“Never mix business with pleasure.”
So the saying goes. (But try telling that to someone running their own business.)
Our professional and personal lives are tightly linked, and whilst I certainly advocate clear boundaries and a healthy work-life balance, what’s going on at work will always affect what’s going on at home (and vice versa). There’s no avoiding it.
The life of a coach isn’t dissimilar: built on guidance and structure, but also demanding space for self-reflection and learning.
To be an effective coach, you need to practise what you preach – and that starts with looking inwards.
The Life of a Coach
A Day in the Life
As a coach, every day is different. One day I might be working with a business owner to streamline their goals, prioritise tasks and improve their work-life balance. The next I might be guiding an executive through a challenging career shift.
Plus, I’m a business owner myself, so I spend other parts of my week working on my own goals and keeping the cogs turning. Facing many of the same challenges that my clients are dealing with in the process.
But it’s also essential for any professional to carve out time to continue to learn and evolve, and a coach is no different.
Finding Time to Look Inwards
Coaching is a skill you can learn, like most other things. But that doesn’t mean it’s fixed.
It only works when fed by continuous learning and development. Just as I draw on my many years’ experience owning and running businesses to help my clients, I do my best to take time to pause, reflect and recalibrate. That might involve getting out of the office, talking to peers or spending time with my own coach.
It helps me stay on the right path with my business, and helps me become a better coach each day as well.
After all, I encourage my clients to look inwards as well as outwards, and something would be off if I didn’t “take my own medicine”!
Coaching, Business and Life
The Life of a Business Coach
When you run a business, it’s pretty easy for boundaries to become blurred.
Even if you’re exceptionally good at separating “work” and “play”, what goes on in your business will inevitably have a significant impact on your life.
When business is good, when you’re staying on top of things and following a well-planned strategy with clear milestones and markers of success, chances are life will be pretty good too. When the opposite happens, it’s easy for the rest of your life to suffer as well.
Because if you’re finding it difficult to make time for life, the problem might just be how you’re managing your business.
Professional Development and Personal Development
Similarly, the skills you learn to be a better executive, senior leader or to enjoy a more fruitful career have a lot of overlap with personal skills.
Finding clarity and confidence in your professional life naturally seeps into your personal life.
I think it’s important to appreciate where the two intersect, and to use this to create better plans for your business. Plans that match with both your commercial goals and your personal values.
Now, if you’re looking for a coach to help you “find yourself,” I might not be the right fit. But if you want someone who can help you define goals, navigate challenges, and build a fulfilling career or business, I can help.
Ready to talk?
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a professional at a crossroads, or a leader looking to level up, coaching can be the key to unlocking your next chapter. If you’re based in Bristol and searching for a coach who understands the balance between personal and professional growth, let’s connect.
The life of a coach may be about helping others, but it starts with self-awareness. And the same is true for anyone looking to achieve meaningful change.
Kind Regards,
Chris