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Success
Partnerships: Take Your Business to the Next Level In the fall of 2001 I resigned from my full-time faculty position to enter the world of the self-employed. I had been working part-time as a coach and coach trainer for three years while I gathered the courage to leave the security of a ten-year faculty appointment, including a substantial salary and benefits, to pursue my passion for coaching and training. My full-time university responsibilities ended in September, 2001, and I looked forward to ‘taking a breather’ to get clear about my vision for my business. With the events of 9/11, I was even more convinced that I needed time to shift gears from salaried employee to solopreneur. I spent that fall teaching an undergraduate course and doing some coaching and training. I also took lots of long walks with my dog, worked with my coach, and geared up for the beginning of 2002 when I planned to shift my energy toward building my business. Fast forward to the present: I have learned a tremendous amount about myself as a coach and business owner during the past two years. Perhaps the most significant learning is that building a business from scratch by myself holds about as much appeal for me as having a root canal. Unfortunately it took more than a year for me to realize that I needed a partner---not a business partner to join me in running the business, but a success partner. Early in the spring of this year I met with a fellow coach from my local community to discuss our respective businesses. We shared a great deal in common. We had both been coaching for several years and were each confronted with the challenge of building the business of our dreams. We were very clear that we were doing work that we loved; we just weren’t doing enough of it with the clients we wanted to attract! There were days when we felt like we were spinning our wheels in a futile attempt to be productive; only to feel frustrated at the end of the day by how little had gotten accomplished. We discussed the possibility of merging our businesses but that idea didn’t feel quite right. There had to be another way…but what? Then came the AHA moment. Why not become success partners? Success partners? Neither of us had ever heard this concept before. And the immediate surge of energy we experienced as we discussed it told us we were onto something big. We just didn’t realize how huge this would be for both of us! What is a success partnership? A success partnership is a professional relationship created by two self-employed individuals for the sole purpose of ensuring that each individual’s business becomes wildly successful! The conditions that create a winning success partnership are:
A success partnership is NOT:
Like a coaching relationship, the success partnership provides the structure, support, and accountability to assist each partner to successfully grow their business. My partner and I meet face-to-face every two weeks for approximately two hours for progress meetings. We each bring an agenda to structure the meetings. The agenda may include any of the following:
Results: Since our success partnership began last spring, my partner and I have supported each other in building our businesses in several ways. We have each attracted more ideal clients; we have expanded our businesses in ways that are in aligned with our visions; we are more focused and productive in carrying out tasks and activities on a daily basis; and we are both having much more fun!
COACHING MASTERY UPDATE
Coaching Mastery Telegathering to
mark the first anniversary of Coaching Mastery News Coaching Mastery is an innovative program designed to assist coaches in their professional development. It provides coaches with a safe learning environment to explore important issues that occur in their coaching relationships. The telegathering will provide coaches with the opportunity to reflect upon their work and learn ways to enhance their coaching effectiveness. Here
are some examples of areas for exploration through Coaching
Mastery: To register for the telegathering and for more information about Coaching Mastery, contact Lisa Kramer at lisa@livingwithintention.com or (610) 527-4511. “Lisa
has this uncanny ability to state the essence of an issue
in a single sentence, and that single sentence sparks the
impetus for transformation - imagine what a full session with
her can do! She brings her vast skill and experience as a
coach, teacher, and mentor to the coaching mastery model of
supporting coaches in a way that goes beyond a traditional
coach-client partnership. If you’re ready to take your
coaching skills and practice to a higher level of expertise
and professionalism, coaching mastery a sure way to make that
happen!” Upcoming Events:
November 7, 2003: Introduction to Professional Coaching November
11, 2003: The Coaching Circle: Leaping to Your Promise December
9. 2003: Coaching Mastery Telegathering
January 23, 2004: Accessing Our Inner Wisdom
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