If you are reading this article then It is a pretty safe bet that you have visited the ThinkPositive coaching website before. You might have read Message from Simon posts or be one of the many people who have retweeted Simon’s regular message. Perhaps, like me, you might be one of Simon’s growing band of business clients. If any of this applies to you, or if you have just come across this article by chance then I hope it encourages you to join me and others at “Success on the Humber” where Yorkshire business coach Simon Cartwright of ThinkPositive coaching will show you a way of looking at your business that could be transformative.

What do you look for in a Business Coach?

Those of us who take the plunge to run our own business soon learn pretty quickly that we need people to help us on our journey. The support structures in our old jobs helped us get on and do what we needed to do, even if the job was driving us around the bend! Take those structures away and we can flounder. That’s why we often have a eureka moment, may be watching Andy Murray’s coach urging him on or seeing Dave Beresford get the best out of Chris Hoy and the rest of the cycling heroes: we realise that the best achieving and most talented individuals need a coach. But business coaches are ten-a-penny and before we get to choosing one we need to be quite clear about what we want.

The “Nuts and Bolts” Business Coach Some of us look for a Nuts and Bolts business coach. If we have just started out then Nuts and Bolts man is the guy we look to if we really don’t know what to do. We have a skill or product to sell but have no idea how to run a business. Nuts and Bolts man will give us all the jobs to do and, if he is any good will check up on us on a regular basis. The advantage of Nuts and Bolts is that he will give us some procedures to follow, which might be very welcome when we first set out on our own. The hidden danger is the procedures you get might suit Nuts and Bolts man but they might not suit you, your temperament or working style, and could lead you up a blind alley.

The “Long Term Visionary” Business Coach Long Term Visionary business coach is great if you think you have all your procedures worked out or you are one of those people who simply will not work with someone who is going to take you to task for not carrying out x number of jobs. So whilst Nuts and Bolts might make you feel that you are still working for someone else. The Long Term Visionary will go to great lengths not to make you feel like you are working for him. Ask “What should I do next?” or “How long do I spend on this?” and he will say that is for you to decide and that it all depends on how you view your long term goals. The Long Term Visionary is positively therapeutic at discussing your dreams but lacks the will or way to give you practical applications. He’ll probably leave with an amazing feel good factor, but ask yourself this: Does Alex Ferguson get Paul Scholes still playing 40 yard cross-field passes just because he tickles his tummy and asks him to reflect on his long term desires? NO.

The ThinkPositive  Business Coaching way: It’s attitude, self awareness, goals and means. Simon’s approach and the approach of ThinkPositive is exactly what you’d expect from an outgoing Aussie who has made Hull his base for his Yorkshire Business Coach practice. As one of Simon’s clients I can share that Simon’s work can be broken down into 4 simple parts.

• He listens to me for about 10-15 minutes per session and assesses my attitude. Then he lets me know which of my attitudes are good for my business and which are not.
• Simon Cartwright  gets me to evaluate my attitude and my reactions to situations. He also gets me to explore what really motivates me. Now that might seem daft but sometimes we forget what it was that first sparked up our desire to start a business in the first place. A good business coach will help you remember and rekindle the flame.
• Simon gets me to reflect on my goals, both long and short term.
• Together we explore the means and off I go armed with a manageable set of tasks, an assessment of the signals I give to others through my attitude and a firm grip on the reasons why I chose the path I am on.

If you want someone to preach ethereal nonsense then find a guru, if you want to find someone who’ll give you chores then go to your Mum. Simon Cartwright isn’t my Mum, but his simple commonsense approach to business coaching is bringing me rewards and a sense of purpose.

Mark Luscombe