We all need help and support at one time or another – especially when we’re facing a job interview, whether for an external job or an internal promotion. Yet, most of us hang back, fearful of admitting our weakness or concern to a friend or a professional.

Many of us would rather handle the matter on our own. We buck up, stiffen our upper lip, dig in our heels, and go for it. But there’s no benefit in going through a challenge without support. Others have travelled the course before us so why not use their road map? You might be surprised at how people want to give you a hand, an encouraging word, or a name or contact you can refer to.

Practice Leads to Progress

For some people ‘practice makes perfect’ as the saying goes, but for the majority, practice leads to progress. You learn along the way. Let’s assume you’ve landed a job interview and you feel worried or anxious about it, talk to someone in the know who has experience in this area. Meet them for lunch and ask questions, take notes, and perhaps ask that individual to do a ‘practice’ interview with you. If you don’t know anyone like that, find a professional. It can make all the difference between walking into the meeting with the jitters or showing up with confidence and enthusiasm.

If you’re applying for a job within a different department, do your research. Find out about the projects you’d be working on, challenges they are facing etc – before your interview.

The same applies to any other area of your life – if you wanted to get very fit for example, you know you could get better and quicker results with a help of a personal trainer. Yet every day I see people who’ve been struggling for months to get a job or get promoted just because they don’t allow themselves to get any support.

But I can’t afford it…

I’ve spoken to people who’ve been out of work for months, and they won’t get any help because they ‘can’t afford it’.  They won’t spend £200 or so to get help in finding a job soon, yet how many thousands of pounds/dollars are they missing out on by not working for months or staying in the same unfulfilling job for too long?

People always have the money for things they want. If I’ve waited until I had the money to pay for a coach, I’d have never got the results I had in my business. Personal feedback and advice from someone who’s experienced in the area you need help with is just not something you can get from free materials available on the internet. And the more you pay, the better results you get as the more invested you are. When I paid my previous coach $300 per hour, I’d made sure I’ve implemented all the actions and advice. I might not have been that committed if I’d only paid, say, $50 per hour…

We all need coaches and mentors if we want to succeed. Bill Gates has one in Warren Buffet, Saint Laurent had one in Christian Dior. Aristotle had one in Plato, who had one in Socrates — and the list goes on.

All the successful business owners I know have coaches. What about you? If you’ve had a mentor/coach, what were the results? If you have not and you are still struggling with whatever problem you have – why not? I’d love to hear your comments!

 

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