a number of things which have re-inforced my beliefs about coaching, and about what can be possible if you want things badly enough.

No doubt if you were to dig deep enough into the personal stories of many of the athletes there would be numerous tales of triumph born out of tragedy. These are the people that don’t lie down and say “OK I give up” when setback after setback hit them. Personal loss, illness, injury, lack of opportunity or lack of support could all play a part in the formation of someone or something great. To bounce back from any or all of these takes courage and character, and to keep on bouncing back can take huge determination and self belief, but that is often what it takes to be the best.

Of course there are other things which help with this. One of my “coaching heroes”, Sir Clive Woodward yet again came up with a fascinating insight into why he gets the best out of his team. Charged with being deputy chef de mission for Team GB at the Olympics, it is no surprise to me that we fared so well. One of the key parts of his mantra is looking at every facet of the team/business and seeing how he can improve it. He says “Look to do 100 things by 10% better than everyone else”, and this bound to make you a winner.

When I am coaching I too get my clients to do lots and lots of little improvements. Trying to take a quantum leap is too daunting for most people, but make little changes for the better in lots of aspects of your business will keep you ahead of the competition, and right now keep your head above water.

Keep fighting, keep bouncing back, keep looking for small improvements and in the end you will win.

I was at a networking meeting this morning, where a man stood up and started talking about all the wonderful achievements of the GB team in the Olympics over the last 10 days. What he then went on to say was that although all these individuals and teams were all highly talented and skillful in their own right, none of them would have achieved the heights they have, without a whole load of support from their trainers, coaches, and mentors.

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you will know that I often compare sport with business, and in this respect once again it is easy to see similarities.

Being on your own at the top as a business owner is very lonely. It is highly unusual for a business owner to be the equivalent of a decathlete. More often they are strong in some disciplines e.g. marketing and sales, and weaker in others e.g. team management and cash flow. The point of having a coach is that they can help you to strengthen your weaknesses, they can keep you focused and they will keep on pushing until you achieve the goals you set out to achieve.

On your own, no doubt many will still build a strong business, but to make it the best, one that will thrive and keep on building and growing, takes a lot of dedication, knowledge, skill and drive. A coach will help you in the areas where you need help, they will challenge you to go further, and become yet better, and they will be you support and confidante through good and bad times.

So if you want to be the best, get a coach!

With the Olympics dominating every news bulletin at the moment, it seems relevant to touch on an aspect of this, which I think says a lot about the individuals involved. That being who is prepared to say, “I was beaten by a better person”, or “I wasn’t good enough”, and who is quick to look for excuses and blame others for their inability to perform.

Being good at anything takes masses of dedication, learning, practice and self belief, so no-one should expect to triumph without striving to become the best at whatever it is you do. Blaming others or circumstances for not achieving what you had hoped to, is an easy way out, and means that you yourself are not prepared to take responsibility and be held accountable for the outcome of your actions.

I can’t now remember who made the quote “don’t wish that things were easier, but wish that you were better” (badly paraphrased), but it is so important to take that on board in sport, in work, or in any other walk of life. Nobody likes a bad loser, (or a bad winner for that matter), but the person who takes it on the chin, decides they didn’t like that feeling, and then bounce back to win the next time, is someone who we can all admire and want to emulate.

In business as with sport, we all have tough times, and we all make bad decisions and mistakes from time to time. The trick is to learn from these, to work smarter, and to find ways to make sure you never repeat those errors. Don’t blame the economic climate, the government, the sad weather, or anything else. Instead work out how to do it better, and then make sure you do it.