What Soccer Can Teach You about Becoming a Business Coach

by | Nov 2, 2016 | How to Become a Business Coach

In addition to my career working with folks who are interested in becoming a business coach, I’ve spent several years as a volunteer soccer coach. A couple of years ago, I served as an assistant coach to the high school soccer team that my oldest son is a member of–a great way to invest in that relationship.

It was a young team. More than half of them were new to high school soccer and it showed in their junior-high level mistakes: too much dribbling, not enough passing; too much showmanship, not enough sportsmanship.

So as a coaching team, we emphasized how important it was to just TRY to do the right things.  For example, we encouraged them to…

  • Attempt a “drop pass”–a pass backward to a midfielder or even backfielder–instead of dribbling through a congested clump of defenders…
  • Try to “switch the field” by passing laterally to the other side of the field instead of driving forward into heavy traffic.

These are strategic plays that require a more sophisticated understanding of the game…and when they do them, it shows that they’re learning how to think on a higher level.

At this point in their development, even if they totally screw up a drop pass or field switch, we’re totally pleased with the attempt! With more practice and experience, they’ll start making more and more of those plays.

Your process of becoming a business coach works the same way.

Whenever I begin working with a new-ish business coach, the very first thing we work on are the MENTAL SHIFTS necessary to win as a business coach.  For example…

  1. Talking on the phone to prospects each day to book Complimentary Coaching Sessions.
  2. Meeting face-to-face (or virtually) for several of those Complimentary Coaching Sessions each week.

Business coaches around the world are starving for lack of these two fundamentals!

I get jacked, happy, geeked, when I get on the phone with a business coach client and she reports that she made 50 dials to prospects in the past week–the most she’s EVER made.  I don’t care about the results in the beginning.  I’m just happy that she was on the phone using the script we’ve tested and proven over years of refinement! (It’s called our “Silver Bullet” script and you can find the cheat sheet here.)

I celebrate with the business coach client when he reports that he had her first real Complimentary Coaching Session in weeks. I don’t care if his conversion rate is rock-bottom LOW for the first few attempts.  We’ll fix that fast!  I just need him out there meeting with people, making the attempts.

In soccer AND in business coaching, the key is to get your charges out there and developing the skills and instincts it takes to win.  Sure, they’ll miss the first few passes at the get-go, but who cares?  The results will come over time as they start focusing on the right things!

For more great tips on becoming a business coach, download my FREE ebook, How to Become a Business Coach. You’ll learn a powerful step-by-step process for building a new career as a coach.

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