Finding the Right Balance
In my initial coaching conversation with a client, they wanted to focus on how to grow their business. They believed that Growth is good; Bigger is better; If a business is not growing, it is dying.
I pointed out such beliefs are half-truths at best and at worst pure fiction. There is no research that substantiates these are the realities of growing a business. The available research concludes that growth, when it is not properly managed, will undermine the fundamental strengths of a business that may lead to its failure.
I challenged the business owner to develop a clear vision for the business and what that vision would mean for the owner personally.
In the follow-up conversation a fortnight later, it was clear the business owner had taken the challenge to heart. They had spent the period focusing their energies on developing the vision for the business and the strategies to make that vision a reality.
Whilst I supported this work, I pointed out that by focusing on the future exclusively, the business owner had taken their eye off the ball in terms of generating new business. As the result, the business was experiencing fewer enquiries and converted sales.
The real challenge for the business owner was how to balance their energies between working to sustain the business today while at the same time planning for the future growth of the business.