5 Times When Professional Business Coaching Was Right For Me

A Personal Story About The Value of Business Coaching Services

I’m Bryan Rosenthal, and I'm here to make a bold statement:

Business coaching can benefit everyone.

Yet, many people still have their doubts about business coaching services because of outdated misconceptions.

Maybe Lisa, from work, has been raving about how much growth she’s recently had in her life from working with a business coach, but you still can’t see how it could benefit you.

When I founded CoCaptain— the virtual coaching platform—I started with a mission to make coaching accessible for all, even those skeptical about the potential success they can attain with a business coach.  

I’m not going to preach about business coaching benefits because it’s already well documented. You can visit CoCaptain online for more on that subject. 

Instead, I want to share a few stories to help answer the questions of when and why so many people choose business coaching for growth—whether it’s for themselves, their business, or their team.

What is Business Coaching?

Business coaching is a process designed to help you move from where you are—professionally— to where you want to be.

Working with a business coach will help you crystalize your objectives and figure out how to start accomplishing them. Most importantly, a business coach keeps you accountable for following through with your goals.  

With a business coach, there are no excuses. Now you'll actually have to follow through on your new year resolutions—especially when it comes to your business or professional career growth.

The ultimate goal of a business coach is to help you discover your own path and to help you move forward in your pursuit of personal and professional success.

A Business Coach is Beneficial, Even When Things are Going Right.

I’m well aware that I’m a lucky man. I have an amazing family; my wife, mother, broader relatives, even my 2-year old daughter have always given me the highest level of support and encouragement.

Still, a family’s support is very different from having an unbiased coach to help navigate your career’s success.

Although my employers generally took an interest in my career, I was never allowed to work with a coach until I invested in one on my own...15 years after my career began.

I’ve had a successful career thus far. Despite having unconditional support from my family and employers, when I look back, I realize that I would have benefited greatly from a business coach's experience from the start of my career.

It's a misnomer that business coaching is only suited for professionals dealing with performance issues. Coaching can add value throughout the peaks and valleys of anyone’s career—and every point in between.

5 Times Business Coaching Would Have Been a Game Changer for my Career

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#1:  The Aggressive Young Business Professional

Early in my career, at the ripe age of 25, my employers found value in my skills and I was offered a series of rapid promotions. I was very fortunate, but my responsibilities expanded around 5 times in 3-year period—it was incredibly challenging, to say the least. 

Despite the challenges of taking on more work, I was young, hungry, wanted to do my best, and would never think of saying no or asking for help or advice.

I didn’t know how to delegate responsibilities, I felt a need to enact changes that were out of my control, and I had no idea how to deal with company politics. 

As you can imagine, around that 5th promotion, I became overwhelmed. I struggled with time management and couldn't get everything done by myself—although I tried.

It was like quicksand—the harder I tried to get out of my mess, the deeper I sank. I wanted to do a good job —but I had no idea how to play with the hand that I was dealt.

Despite having early success in my career, having access to a business coach would have helped a newbie like me to navigate office politics—productively and positively.

A professional business coach would have helped me address and overcome self-inflicted barriers to success.

#2:  The Newly Minted Leader

At another point in my career, I earned the glory that comes with a "Director" title at my company. It's not as fancy as it sounds. Basically, it just means I shifted from being a mid-level leader to the head of my department.

As you may know, management requires a whole new set of skills. A newly promoted manager becomes a rookie again. You have to start on your feet and learn new tasks that weren't part of your old job responsibilities. 

In business management, communication is key. How you communicate with your team—how you take and give out feedback—will determine your business’s growth in the months and years to come.

I was fairly confident in my technical skills, and I have always been able to rely on my leadership values.

However, I could have benefited from professional development to help with my self-awareness and leverage strengths when communicating with my team.

A business coach's experience would have accelerated my time becoming “role-ready” and could have helped me avoid rookie mistakes.

#3:  The Defeated 

Like most people, I have had to go through some terribly challenging moments to become the person I am today in my career. As a person of color, some of those challenging moments and problems stemmed from workplace microaggressions.

I recall one particularly challenging time when I was faced with the dilemma of speaking up about an injustice at work, which would put my job at risk due to retaliation. 

After a lot of deliberation, I ultimately did the right thing and spoke up but as a result—I paid the price. While I have no regrets about my decision, it was undoubtedly a lonely road.

I didn’t need a business coach to remind me of the difference between right and wrong. But when the dust settled, my confidence was shattered.

I felt defeated. Self-doubt invaded my mind. Doing the right thing may not immediately lead to everything working out for you.

A professional business coach’s advice could have helped me build up my confidence and helped me chart a course for the next steps in my career, despite the challenges.

#4:  The Imposter

In the next phase of my career, I had everything you could want; I was the head of my department in a company I loved, my family life was great now that I was a husband and new father.

And yet, for reasons that weren't initially clear, I was unhappy.

The direction of my career was not aligned with my personal goals, and I was fearful of taking “the road less taken” to pursue my passions and become my true self.

I had all of the encouragement from family, but I couldn’t get over my fears. 

Ladies and gents, imposter syndrome had reared its ugly head into my life, and I couldn’t just ask it to leave.

Imposter syndrome is when you think you bluffed your way through that promotion, that you don't deserve that pay raise, or that you are ill-equipped to manage others; in other words, you feel like a fraud.

It impedes you from aiming for what you really want.

Hiring a business coach would have helped me understand that self-doubt is acceptable but living to fulfill my dreams is extraordinary. Most importantly, a coach would have reminded me that it's ok to take pride in your well-earned successes.

#5:  The Entrepreneur

Finally, after much hard work, I found the courage to build my business.

I took the giant leap to become an entrepreneur. I was doing what I love, but the passion wasn’t enough; there was a large knowledge gap from the start, and I desperately needed to ask for help to become successful. 

Want to know why coaching is the best-kept secret to growing as an entrepreneur? Because much like professional athletes, entrepreneurs perform better under the guidance of great coaches.

As business owners, there are so many decisions to make, so many competing interests to navigate. Long-term challenges often overshadow short-term progress.

A business owner needs someone 100% on their side, 100% of the time in order to find the road to success.

Finally, I began to leverage a coach for personal development and subject matter expertise, which resulted in a partnership with Marketing Coach Gonzalo Olmedo. 

Conclusion: A Letter to My Younger Self

If I could write a letter to my younger self, the title would be: “Invest in a Coach —Thank Me Later!”

Although it took some time, I eventually learned that the key to success is hiring a business coach —for good times and bad times. 

I encourage everyone to join me in re-imagining business coaching. It can benefit you wherever you are in your career; after all, careers are beautiful journeys.

Our struggles build us up to become uniquely who we are today. However, taking on those struggles by yourself can only take you so far. 

Instead, consider how partnering with a trained business coach can lead you to incremental improvements in your career and life.

Tell us your story. How do you think a coach can support your career?