 Introduction
Who is this MicroModule most useful for?
This
coaching the entrepreneur module is for anyone who wants to understand and/or work
successfully with the entrepreneur. It is helpful for entrepreneurs themselves,
their family, friends or colleagues and the coaches or consultants working with
entrepreneurs.
How to do I transition an entrepreneur to a client?
That’s
easy. Ask an entrepreneur to talk about their project and ideas and enjoy the
conversation. Then ask the entrepreneur if they'd like to schedule an interview to discuss
some of their projects or great ideas. Possible questions include:
"What are you working on in your professional life? Anything special?"
"Wow, you are full of great ideas, have you ever worked with someone
to bring them to completion?"
”Given
the opportunity of what you're working on, how can I further support you, Tom?”
"Would you like someone to bounce some of
those great ideas off of and maybe encourage you to go even farther with them?"
"Have you ever considered the possibility that you are an entrepreneur and
that you are best served by working with someone who really gets where you're coming
from?"
Notice this feedback is a "soft
sell". You are not trying to get anything from them. You simply further
the conversation to whatever depth the prospect wants to go. Entrepreneur's do not want
to feel manipulated. Remember the entrepreneur is often extremely bright and
they will know if you are trying to 'lead them somewhere'. It's deadly to go into a
conversation with them with the intent of getting them to talk or to be a client.
Just enjoy them.
What
you should know about coaching the entrepreneur...
 Most entrepreneurs say coaches
hold them back too much.
Don't let your risk aversion get in the way of the entrepreneurs
ability to innovate. If you can't be with the ups and downs that come with an
entrepreneur, you probably shouldn't be coaching them.
Encourage the entrepreneur to think even bigger.
As counter intuitive as it may sound, get the entrepreneur thinking
even bigger. Everyone else in their life will want them to think smaller. It's your job as
a coach to expand their vision, not restrict it.
Just listen.
It's enough. Really. Most coaches feel the need to prove their
worth or earn their fee which actually gets in the way of the true value the coach can
provide. They
are really paying you just to listen. Their spouses and friends can't provide this like a
coach can.
Charge enough for them to take you seriously.
As strange as it may
sound,
not charging enough will hurt your chances with an entrepreneur, not help. They have very
big goals and want someone who is willing to take them and their goals seriously.
Don't provide advice.
If you give them tips on ways to improve their business, they will
likely let you go.
Don't argue or fight with an entrepreneur.
They have very specific ideas and goals, getting in to an argument with
them is lose-lose. Just don't engage.
They'll tell you they want to change.
But they don't.
As much as they think they want to
change, deep down they really don't. And in fact, shouldn't. Their lifestyle may cost them personally and financially, but they
have an important role in society. Let them play it.
Don't believe everything an
entrepreneur says to be true.
Most entrepreneurs exaggerate. Which means problems are worse than they
say and the good news isn't quite as good.
Tips on how to coach an entrepreneur
 Coaching an entrepreneur isn't difficult and in fact can be quite rewarding, but
it is imperative that you find out what they want you to do and the role they want you to
have and have them train you in that role, rather than you trying to steer them in a
particular way. You do that by simply asking them how you can best
support them. They will tell you.
Help the person see that
they are an entrepreneur and that they'll tend to have ideas for the rest of
their life. So, help them see they are different than the average bear. That
uniqueness is a gift but they often experience it as a burden because "things don't
usually work out financially for them."
Find out
how willing the person is to become financially successful vs just being a happy creative
type. Ask if they are willing to give up some of their creative juices to set up
systems for production and learning. Ask them if they are willing to be 'bored.'
That usually wakes them up and gets them thinking.
It's easy and
natural to come in and want to fix the chaos an entrepreneur brings. Resist this. Instead
find the gift your client is offering the world and enjoy every part of them. From the
projects that don't get finished to the endless projects and ideas they bring you. Rejoice
in this!
Help the entrepreneur pick 3 failsafe support structures to help them build the
muscle to get from idea to revenue stream.
Structure #1. You, as their coach, are
one structure.
Structure #2. Have them set up an
R&D Team of colleagues or potential customers. This is really important because it
rounds the person out from being an 'it' thinker to a 'who' thinker, meaning that as the
person starts feeling and understanding the people who will be using their
idea/product/service, they start to have a deeper relationship with their idea vs the
typical 'high' that entrepreneurs get from having their ideas. Key, key difference
in terms of how the entrepreneur experiences life. This alone can mature them
quickly.
Structure #3. Set up some
deadline/outcome dates for testing or release of their product/service. There's
gotta be an endpoint with some pressure attached to it or else the entrepreneur will cook
up another idea and never finish this one which actually brings them DOWN given they know
they 'failed.'
Along with #3, I've found
that daily contact with a colleague or coach or customers is essential; once a week isn't
enough. Personally, I am so undisciplined and so lacking in willpower that I use
Instant Messaging with my colleagues or staff when I find myself drifting away. That just in time structure keeps me productive.
...And
Because the entrepreneur is wired the
way they are, it can sometimes be painful to watch or you may feel they may be taking on
too much risk. It helps to keep an eye on three things. To make sure they have enough
structure and support to deliver on the ideas they have, schedule an integrity session once
a month to look at/work on the following:
1. The amount of room/space they have in their life to create/play.
2. The structure/support systems they need to deliver on their ideas/revenue streams.
3. The underpinnings they need for their personal/lifestyle integrity/foundation.
Mistakes Include:
Here are examples of
mistakes coaches make when coaching an entrepreneur:
trying
to protect them from themselves.
trying
to slow them down.
trying
to direct them.
trying
to make them practical/linear.
trying
to change them.
trying
to get them to be balanced (go for equilibrium instead).
What
entrepreneurs tend to respond to..
1. Entrepreneur
clients NEED encouragement. Just because they own their own business and are
successful doesn't mean that they don't need support from you. Entrepreneurs often
have more doubts about themselves than others do. Encouragement is really, really
important.
2. Entrepreneurs NEED you to listen to them. A
lot. Why? Because entrepreneurs use the coaching relationship as a way to test out
new ideas or work through problems/issues.
3. Entrepreneurs NEED outlets to express
their creativity. They are built to be innovators and experimenters. If there isn't
a way to express that creativity in an expanding way frustration is usually not far
behind.
4. Entrepreneurs can benefit greatly from the
collaboration that comes from having a personal R&D Team. They need like minded
people. An R&D Team provides that.
Related
Evolutionary Progression
Feel free to share this.
Related
Life Model
Feel free to share this.
License Rights and Restrictions
This coaching the Entrepreneur 3 Step Training is
original work and owned by CoachVille.com, and is
also part of a large collection of 3 Step Training Modules available at 3steptraining.com. Each of our 3 Step
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Transcript of Training Session
Coaching Entrepreneurs
February 13, 2002 - 6:00 p.m. EST
Thomas Leonard, Session Leader
The RealAudio of this session is here.
Transcript
TJL: Hi - welcome to the call! Who's this? (participants check in) Welcome-this is a call
about coaching the entrepreneurs. Dave Buck and Susan Austin are here with me too. You're
probably listening to this in your local group. For the first 15 minutes, Dave, Susan and
I will be sharing steps in coaching entrepreneurs and our experiences as well. Let's first
distinguish the kind of entrepreneurs we're talking about today; there are a number of
types. We're going to be focusing on the classic entrepreneurs. The person who's very
creative, may not be organized, may not be the most successful, but they're that driven
type who has lots of ideas and hire a coach with the idea of getting them organized, etc.
There are different types and kinds out there, but we're focusing on the classic
entrepreneur.
I had this client back in the 80s that was a classic entrepreneur, and I felt, after 3
sessions, we were doing great, until midway through the 3rd session, he just asked me to
shut up. He explained to me that entrepreneurs love and need to talk and I kept
interrupting his flow. He wanted me to just listen to him. We made a deal that I would
give him the first 28 minutes and he would give me the last 2. That meant I could relax
and enjoy and learn from him. That's our first point - there are 3 steps in this process -
is that the entrepreneur may be very different than you and need different things than you
provide to your other clients. This client taught me a lot about who entrepreneurs are and
how they do things differently. Entrepreneurs don't need you; they just want you. You can
do lots of things with them, but they're in charge. They typically need different things
than standard clients.
Step 2 - simply enjoy them as they are. Let's go back to step 1, though, first. Dave, can
you talk about some of the differences between entrepreneurs and standard clients?
DB: Yes, don't let your entrepreneur's willingness to take risks upset your risk aversion.
TJL: Yes- most entrepreneurs say that coaches try to hold them back and most of them don't
want that. They want to be innovative in society. As much as it may cost them personally
and financially, they have an important role in society - they're genetically built to be
a certain way.
DB: Yes, you don't want to put your risk aversion on to them, you just want to listen to
their ideas. You really want to encourage them to think even bigger. Other things we do
are try to get people organized - you don't want to do that with entrepreneurs. Don't put
your limited viewpoints on to their thinking.
TJL: Entrepreneurs want you to listen to them - they can only create cool things when
they're talking and they know somebody understands them, listens and cares. You want to
help them be a midwife to their ideas, rather than trying to raise their children - they
need you in their lives. Often their spouses are tired of the whole thing, and they need
to be heard; they may come to you every week with totally different ideas, things to work
on, etc, that may not track from one week to the next. Often, they're disdainful of
outside counsel. They'd rather fail sometimes than learn from someone else. If you give
them tips about how to run their business better, they'll likely let you go.
DB: I have an entrepreneur I'm working with now who doesn't even want to talk about
business ideas - he uses our conversations to reflect on his personal life and where he's
going, and so on.
TJL: One thing too is that entrepreneurs have a push-pull relationship with focus. They
know they should focus, but they really don't focus. You've got to adjust your coaching to
fit their current need. So, step 1 is to understand that they're really different than
you. They'll expand your understanding of human nature.
Step 2 is to come to enjoy them. It's a shock to enjoy someone who's going to do all the
work, and barely ask you for a comment at the end. It's all about just being with them,
enjoying them, and asking them tough questions - they love that. Most entrepreneurs tell
me that their friends and spouses tell them they're doing too much, but I tell them
they're not doing enough - I challenge them to do more. Dave, what's another way you enjoy
your entrepreneurs?
DB: It's strange, but I enjoy them because they give me a lot of ideas. They really enjoy
that - they think that's kind of neat! It sounds so strange, but they love it.
TJL: Because they love it!
DB: I think as a coach you have to come from a different place as an entrepreneur -
they're driven by different things.
TJL: I think entrepreneurs spend their life trying to compensate for self-doubt. It sounds
a little negative, but they're driven by opportunity, sales, etc. They're just driven by
nature. That's in my experience of working with entrepreneurs.
DB: They're certainly very competitive.
Shaun: I just heard the comment you made - I've primarily dealt with the areas of
rejection and disappointment, primarily from the corporate standpoint.
TJL: Yes, a lot of put-downs over their professional life.
Shaun: Yes, they're looking for self-worth and self-value.
TJL: They're really a fish out of water in typical jobs. A couple mistakes I've learned
the hard way - I would try to protect them from themselves - not a good thing. I tried to
change them, tried to help them get balance, and lots of other things, and it just didn't
work. Don't try to make them like you.
XXX: You need to get out of their way!
TJL: Yes. The 3rd step in coaching them is how to coach them. Dave, what are some of the
ways you use?
DB: It is that balance of - they may ask you for some things. The best thing is to ask
them challenging questions - how can you make that bigger? How are you going to do that? -
for example.
TJL: Yes, make them challenging, rather than asking why they're doing something in a
particular way.
DB: Yes! Sometimes they will respond to having some structure. Sometimes they need someone
who can take their ideas and implement them, but only when they're ready for it or ask for
it.
TJL: Part of the process is that you're finding out at any given moment what's the role,
approach, or direction they want you to take, rather than trying to steer them in a
particular way. One thing I've found is that it may cause you pain sometimes because you
see them hurting themselves or taking way too much risk. One thing I've found that helps
is if you schedule an integrity session one session a month. That's how I work my
entrepreneurs and that's the rule I have. I want to make sure I'm providing the full range
of coaching support I think they need, and so I don't lose sleep worrying about them. I
want to make sure they have enough structure and support to deliver on the ideas they
have, and I want to make sure they have enough room in their days to be creative. It's
either a special once-a-month call, or an extra call. Dave, any comments?
DB: They're really just paying you to listen to them - it sounds strange, but that's
really it.
TJL: Susan, for you?
SA: I think it's important not to confine them and let them jump out of the box.
TJL: Yes, they may tell you they want to change, but they don't, no matter what they tell
you. Great, now if the hosts will turn off the Real Audio and work with their groups to
take the lesson from there.
(pause in session)
TJL: We're back and we're still being taped. This is a change for you to contribute and
ask questions about working with an entrepreneur. Maybe you have another point to make -
things you can use to expand the discussion on how an entrepreneur thinks. We're all ears.
Esther: I have 1 entrepreneur and she came to me saying she's very creative and getting
new ideas all the time - she's got a lot of balls in the air, plus she's a single parent
with 2 kids. What tools or exercises have people use to clarify for an entrepreneur about
what they need to do plus balance family?
TJL: First, I would handle you. I'm not being funny with you. How do you feel about her
having 10 balls in the air?
Esther: I think it's great.
TJL: And does she know that?
Esther: Yes.
TJL: What do you think the optimum number of balls in the air for her would be?
Esther: I didn't approach it that way. I came from the point of prioritizing the balls and
spending time with the kids. I use a lot of Covey stuff, but what are people doing when
you help people prioritize?
TJL: We just talked about how the entrepreneur doesn't respond to that sort of thing.
Esther: Well, that's kind of why she hired me.
TJL: I would set it up differently so you wouldn't have to prioritize or focus - they may
need you for a week, but then they'll be gone. I've just found it to be an uphill
battle.
Esther: I just wanted to know if someone had another tool to use besides Covey.
TJL: Dave or anyone?
DB: A tool that's great to use is "The E-Myth" by David Gerber.
XXX: I just finished coaching a client who's an entrepreneur. The thing came up about her
having all these balls in the air. I just asked her, how big are your balls? She told me
she was feeling fine and not overwhelmed.
TJL: Great way to ask the question - you can then go to the next level by asking them
which one they want to work on.
Curt: What's worked for me is telling them - you're so smart, why don't you fix it?
Esther: My concern is that she's a client who's about ready to have a nervous breakdown.
I've been working with her over a year; the Covey stuff worked, but I'm looking for other
things to use with her.
XXX: I don't think that your person is all that untypical of a mid-life female
entrepreneur. What I find is that it's hard to let opportunities go by because I find them
exciting, but I do find that I want to set some priorities for my life and spend more time
in certain areas.
Esther: Thank you.
TJL: Great. Anyone else?
Rosemary:
I'm working with an entrepreneur who is creating an organization and surrounding herself
with people who are corporate in nature. There's a lot of groundwork that needs to be
done, and she's bouncing ahead - the rest of the people are getting massively frustrated.
How would you work with the entrepreneur to ensure that she's not going to destroy what
she's creating before it has a chance to blossom?
TJL: Dave?
DB: I have absolutely no idea - you stumped me.
TJL: What's the problem, basically?
Rosemary:
I think the person is so incredibly entrepreneurial that she doesn't have a full concept
of the fact that you have to put the bricks and mortar in place before you take off.
TJL: They're not actually recognizing that the idea is 1 percent of the work involved, and
that there's 99 percent of other stuff involved!
Rosemary:
Is it wise to work with the entrepreneur to delegate things?
TJL: It will work, if they're in pain. They have an incredible threshold of pain, so it
may take a while. We're not giving you good solutions for your particular situation, but I
think coaching is to help them understand their situation better and how they are
different. That starts them in the role of how to work with other people.
Rosemary:
Yes, and I think that's part of the conflict that's arising. It's an organization with
tremendous potential, but it could crash in on itself because of the conflict.
TJL: It's difficult for an entrepreneur to attract implementers and there's a learning
curve for the entrepreneur to understand the nature of others.
Rosemary:
Do you have any suggestions on questions to ask to raise that level of awareness?
TJL: What are some of the changes you think you'll need to make personally to handle the
problem? That's a question that really gets them thinking about it.
XXX: An orientation that seems to help is to show them they can have it - they can plan,
but they're not there to work on it. They need to see that they can have it - the garden -
but they need to have others around them to tend the garden once they plan it.
TJL: But they often don't respect the effort it takes to tend the garden. All the other
steps are things anybody should be able to do, in their thinking. I wish we could help you
further.
XXX: I don't know if this applies, but I was coaching with this client who was having
difficulty with her family, and in questioning her, she knew what her plan was and wanted
them to participate and I asked her if she let them in on her secret. She admitted she
hadn't - she thought they would just go along with it. The next time that occurred, she
let them in on the secret, and she said it went wonderfully.
TJL: Yes - you want to find out how interested they are in understanding your approach to
life and how it affects others. I ask that first; then we talk about a couple of skills
they need to understand because others don't catch on as quickly. There are a whole set of
skills around collaborations and how to attract people who can implement their ideas. That
way there's an opening versus using a technique or process on them. If you use the word
delegate, they put their hands up to protect themselves from you! (laugh) That's my
experience.
DB: I was wondering about the idea of sustainability - depending on how many times they've
been up and down, they eventually get to a point to where they think about how they can
sustain this. There's a "sustainability versus exhaustion" factor that makes
them realize they need to learn collaboration skills.
TJL: Yes, entrepreneurs are often impatient. Let's take a couple of minutes to debrief. It
helps us to know what you've learned over the call.
XXX: I must say in your initial 15 minutes when you were talking about the char of
entrepreneurs, you had it right on!
XXX: I recognized myself in a lot of this also and wondered if this wasn't true of a lot
of coaches - we're like entrepreneurs in a certain sense.
TJL: I think we all have entrepreneurial traits to a degree; it probably does attract a
certain segment of the market.
XXX: I learned a tremendous amount about the nature of the entrepreneur - I thought it was
really helpful. Based on what I've learned, I think I'll be able to adjust how I work with
them. The other thing I really like was the question about how big the balls were!
TJL: Yes, that's a great question.
XXX: I really like the way you talked about an entrepreneur's life and their high
threshold of pain. I think that's important to remember when we're coaching them.
TJL: Yes - just because they say they want to do something, I don't believe everything
that comes out of their mouth.
Esther: One of the things that I'm really hearing is that there's a possibility based on
culture, age group, and gender, there may be some really different approaches.
DB: Good point!
Esther: I'm suddenly realizing why I'm feeling so different - all my clients are female,
middle-aged, with children, and many are single parents. I think they're coming to me
looking for answers, and are asking me to help them prioritize.
DB: They just don't have any support structure.
TJL: Great point! Thanks, Esther.
XXX: I think just talking about people being wired different - it just reinforces to me
that each client is wired just a little bit different and we need to look at them as
individuals.
TJL: Great point! The tendency is that coaches really want to help, and we find a
multitude of ways of helping that fit for that person or that type of person….
XXX: And it may not be really what they're asking for. As you said, they may be asking you
for it, but they might not really want it.
TJL: Exactly!
DB: That's a great point.
TJL: Thank you all for contributing to the call and have a great day!
END
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