In the world of sport – be it cricket, tennis, motorsport or anything else – the coach is a pivotal role. They have been since 1875, when the Yale-Harvard inter-collegiate football matches started. Yale was already using a coach on a regular basis and in the first 30 years of the matches, Harvard only won four times. It took them 20 years to recognise the importance of having a regular coach for the team.

In the world of business, the use of coaches seems to be sporadic. Some businesses use them, some offer them to executives, some only make them available to people with performance issues and others don’t use them at all. It’s as if peak performance in business is seen in a different light to peak performance in sport.

How do you think Djokavik would have done last weekend without Marián Vajda? Or England’s Cricket team, without Trevor Bayliss?

Then why would we want the people in business be given any less opportunity to be their very best?

When someone works with a coach, they have the opportunity to take ideas, obstacles and complexities, and together find solutions for things. What is of particular importance is that they do it objectively. They do it by asking great questions. Questions like:

• How can I get the best out of you?
• What do you want to create in your life?
• What does a great result look like?

By asking questions like these, you can give someone a new perspective on their situation. As I’ve often said, people don’t change when you tell them what to do; they change when their perspective changes.

I believe that everyone needs coaching. I also believe that leaders are coaches. Coaches are leaders. In every way and in every meaning of the word, to be an inspiring leader (an Inspirator) means you must be a coach.

If you think you can be a leader – getting the best from your people  – without coaching, then your only alternative would be dictatorship and, frankly, this blog isn’t for you.

Inevitably, though, when someone becomes a leader, it can be a very lonely place. All of a sudden, you are put in a position where the responsibility is on you and people look to you. Your role is to coach and guide them to bring out the best in them.

But who is going to coach and guide you? Who will help you be your best?

You may already know the answer to that. There may be someone in your organisation, or a past colleague who you can approach for coaching. If no one springs immediately to mind, it may be  time to start looking for someone you can work with to help you become better than your best.

If you would like to explore coaching with me, you can book a call with me. Visit www.petecohen.com/coaching to access my free coaching video and to book a call.