The Third Base Coach
Are you ready for a coach?
It is assumed in athletics that to get the best performance a team should have coaches, not just to decide who gets to play but to help each player achieve their ultimate potential. In baseball, it is the third base coach that helps the player decide if conditions are right to go for home. Are you ready for a coach to help you seek and achieve your home plate?
Pre-pandemic, most dentists were on an energetic career path with a focus on increased productivity and practice operations. Out of that demand grew the “Dental Coach”, which focused on systems, training and checklists to take your your practice to the “Next, World-Class, All-Star” level. If you struggled with operations, these coaches could help you make some meaningful changes.
Post-pandemic, dentists (like the rest of the world) may be feeling high on achievement but low in happiness. There is a tremendous amount of soul searching and potential for burnout. To combat this malaise, a coach that goes beyond just the dynamics of practice operations and into your personal ambitions and goals is vital.
Here are a couple of tips to working with a coach:
Understand the coach’s role. Coaches ask questions to help clients bring clarity to their goals and facilitate a decision-making process. They can help you evaluate your situation clearly without being influenced by emotion, urgency, and other factors that tend to limit decision making and personal growth.
Choose the right coach. Personal and professional coaching has little barrier to entry, and virtually anyone can call themselves a coach, so look for someone with specific certifications and/or experience. Also, coaching should be a space where you feel safe to speak your truth. Talk with more than one prospective coach. My personal coach is Dave Blakkolb and we have had clients use Nikki Bale and Peter Crone.
Allow yourself to be coached. Just like having a personal trainer at the gym, the coach is there as a resource but it will be you doing all the heavy lifting. It is a two-way street - don’t get started until you are ready to commit.
Be open to opportunities. While you should beware of a coach that pushes you towards their agenda, let the coach push you to heights that you did not dream capable.
As you work with your coach to develop confidence and assurance in your plans, let us as your financial advisors work with you to establish a strong financial foundation to support those plans.