Not only have I been blessed to coach entrepreneurs to have greater success and balance since 1992, but also to coach my kids' various sports teams the last eight years -- soccer, softball, basketball and baseball. Currently, I am helping to coach my son Matthew's baseball team. This is a group of 2nd and 3rd graders, ages 8 and 9. Thankfully, it is a team of good kids who are very coachable and want to try their best.
Last year's team at this same level won the City Championship in Greater Cincinnati for the first time in our school's history at any level. It was an incredible achievement and season. Matthew was fortunate to be part of that wonderful experience and his confidence grew dramatically. Only one other boy from that team remains on this year's team. As such, we are a very inexperienced baseball team this year. As coaches, our main goal is to teach baseball fundamentals and help the boys to believe in themselves and each other. Growing their confidence is essential to having team success. Baseball is a tough mental game and you need to have confidence in the batter's box and in the field. We constantly need to pick up the boys' spirits and confidence when they strike out, commit a fielding error, get thrown out stealing, or really struggle on the pitcher's mound.
Business is a lot like baseball. It can be tough, competitive, and quite challenging to perform at a high level day in and day out. With any business, there are days when an owner is mentally beat up, strikes out, commits an error, loses the game. For the owners, who picks up their spirits and confidence? In the past, it seldom happened -- owners had to grind it out on their own. Fortunately today, that has changed and more and more owners are turning to business coaches to help them have clarity of direction, a focused game plan, objective accountability, and as important, a greater sense of hope and confidence -- confidence in their business vision and themselves.
As owners, two of our greatest assets are our business vision and confidence. We need to have a clear destination of where we want to take our business and confidence in ourselves and our team that we can get there. When we are confident, we have less doubt and make better decisions. Therefore, it is our utmost responsibility to guard our vision and protect our confidence. We can not afford to lose our confidence, no matter how rough and tough things get. We need to hold tight to and believe in our vision and not let the daily hassles, headaches, and strike outs erode our confidence. Though we all feel vulnerable, isolated, lonely and even a bit lost at times, we can not afford to lose our confidence. We need to stay strong, positive and productive.
You well know that being a business owner can feel like a long, grueling, unforgiving season at times. Some days you strike out, other days you hit a grand slam. Some days you win, some you lose. Regardless, don't try to carry the entire weight of the company on your shoulders. Don't try to be a lone ranger or tough it out in silence. To maintain your confidence, seek out the help of a business coach, educational and motivational CDs, books, or business owner support groups. Protecting your confidence is imperative -- all other abilities and skills depend upon your confidence. Play ball and remain confident!
Daniel Murphy
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System