Would You Let a Business Coach Push Your Buttons?

Posted by Chuck Kocher
On September 25, 2018

Pushing your business button

Pushing the Right Buttons For Executive Leadership

Most of us have people who just seem to have the ability to push our buttons. Generally, we don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable. It makes us feel out of control. Sometimes it makes us react defensively. I have people like that in my life and I’m guessing you do, too. But what if somebody were to put his or her finger on an issue in your business that needs to change in order to transform your company and scale it up the way you want to? Would you let a business coach push your buttons?

Sometimes Button Pushing is Necessary for a Business Coach

A friend related a true story about button-pushing that illustrates what I’m talking about. A colleague of his had worked in high tech—specifically in memory chip manufacturing. His company was producing the chips in Asia using American technology. Demand was high and the timing was critical. All of a sudden, the manufacturers started experiencing chip failure. They were losing thousands and thousands of dollars a day. And if they didn’t get a grip on things, their reputation would tank and they’d be out of business.

It’s Important to Put Your Finger on the Right Button
The company went full out trying to address the problem. As is so often the case, the software guys assumed there was some sort of software glitch (that’s how they’re trained to think). When they couldn’t find a software problem, they began pointing their fingers at the hardware guys.

In similar fashion, the hardware guys started with the assumption that they had a hardware problem. After scrutinizing their equipment and finding no issues, they began pointing their fingers at the software guys. And of course, the problem persisted.

In desperation, the company flew my friend’s colleague from the U.S. to Asia to see if he could find a solution. After a long flight, this man walked into the manufacturing facility, observed things for a few minutes, and then walked up to the thermostat and pushed a button, lowering the temperature down two degrees. The problem was solved. It wasn’t a software issue or a hardware issue—it was an environmental issue that nobody was aware of. It took an outsider with a different perspective to identify the problem.

A Great Coach is a Button-Pusher
As a business coach that’s what I’m often called to do. Companies that want to scale up and experience exponential growth sometimes run into roadblocks. There is something holding them back, but they can’t quite put their finger on it. It might be that their strategy doesn’t fit their goals. Maybe they don’t have the right people in the right positions. It could be that they’re not managing their cash properly. Or the problem might be right at the top—their leadership isn’t leading in a way that allows them to be a disruptive force in the industry.

My job as a coach is to “look under the hood”of the company to identify the issues that are hindering these companies. I work with them to find out what’s going on and to put my finger on the right buttons in order to help businesses scale up and achieve their goals. Contact me if you’d like to find out more about how that works.

Push Your Own Buttons
You can also push your own buttons to get a sense for what you might need to change if you want to transform your company and scale up. Click on the orange “Business Not Growing?” button below to take a 5-minute assessment that will let you know how your company is doing in areas that are critical for scaling your business.

Photo by geralt