Group Coaching vs. 1:1 Coaching: Which is Better for Your Business Growth?
As Business Service Providers it’s important to get clear on the education you want for yourself as a business leader. How are you adding value to your business and to your team? There are a lot of options out there so we wanted to give our perspective on group coaching services vs 1:1 coaching services and which is better for your business's growth.
We have heard all the apprehensions when it comes to group coaching programs. Anything from, people are afraid of not getting enough individual attention, or they won’t get their questions answered or they’re afraid they’ll get lost in the noise. If you’ve ever been avoidant of group coaching sessions for those reasons, we’re here to give you a different perspective.
Not only that, but from teaching our own group coaching program (The Incubator) AND investing in other people’s programs, we’ve learned the best ways you can stand out and get the most out of your group coaching experience.
First, get clear on what you need to learn as a business owner
Spend some time on how you want to grow as a business owner. There’s a misconception that as an owner you have to know how to do everything. The best skill you can have is to be resourceful and that includes identifying what type of learning experience you need next.
There’s also an art, of dare we say, forgiving yourself that also needs to happen first. Forgiving yourself for not knowing. You’ve worked really hard to get to where you are and that can trick your brain into thinking you’ve got to be the only one to where you want to be. It’s okay if you’ve built your business and are realizing that “holy sh*t” I don’t know what to do next.”
We see people make these two mistakes when it comes to CEO education
Every time you want to implement something new in your business you want to hire someone to come in and clean up your messes. For instance, you have NO idea how to streamline your business processes so you hire someone to fix that problem (Listen to EP614: You’re Overpaying Your Staff). It’s never a good idea to hire a full-time employee to fix a problem in your business. It’s dangerous, ineffective, and it doesn’t take into account the nuances of your business.
You’re also making the mistake that so many budding CEOs make. Spending WAY too much time learning niche skills so you can DIY everything instead of hiring an expert to solve the problem. Like you want to learn about Pinterest or SEO so you buy a small course to learn something and then spend way too much time learning and implementing these tasks. By doing that, you’re neglecting the thought leadership that is absolutely crucial to the growth, profitability, and sustainability of your company. It’s critical that you begin to recognize your amazing skill set as the CEO and put that to good use!
One-on-One vs Group Coaching
That brings us to our thoughts on one-on-one coaching. Attuned CEOs are aware that working with one person consistently (who isn’t their therapist) provides a really siloed perspective and can ultimately lead to problems in their business. For those of you who are convinced that 1:1 coaching services are best, we encourage you to reflect on why. From what we’ve seen, group coaching gives you the room to not feel like you have to be the smartest person in the group and you don’t always have to have all your ducks in a row. We’ve learned from experience that we don’t always ask the right questions and we don’t know everything and that’s okay! Our client’s have had the same experience. It’s refreshing to know that you can be in a space to learn from others, hear more than one perspective, offer your own advice, and learn from others' mistakes. There is no “my way or the highway”, it’s hearing from other business owners and taking little nuggets from everyone to then implement into your own business strategies.
Why we think group coaching is the bees knees (and we’re not just saying that because we teach one).
“We can’t express the magic that happens in group coaching. Someone is going to ask a question you never thought of and you’re going to have an aha moment that will change the trajectory of your business.”
As providers of a group coaching experience we get to see the magic that happens weekly. There are countless benefits to being a part of this experience. To begin with, you’ll find that someone will ask a question you’ve never thought of, or that you can hack something someone's implemented to your own business. Just by being in the same room with other amazing business owners, our members get so much value.
Another area we find our members getting value is the group's collective acknowledgment that being a business owner isn’t easy. There’s a lot of self-doubt, confusion on how to do things, worry if you’re making the right decisions and the list goes on and on. You need the space to be able to work your business stuff out. You can have a safe space to share about your financials, or your systems not working or about your clients.
Bring your worries and thoughts to the group and have a productive conversation that both helps you feel better and gives you recommendations on how to take action in your business. In a group coaching experience, we rally everyone to rise together, we’re in this together, to learn together and to support each other.
How to make the best out of group coaching
Common apprehensions about group coaching programs are around not getting enough individual attention, not getting your questions answered, or getting lost in the noise. But never fear, we’re going to fill you in on some best practices to ensure that you get what you need!
First, before investing in a program, you need to ensure that it’s the right one for you. The business model can be agnostic, but you need to gauge whether you align with the business’ morals and values, and the way they do business.
Once you’re there, you need to ensure you’re asking the right questions in a clear, succinct way to allow for a quick, clear answer. To do so, you need to be prepared to ask yourself some reflection questions beforehand, to decipher what your question really is so you can get the most beneficial feedback. Don’t be afraid to participate! If you can consistently provide value, you’ll consistently receive value.
Dive In and Learn More With Us!
We’re offering a limited-time offer for you to try group coaching on for size! For a unique opportunity to see what it’s like to be part of a group program and hear others ask quality questions, join us for our upcoming one-day virtual conference on March 29th.
Grab your ticket at bossproject.com/conference. We’re inviting accepted VIP applicants to a bonus day on March 30th, where we’re going to be diving into the exact framework to double your income while working 20 hours a week or less. For this VIP experience, apply at bossproject.com/vip. We’d be honored to have you and we’re super excited to expose you to what a community like this could do for you and your business.
