In the business-coaching world, coaching an overachiever is a dream come true. It’s fun, and it’s plenty exciting because these go-getters are always trying to get better. They are focused. They are driven. They are passionate about work and life. And when it comes to ideas about how to work smarter, these people are like sponges—soaking up all kinds of good ideas about how to do what they do better,
For example, I coach a highly successful CEO here in Birmingham who is at the top of that Ladder of Success we talked about last time, and he relies on me as his accountability partner when it comes to reaching his goals.
This guy has an attitude that can’t be beat. When we talk, he uses positive action words like “I did it,” We finished” and “The team won.” This is vitally important! Herb Kelleher, the former CEO of Southwest Airlines, said, “You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.” The CEO I coach is passionate about his work, and he works hard (a winning combination for success that’s almost impossible to stop). He has the attitude and the skills he needs to succeed, but he also has a desire to learn and improve and a sincere willingness to help others succeed, too
He’s a genuinely good guy who gives as much as he gets. Every time before meeting with him, I study my notes very carefully. I think about what we are going to discuss. I make sure I’m prepared because I know he’s going to be prepared. He’s always “all in” with what he does for a living. That’s why he’s successful.
Every month we meet, his tells me about one or two new books he’s read or listened to and then offers his ideas about how they might help me in my coaching. Our business relationship reminds me of Proverbs 27:17—As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. I appreciate his thinking of me and my business—even as I’m helping him succeed at his own business. And more often than not, I get my hands on these books and see for myself how they might help me do what I do better.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a commencement speech at the University of Southern California in 2009, said: “You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” He was talking about the importance of dedication and hard work and meeting life’s struggles with action.
But I also think his words have another meaning. I think it’s right and good to give others a helping hand up the Ladder of Success—if they are receptive and open to the help you’re offering, and if they are really willing and committed to making the climb in the first place.
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