Coach’s Corner: Find Someone Who Believes in You

As a coach, you know the power of someone encouraging you and having your back. It can mean the difference between perseverance and throwing in the towel–both in your athletic and health goals and in business, too.

I’ve watched my kids through years of sports and I’ve played tennis for years also. Not every coach is created equally.

When a coach isn’t in tune with the athlete, the athlete gets discouraged. They want to quit. They don’t realize their potential.

But when a coach encourages, gives constructive feedback, corrects poor form in a positive way, and celebrates both victories and setbacks, the athlete flourishes.

Being a good coach isn’t necessarily something that comes naturally; it’s something that you need to be aware of and learn.

Here are just a few ways that you can be a better coach help your customers see better results and sustain those results:

• Create a system for following up with customers to ensure you’re connecting with each of them regularly, even if they go quiet (because they will).
• Provide wildly encouraging comments and constructive corrections to your customers who post their workouts and meals online. It’s hard for them to be vulnerable; respect that.
• Celebrate wins inside your private Facebook groups and, if your customers allow, publicly too! Make sure they see that you recognize their hard work!

And as for you, the coach, you also need the same encouragement and accountability as your customers. I love to use my own groups as accountability for me. Having a challenge group sets me up for success and ensures that I’m checking in and participating too.

But surrounding yourself with like-minded coaches is important too. They’ll motivate you, challenge you, and probably coach you a bit too! Which is probably exactly what you need!