BY:
Brankica Ljamić, PhD
Master Certified Coach, MCC (ICF)

“Difficult times call for difficult measures and are plagued by uncertainty.
Is having a couch a sign of strength or weakness for successful business people?”

In the current situation and especially in the coming days, decisions will have to be made faster than in normal economic conditions. What makes this situation especially difficult is that there is no clear end in sight to the crisis, and foreseeing what will happen next and what business strategy will prove successful – or lifesaving – is currently next to impossible. How are you coping with the dilemmas that come up daily, how do you make your decisions and what kind of support do you rely on?

I have yet to meet a successful person who does not at times struggle with dilemmas regarding decisions that need to be made. The existence of dilemmas is not proof of weakness; I’d much rather say it is a sign of awareness on the decision-maker’s part of the responsibility to make every step count on the road to success. As a single wrong move can ruin an otherwise perfectly played chess game, so a weak link in a chain of sound business activities can spell one’s demise. Confusion can arise when we come to doubt the sufficiency of our data. Sometimes it is necessary to take new criteria into consideration. Sometimes new data contradicts the old, and new facts entail new perspectives.

At times like these, all of the above happens at once. As the pace picks up, new activities come into play and novel prospects beckon, anyone can flounder. In such a scenario, both one’s business and private life may be at peril.

The point of working with a coach is for the client to come to a solution to his or her predicament personally. The coach does not provide answers, nor need he or she be an expert in the field. The role of the coach is to understand the way a client thinks about a matter, and to ask questions that help the client break new ground and come to new perspectives. A dilemma that comes up time and again with otherwise successful people is the feeling they lack opportunities for an honest conversation with others – even with themselves, sometimes.

So my answer to the question at the beginning of this post is that turning to a coach for support is a sign of strength of those who are in it for the long haul, when one’s sense of purpose seems ready for an update, and as the question of longevity – professional and personal – becomes the central question for all of us in the times ahead.

Author: Brankica Ljamić, PhD MCC