Why one-to-one business coaching is key

One of the current trends we’re seeing at The Icehouse is a desire for more one-to-one business coaching.

Extensive, intensive and transformative, one-to-one coaching can fulfil many needs, and with that comes a demand – because our clients are very aware of the exceptional value one-to-one coaching brings.

Did you know 51% of companies with a strong coaching culture report higher revenue than their industry peer group (Human Capital Institute) and 61% of coaching clients globally say they improved their business management skills thanks to coaching (ICF Global Coaching study)?

So why exactly is one-to-one coaching important? We’re all familiar with group coaching, which helps with team building and establishing processes and systems, goals, roles and priorities and more. While one-to-one coaching works here too, its real value comes in its intimacy and its reciprocity – taking place in an environment where no conversation goes to waste and where an owner, for example, can give 100% focus, and get 100% focus back.

Business owners tell us that one-to-one coaching has helped them clear professional and personal roadblocks around ownership and leadership self-doubt, imposter syndrome and resilience, offered clarity around a specific business challenge or, just as crucially, provided them with a safe space to vent frustrations.

The majority of The Icehouse coaches own, or have owned, successful businesses in their own right, so they are in tune with the many trials and tribulations that come from being an owner, and an owner at every stage of the growth lifecycle.

“Our coaches take all of their experience and learning from years of working with other businesses and help you apply it to improve your business,” explains Darilyn Kane, Coaching and Advisory lead at The Icehouse.

To be most effective, one-to-one coaching success begins before the first meeting, and is all about mindset. As Ken Leeming, one of the most experienced coaches at The Icehouse, explains, “Often people say, ‘I need a business coach, and I want a business coach', but when it comes time to actually do it, they become a little bit more resistant, and a little bit more challenging to work with, because often they don't like taking advice and they don't like listening to comment and feedback that may not be positive about their performance and their behaviour.  

“One of the critical things then, and why it's always important to meet somebody before you've formally signed with them, is discovering if there’s enough chemistry there that you’ll actually get on. And, critical to that, of course, is that the person being coached wants to be coached.”

Jonno Henry, Managing Director of Intense Sound & Vision, worked with Michaela Vodanovich. “Michaela understands what we’re trying to achieve, she doesn’t just give me a cookie-cutter plan, and she’s always coming up with new options for us in all areas of the business. It’s almost as if she has shares in the company. She invests so much in us simply because she wants to see me and my staff do well.  

“We all love her! Think about coaching because it doesn’t just address one avenue or one challenge. It’s across the board. I feel like we have a whole team behind us with The Icehouse.”

Sometimes, a client just needs a sounding board or wants advice on something very specific such as brand strategy, export or digital transformation.

However, our one-to-one clients often report back that something unforeseen occurs. During an engagement; a relationship builds – one built on trust, authenticity and integrity, which can take a client in an entirely new direction.

“After some introductions, interviews and vetting, I decided that Derek Young [Icehouse coach] was the best fit for me and my current business situation. Within four months, Derek was on board, and the business settled into a rhythm,” says Carl Saywell the Managing Director and founder of MS Civil Construction.

“Derek’s also on my advisory board and very involved in my business. I can also work one-on-one with Derek for a day or so each month, and he’s incredible. He knows what buttons need to be pressed, is really invested in my success and has great intuition. He’s been amazing.

“One day Derek asked me, ‘What does success look like to you, bud? How far can you take this?’ It was a real eye-opener because it got me questioning whether I was thinking too small. That one comment changed everything.”

“I initially had ten hours of coaching with Carollyn Chaplin and what she does is keep me accountable,” says Olivia Bollen, co-founder of Taken Care Of. “When we first met, I felt like a bit of a child – running amok and just reacting to whatever was on offer without really planning anything.

“But thanks to Carollyn, I’m now a business owner. She helped us find a solid brand, image and message, and solidify something that we knew we had, but really with no idea how to make it tangible or something that could be sold. I just don’t know what Taken Care Of would look like today if we hadn’t gone through the coaching process.”

Many other coaching alumni, like Jonno, Carl and Carollyn, have found the benefits of a business coach significant enough to recommend it to others, resulting in an impressive Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 92 over the last 12 months.

For information on programmes, workshops and business coaching services from The Icehouse, click here.

For more business ownership and leadership advice, check out more of our resources.

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