You'd be forgiven for believing that people who've made it - the high-flying achievers amongst us - don't need a coach. Why would they? They're successful, they're achieving big, and they're considered experts in their respective fields.
Well, let me expose a little secret. The high-flyers are exactly the kind of people who need coaches. Why? Because everyone is in awe of them. Because very few people - if anyone - will say "No","I disagree", or "You're wrong". Because experts, high-achievers, and senior leaders, are surrounded by people who nod their heads in passive agreement twenty-four, seven.
And how can you grow from that?
No matter who you are, how much you've achieved, how high you're flying, or how much you know, to learn and achieve more you need to be challenged: Challenged to dig really deep to uncover the magic that will take you to the next level of achievement, knowledge, and success.
That's where a good coach comes in.
A good coach will create a safe space where you can be raw, genuine, and unapologetically real. He or she will ask deep, perceptive questions that make you uncomfortable and force you to question, think, and act in ways you've never questioned, thought, or acted before. A good coach will say the the things other people won't or don't feel able to say.
A good coach will help you do the things that scare you, break you free of your past, challenge you to make your best better.
If you're a high achiever and/or an expert, I know you've noticed that most people 'dance' around you, carefully placing each foot so as not to misstep. They monitor their words carefully, they often nod in agreement - even when they don't agree with you - and they rarely, if ever, push back.
You're alone up there. And I'm willing to bet your self-confidence and self belief isn't as solid as other people believe it to be.
High achievers are very often the people who find it hard to ask for help. They're the ones usually expected to have all the answers. They're expected to 'wow' and delight: No foibles allowed.
But let's face it: High achievers are people. Yes, they've achieved some extraordinary things, but they remain people nonetheless. Everyone - yes everyone - has those moments where they get in their own way. You reach a goal and then wonder how to move forward from there. You grow used to success and achievement and become comfortable, seemingly unable to shift from the feather-duvet you now call your life. But deep down you know the only way to greater success and achievement is to unearth your fears and blast right through them. The only way to 'better' is to move away from the place you've started to believe is 'best'. The way forward is to take risks, unhinge yourself from the validation of others, and do and say the things you haven't, and others won't.
To propel yourself to the next level will require you to leave your past behind: In other words, what got you here won't get you there. The way you think and behave needs to change in ways that can often feel counter-intuitive and alien. But it is absolutely possible.
And a good coach will help you get there.