I was up at my lake house recently, looking forward to a very quiet early morning cup of coffee. I like to put canned milk in my coffee, but I just could not find the can opener. Of all the simple things! I have this can opener that’s manual, just a little triangular opening thing that lets you open the can of milk and enjoy your coffee. But I couldn’t find it, and I didn’t want black coffee this morning. I was scrounging around for the thing, thinking, “Okay, do I puncture this can with a knife? What if it slips and I stab myself?”
And finally—I don’t know how long I looked—but I found this little, inexpensive can opener and I was able to open the milk and enjoy my coffee. This incident got me thinking about the importance of having the right tools. Something as simple as making a cup of coffee, if you don’t have the right tools, becomes very difficult. So many business owners that I talk with really don’t have the right tools. They’re working so hard to be successful, but they’re missing the right tools. They may not know the tool they need exists, and they may have never even seen that tool. Tools like good financial reporting, good employee evaluations, good hiring process, an appropriate way to review projects, a budgeting process—these tools are very simple, inexpensive, and very effective. But if we scramble around like I did that morning, we can become very frustrated and something easy becomes much more difficult.
Coaching can help you find the right tools to become successful, but so many leaders don’t realize that coaching is a tool they need! If you find yourself frustrated, discouraged with the results you’re seeing, or feeling like you’ve hit a wall, it’s a good sign that you don’t have the right tools. Get in touch; we’d love to help you find a better way.
–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.
by Bradley C