Why do i need a coach?

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In sports we don’t question the need for coaches. They help us with our golf swing, our tennis serve, even how we work out in the gym. But we don’t often think about the need for a coach in our work place. In general there are advantages for coaching in almost any industry and Barry O’Reilly does an excellent job of explaining that here.

Specifically in our industry, entertainment marketing, Coaching is an underused resource. We go to college. We get our first job. If we are lucky we have mentors and people with experience to learn from as we grow. Most of us reach the point where we are in charge and our boss is expecting us to be the ones leading. But who do we obtain guidance from to up our game? Who is our sounding board? Who can look at our game plan, give us an honest assessment and, if needed, give qualified direction on how we can grow and improve?

In my career as a marketing executive I had a dual role. Yes I had the responsibility of overseeing our marketing and creative efforts but I also had the role of coaching my teams. That was the advantage that the large organizations I worked for had. They could have an executive with decades of experience to work with and develop the next generations of talent. Unfortunately many smaller networks, station groups and local stations don’t have that luxury. That is where bringing in a coach with the experience pays off. Just as a swing coach can add 25 yards to your drive, a marketing coach can add effectiveness to your marketing teams efforts.