I was on a call last week with a potential client and when I asked him what the perfect coaching program for him would be, he started to describe it as somebody coming in to analyze his systems and processes and offer their perspective on it all. 

What he was really describing was a consultant and this is something that I have seen people get a little confused over when it comes to what a coach is and the difference between a coach and a consultant. 

Now, some coaches do consult. And some consultants do coach. There's a fine line between the two. But what's the difference? 

If you're strictly a consultant, you will basically tell people what you think they should do based on your past experiences and your knowledge. Oftentimes consultants have experience in your particular business type or niche. They will help you around that by telling you what to do based on their own experience. 

The positives of hiring a consultant are that you get new ideas to try that you may have never thought of before.  Especially if they're in your industry.

However, what can be challenging with a consultant, is that sometimes they may suggest something that isn’t really aligned with who you are, and what you're about. So if it's not aligning with you, and you fail, then you're back to where you started from, and you're actually feeling worse, because you believe that you can’t do the things that they suggested when really it wasn’t the best solution for you. 

I’ve had this happen in the past when I have been speaking with a prospective client and she told me that a coach told her what she should do is be a coach because she’ll make more money. The last thing she said she ever wanted to do was be a coach. So that suggestion really didn’t align with what she wanted to do. 

When it comes to coaching, a good coach won’t tell you what to do. They help you by asking the right questions, so that you can start to think differently. 

A good coach could coach anyone in any kind of business, about absolutely anything, even if they knew nothing about it. Because good coaches know that all the answers come from inside you and what's

aligned with you. The best ideas always come from what's inside of you, based around your beliefs and what’s inside your heart. To be successful is really to be in alignment with what you want and to build your businesses from that place and not from the place of what you think others expect from you.

So if we already know the answers why do we get stuck?

Oftentimes what’s stopping you from taking action is not that you don't know how, or that you don't know the best way, but it’s actually a thought or belief you have in your mind. 

A good coach will help you not only recognize that belief but also help you adjust it. And if you start thinking differently, it'll make all the difference. 

You see, if you're a 6 figure business owner and you want to transition into a 7 or 8 figure CEO you have got to start thinking differently. 

Every level of success will demand a different version of yourself. A version of you that thinks differently. Because somebody who owns a 6 figure business is not going to run their business the same way as somebody that runs a 7 figure, multi 7 figure or 8 figure business. 

Suddenly, we are faced with this moment where we have to shift everything we've been doing, and every way we've been doing it, because our business is growing. 

And this is where a coach can really help you. 

Thinking differently may sound like an easy solution but the truth is that we don’t often even recognize the thoughts that we're having, especially the limiting ones. Because they come from beliefs that were created in us during our lives. 

Where a consultant may provide a lot of ideas and talk a lot with you. A good coach will actually do a lot of listening because from listening not only can they help you get clarity on what’s important to you but they can also help you recognize your own thoughts. 

Thinking differently is so essential when you're growing your business, because CEOs need to constantly grow and develop themselves in order to grow and develop their business. 

Try this exercise…

Think about the next level of your business. What does it look like? What do you want to achieve?

What does someone who has already achieved that level of success act like? How do they respond to and handle situations? What actions do they take?

You can see by doing even this simple exercise that you probably already know the kinds of thoughts and actions that a CEO would take. Maybe this has sparked some ideas that you are going to put into action. Maybe although you can see and recognize these things there’s still a lingering thought of…’but that’s not me’.

And that’s the limiting thought that I want you to gain awareness around and get curious with. 

If you’d like support around figuring out how to start thinking a little bit differently around your business and growing into your next level of success I’d love to help. Email me at [email protected] and let’s connect!

Watch my YouTube video on this topic: