Does my company need a Coach?

One of the things that usually entrepreneurs ask me when we talk about coaching is:

“But why does my company need a Coach?”

The question is fair; with so much information about coaching in the world, nobody knows which way to turn.

Although there are several types of coaching on the market, which can go from the more personal to the more professional issues, the coaching methodologies that we use with our customers are distinguished from the others by several factors.

To get an idea, one of our coaches goes through a very extensive training process, where several business and personal themes are focused on, which aim to improve the performance of companies in the main aspects of the business.

We may be talking about strategy, marketing, finance, sales, leadership, and team management, the areas where we have helped our clients are so many that I wouldn’t have enough space for this article.

We have several cases where, with seemingly simple changes, we managed to achieve a 30% and 40% increase in the company’s results.

In one of the last clients where we worked, the issue related to communication.

The whole company had to be aligned in the same direction, there were dissonances between what was communicated by top management and what was conveyed by 2nd and 3rd line managers.

There was always the need for the managers to have their say.

As the saying goes, the problem is that he who tells a tale adds a point.

And when the information reached the company’s bases, a lot had already been lost and changed.

In challenging times the message has to be clear.

We all have a system of values and needs, to which we respond with greater strength than what the company asks or tells us.

For example, if I am asking my employees to “do their best” and we are not going to be able to pay overtime on top of that, the message should be clear, and above all explain the “why”!

If this “why” is not clear and the same for everyone and, above all, if it is distorted, it will be challenging to get everyone aligned and onboard.

In another client of ours, we intervened in more operational aspects, such as optimizing the implemented systems to cut the organizational “fat” and waste that existed.

With what objective?

Well, in a first analysis, to make the company more solid and secure.

The idea was to improve its financial ratios to have a more stable position with the banks and refinance itself at more competitive rates.

The second goal was to free up financial resources to increase the focus on the commercial and marketing aspects of the company, with the aim of “capturing” market share from the competition.

In challenging times, when others slow down, it is the ideal time to take this kind of attitude. First, however, it was necessary to go through the first stage, that is, to get those same resources.

You are probably thinking, but how did they do it?

In this case, by going down to the roots and giving everyone in the company a voice.

The process went through several phases. The first involved clear communication to the whole company at the same time. Significantly of what was wanted and why. The second involved several cross-functional working groups, who looked at all the processes and systems in detail and, with their know-how, saw and committed to where they could cut back or improve.

Companies are sometimes like our house. We accumulate “junk” and old things in closets and storerooms and only throw them away or move them when they start to bother us or we need more space.

The funny thing about this strategy is that it didn’t involve laying off any of the more than 100 people. The only thing that we did was reallocate 3 or 4 people to previously outsourced functions.

Since they became free, it was more efficient to do them in-house again, as was done originally.

You may think:

“But I can’t do this alone in my company.”

You have every reason to think so, especially in post-pandemic times when resources are scarce.

However, when an outsider, who is not embedded in the day-to-day problems and situations, looks at your business, they can often have different approaches and perspectives.

This week take a moment to think: do I need someone from the outside to give me an unpolluted opinion?

Does my company need a Coach?

One of the things that usually entrepreneurs ask me when we talk about coaching is:

“But why does my company need a Coach?”

The question is fair; with so much information about coaching in the world, nobody knows which way to turn.

Although there are several types of coaching on the market, which can go from the more personal to the more professional issues, the coaching methodologies that we use with our customers are distinguished from the others by several factors.

To get an idea, one of our coaches goes through a very extensive training process, where several business and personal themes are focused on, which aim to improve the performance of companies in the main aspects of the business.

We may be talking about strategy, marketing, finance, sales, leadership, and team management, the areas where we have helped our clients are so many that I wouldn’t have enough space for this article.

We have several cases where, with seemingly simple changes, we managed to achieve a 30% and 40% increase in the company’s results.

In one of the last clients where we worked, the issue related to communication.

The whole company had to be aligned in the same direction, there were dissonances between what was communicated by top management and what was conveyed by 2nd and 3rd line managers.

There was always the need for the managers to have their say.

As the saying goes, the problem is that he who tells a tale adds a point.

And when the information reached the company’s bases, a lot had already been lost and changed.

In challenging times the message has to be clear.

We all have a system of values and needs, to which we respond with greater strength than what the company asks or tells us.

For example, if I am asking my employees to “do their best” and we are not going to be able to pay overtime on top of that, the message should be clear, and above all explain the “why”!

If this “why” is not clear and the same for everyone and, above all, if it is distorted, it will be challenging to get everyone aligned and onboard.

In another client of ours, we intervened in more operational aspects, such as optimizing the implemented systems to cut the organizational “fat” and waste that existed.

With what objective?

Well, in a first analysis, to make the company more solid and secure.

The idea was to improve its financial ratios to have a more stable position with the banks and refinance itself at more competitive rates.

The second goal was to free up financial resources to increase the focus on the commercial and marketing aspects of the company, with the aim of “capturing” market share from the competition.

In challenging times, when others slow down, it is the ideal time to take this kind of attitude. First, however, it was necessary to go through the first stage, that is, to get those same resources.

You are probably thinking, but how did they do it?

In this case, by going down to the roots and giving everyone in the company a voice.

The process went through several phases. The first involved clear communication to the whole company at the same time. Significantly of what was wanted and why. The second involved several cross-functional working groups, who looked at all the processes and systems in detail and, with their know-how, saw and committed to where they could cut back or improve.

Companies are sometimes like our house. We accumulate “junk” and old things in closets and storerooms and only throw them away or move them when they start to bother us or we need more space.

The funny thing about this strategy is that it didn’t involve laying off any of the more than 100 people. The only thing that we did was reallocate 3 or 4 people to previously outsourced functions.

Since they became free, it was more efficient to do them in-house again, as was done originally.

You may think:

“But I can’t do this alone in my company.”

You have every reason to think so, especially in post-pandemic times when resources are scarce.

However, when an outsider, who is not embedded in the day-to-day problems and situations, looks at your business, they can often have different approaches and perspectives.

This week take a moment to think: do I need someone from the outside to give me an unpolluted opinion?

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Also published on Medium.