How many times have I told people not to stick their heads in the sand, and face up to an issue that is brewing? The answer is, I have lost count, and yet despite knowing that dealing with situations before they escalate is always the best path, I have recently seen the consequences of not practicing what I preach.

Two or three months ago, we noticed a damp patch on one of our walls upstairs. It wasn’t huge, and it was in a fairly unnoticeable part, so it was quite easy to ignore, and pretend it wasn’t there. After all, although we looked from time to time, it wasn’t getting any worse, so perhaps if we left it, it would just go away. Last week we suddenly found water dripping through one of the light fittings in the kitchen, which prompted an immediate and extremely concerned reaction. How I wished I had dealt with the problem straight away, instead of leaving it to become a potential fire hazard, and of course untold amount of repair work on the inside walls (my imagination ran wild, along with the pound signs flashing in front of my eyes).

The point is that whatever it is, be it in your personal life, or in your business, being an ostrich and ignoring potential issues however small they may seem initially, is never a good policy. Facing up to things, taking action and dealing with them, be they structural, to do with personnel or relationships, be they problems with quality or weaknesses in your sales or marketing systems, it is always best to acknowledge them and then come up with a solution.

If I were my coach, I would never have let me get away with not dealing with the roof. But, whilst I would love to be, none of us are perfect, and from time to time making silly mistakes can be a very useful wake up call.

As a coach more often than not I need to impress on my clients the need to know their numbers. Sometimes it takes quite a while to get the point across, but in the end when they “get it”, they can always see the value it brings.

Just recently I have had two good examples of clients that have had their eyes opened by spending time in analysing what is going on in their business. The first one had been asked to categorise his customers in terms of how he rated them A-D, but he found that he had rather more in the top category than either of us had expected. However, I pointed out that just because they brought a high income to the business, it didn’t necessarily mean that they were good customers. Especially if in fact with more detailed analysis he found that the time taken to deliver their service to some of their clients was actually meaning that their margins were negligible. So time spent on analysing not only turnover/customer, but also pricing, time delivering the service, ease of dealing with them, and speed of payment, can give you a far more accurate assessment of whether they really are “A” customers, and therefore if you want to keep supplying them or not.

The other example I have, was with a client who finally got around to analysing how his income was split between the different services he offered. Having spent an hour (only) looking at these figures, we quickly had some very interesting and revealing facts at our fingertips. This meant he was able to make good business decisions based on actual numbers, rather than just gut feelings, both in terms of where to put more time and effort, and where he should look to increase prices and income. Again time very well spent.

So remember, even if in all the rush and humdrum of the day to day business, always make time to check and know your numbers. Chances are you are missing something key if you are not doing this, and when you do, I guarantee you will be pleased with what you find out.

I did a one hour presentation at a breakfast meeting this morning. I had been a little anxious about doing it, as the weather forecast was awful, and I hadn’t done this particular seminar for a while, so I felt I might be a little under-prepared (despite having practiced it on several occasions). As it turned out it went very well, and as usual after the initial nerves at the start, I soon relaxed into it and enjoyed passing on a few coaching tips. Above all, what I found as I was doing it and on reflection afterwards, was the fact that every time I coach or present to people it reaffirms my belief and understanding of what I do, and indeed what my clients should be doing to improve their lives and their business.

The thing is as business owners, you will also find if you start to coach your staff, it encourages you to do things better, and of course to practice what you preach. I quite often find that when I am in the middle of coaching one of my clients on a particular issue, I suddenly realise that I am not doing it myself, and if I don’t do it, why should they? It immediately makes me address that issue, and rectify the situation on my return to my office. Only the other day, whilst persuading one of clients to raise their prices, I spotted that I had avoided that potentially tricky issue for a while, and have since rectified the situation.

If you think of anything that you teach people, be it work or play, to be able to get them to do it well, you have to understand, analyse, and be able to impart the relevant information, succinctly and effectively. It reminds you of the key things you need to do, to carry it out well, thereby improving your own performance. So whilst having a coach will benefit you, coaching your staff will also improve you and your business.

On one or two occasions recently, I have heard coaches say that they feel that their role is to teach their clients how to do things, and then to wean them off, once they have the knowledge and stand on their own two feet. In fact they go so far as to say they have failed if they are still working with them for more than a year. As most of my clients have been with me for at least two years it made me wonder if I was doing something wrong, and that I was perhaps not helping my clients as I should be. But after some soul searching I realised that in fact the long term relationships which I have deliberately brought about are what I believe coaching to be all about.

Of course there is an element of teaching my clients skills, which I should be able to achieve well within a year, but that is not really what my coaching beliefs are about. The point is that most business owners know what is wrong with their businesses. Most of them know what they should be doing, but the gap between knowing it and doing it, is huge, and that is where I come in. Holding my clients accountable to take the actions we agree on at each meeting is what makes the difference. But just because I teach them a new skill, or help them expand their knowledge doesn’t necessarily change the way they are (as indeed most of us are). The loneliness of being a business owner, who is answerable to no-one as such, means it is so easy to give yourself excuses, and avoid doing all the things you don’t like doing, and that never changes.

So to have a coach who you trust and respect, who will hold you accountable, be your mentor and be your friend where appropriate, is surely worth keeping for as long as you want your business to grow.

What a great Christmas and New Year break. I think I was more relaxed this year than ever before, seeing less people and doing less generally, and as a result I was able to appreciate all the more some happy family time. Now I realise I am a bit of a traditionalist, but I love to play silly games, do charades, and enjoy great family meals laughing and joking around the table. What is more, I believe it is really good for anyone to be able to shed off the day to day stresses and strains that we generally labour under, and for a short time just appreciate the simple pleasures in life, and maybe realise just how lucky we all are.

Of course there are many challenges ahead over the next year, but I come at 2013 with renewed vigor and optimism, knowing that I have a happy and contented family, and that despite all else we will always be there for each other.

No doubt these feelings will fade, but it is so important to remember why as business owners we started our own businesses in the first place. Yes, for a very few it might be for selfish reasons, but for most of us it is so we can provide a good and secure life for ourselves and our families. Creating a business which can work without us must surely still be the utopia for all business owners. A business which generates turnover and profit even if we are not there. One where the team runs the business and we as business owners have the freedom to choose how and when we spend time in the business.

If you like the sound of this, but don’t recognise it as being your business, perhaps now is the time to do something about it. If you’re not sure how to go about it, then now is the time to get in touch with me.