“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. ~World Health Organization, 1948”
Over the last century, there has been a tremendous transfer of knowledge from the East to the West. Holistic arts such as yoga have grown so much in popularity that it is estimated that over 30 million individuals worldwide now practice yoga regularly. The real question is, are we really taking wellness seriously in business?
As the teachings from East have merged and grown organically with teachings from the West, new approaches for personal and professional growth have emerged. One of those growth modalities is coaching.
Every world champion has a coach. It’s that one-on-one attention that has supported them from taking their talent from excellent to world-class. Any trainer knows that when they train a large group of people, even if the audience is conscientiously taking notes and nodding with enthusiasm, only a small percentage of those individuals will actually take action based upon what they have learned.
Now, we’re talking about clever, motivated people. And yet, the vast majority of them are just too busy or too overwhelmed by day-to-day business matters, often tackling the urgent rather than the important, to implement the changes they know would benefit them and their organisation. They’re time-pressed, stressed out and pressurised. They have everything it takes to succeed except for one thing – follow-up. And follow-up requires the ability to stand back, think, assess and plan. That’s where coaching comes in.
“But the body is deeper than the soul and its secrets inscrutable.” E. M. Forster
In the USA, the media is full of praise for executive and personal coaching. Fortune magazine says: “The hottest thing in management today is the executive coach.” Newsweek magazine chimes in with their take on coaching: “They’re part therapist, part consultant–and they sure know how to succeed in business.”
As you’ll see from the reviews below – the positive reports are numerous.
“The benefits of coaching appear to win over even the most cynical clients within just a few weeks.” ~ Money Magazine
Employees at Nortel Networks estimate that coaching earned the company a 529 per cent “return on investment and significant intangible benefits to the business,” according to calculations prepared by Merrill C. Anderson, a professor of clinical education at Drake University. ~ Psychology Today
“Recent studies show business coaching and executive coaching to be the most effective means for achieving sustainable growth, change and development in the individual, group and organization.” ~ HR Monthly
“In one 2004 study, executive coaching at Booz Allen Hamilton, the business consultants firm, returned $7.90 for every $1 the firm spent on coaching.” ~ MetrixGlobal
“A coach may be the guardian angel you need to rev up your career.” ~ Money Magazine
“Corporations believe that coaching helps keep employees and that the dollar investment in it is far less than the cost of replacing an employee.” ~ David A. Thomas Fitzhugh, professor of Business Administration, ~ Harvard Business School
“Employers are shocked at how high their ROI numbers are for coaching. He recalls a large employer in the hospitality industry saved between $30 million and $60 million by coaching its top 200 executives.” ~ Accenture, Alastair Robertson, Manager of worldwide leadership development
For me, John Kotter’s quote below sums up the need for coaching in the most down to earth way.
“What’s really driving the boom in coaching, is this; as we move from 30 miles an hour to 70 to 120 to 180…as we go from driving straight down the road to making right turns and left turns to abandoning cars and getting on motorcycles…the whole game changes and a lot of people are trying to keep up, learn how not to fall off.” John Kotter, Author and Professor of Leadership, ~ Harvard Business School
So, we know that coaching breeds success in the business environment. We also know that success is mirrored in a personal environment. On a personal level, coaching directs an individual to look within to find happiness and fulfilment. Coaching takes a tailored approach to each individual to address unique life issues, goals, challenges and emotional barriers to enjoying the “now”. What’s more, it takes an exceptionally practical approach to change.
So, what’s the reason there are still so many companies and individuals who aren’t choosing to access this powerful resource? Is it lack of time, lack of awareness of lack of inclination? And why aren’t more companies combining wellness in the body with coaching to ensure a solid foundation for long term wellness?
“The mind’s first step to self-awareness must be through the body.” George Sheehan
Richard Jolly wrote an interesting article in the London Business School Business Strategy Review, which gives a potential reason for this. You can read the article here: http://bsr.london.edu/lbs-article/642/index.html
He discusses the modern-day plagues in the business culture of emails and meetings. Two potentially time-wasting exercises that keep managers and employees focussed on the urgent rather than the important. The most interesting concept he discusses is, what he terms as “hurry sickness”. This is probably one of the greatest cultivators of the belief system that discourages senior people from taking time out to re-focus and re-centre themselves.
Richard Jolly states that typical symptoms of this ‘hurry sickness’ disease include:
- If you are microwaving something for 30 seconds, you have to do something else while waiting for the microwave to go ‘ping’
- You eat at your desk while also checking your emails, often on the phone at the same time
- You get a buzz from just catching a plane or a train
- You do something else while you drive (on the phone, listening to the radio, eating your breakfast)
- You hate the time it takes to boot up your computer so much that you never turn it off
- You do something else while brushing your teeth
- You turn your smartphone on as soon as the plane lands, before you are meant to, and get frustrated by how long it takes to get a signal
- You find yourself consistently getting frustrated while waiting in line or in traffic
- You regularly interrupt the person with whom you are talking
- You do something else on telephone conferences
- You press the ‘door close’ button in elevators repeatedly
Richard Jolly correlates this type of behaviour with road rage and I agree. What’s most interesting about his article is his statement that “‘hurry sick’ managers find it almost impossible to stand back and think.” So, it’s no wonder that the thought of taking time out to work with a coach; let alone a week out to focus on themselves would seem to hold little value.
And yet, the value makes logical sense. In fact, this kind of behaviour leads me to believe that’s just what stressed-out and overwhelmed business leaders would benefit from. Furthermore, as both a senior employee and an entrepreneur I’ve suffered from ‘hurry sickness’ myself – and I didn’t realise it at the time. Whether through overwhelm or over-enthusiasm, I’ve created it in my world and I now know the best way to manage this challenge is to seek external support to clarify my thoughts.
Excellent coaching delivers a highly effective process for addressing specific development issues, exploring any limiting beliefs, which could affect performance, and planning significant strategies to move you or your organisation forward. Demands placed upon managers and leaders are ever-increasing and navigating such pressurised environments often requires a broad and varied range of skills, which haven’t necessarily been taught or learned from previous experience.
If we’re successful, sometimes the very skills that supported us in getting to the top of the tree can require tweaking or releasing to maintain our position. Coaching can be a highly effective way of maintaining focus and consistent development – at any level.
At Fire Dragon we take it a step further. We believe that ‘hurry sickness’ also gets in the way of overall wellness, in both body and mind. So, we create courses that actively involve coaching with physical activities and relaxation so that delegates see the immediate value in taking time out, exercise and having fun. Our programmes are designed to kick-start a new way of thinking and living through experiential training rather than as a ‘fix-all’ solution.
What’s more, our coaches have all had lives before coaching. So, they coach from experience rather than theory. Some have worked in the field of business consulting, some are serial entrepreneurs, others have MBAs and vast global experience in finance and management and others have a broad experience in life coaching, therapy and training. We teach coaches how to deliver non-judgmental, motivating, concise, results-orientated and supportive coaching sessions to any level of team member.
Our Fire Dragon Adventures are designed for both business people and individuals alike, to kick-start a new approach to work and life. We combine 1-2-1 coaching with yoga, diving, water sports and travel with the purpose of developing new thought processes, better management and communication skills and a greater sense of self. Our coaches are available to offer ongoing coaching solutions after our 7-day adventures and we partner our delegates with coaches with experience in the most suitable field. This unique and tailored approach offers a powerful solution to ‘hurry sick’ managers and ‘on-the-run’ individuals searching for something they can’t quite reach.
Find Out More About Working With Me
To find out more about coaching with me, or if you’d like to arrange a call to see if we’re a good fit for one another, please send me an email to sarah@sarahmerron.com.
You can book coaching online here.
Find out about NLP Training here.
If you’re interested in group training and coaching, you can check out my Farcical Life Programmes here.
“It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn – which is what life is all about.” Oprah Winfrey
