Would you get onto a bus if you didn’t know where it was headed? You need to have clarity on where you’re going with the business and what you want to achieve.

IF you want to be truly successful in your business, there are some things that need to be done. Successful business people know that in order to be truly successful they cannot go at it alone, that they must have the right support around them in order to get the best out of themselves.

You don’t really know what you are capable of until you’ve got someone or a group pushing you to limits you had never considered or thought possible. That’s why professional athletes use coaches.

Here are some reasons that people in business don’t reach their potential.

People often lack clarity, they can’t see the forest for the trees, and don’t make sure that they and their team can see far into the future. Would you get onto a bus if you didn’t know where it was headed?

You need to have clarity on where you’re going with the business and what you want to achieve with the business. Then go and put strategies and plans in place to achieve those goals.

Having these goals, strategies and plans in place will ensure that you are not always working reactively in your business, but also proactively, and dedicating time and energy to working on the business.

Business owners often lack discipline or accountability. People often have goals, but they don’t take them seriously or follow through on them. As I wrote about the other week, knowledge is powerless and pointless, it comes down to action and too often people don’t take action. Accountability leads to momentum. When we have accountability in our lives we know we must and will show up and follow through on our commitments.

Often, we find ourselves knowing what needs to be done or implemented and yet we will find ourselves not doing this? Why? Lack of accountability. When we are accountable to someone else, we are far less likely to break the commitments that we have made, to ourselves and to that other person.

The number of business owners who aren’t trying to learn more about their industry or business in general is scary. They stop trying to improve and grow as a business owner. We need to always be learning and improving

Business owners too often fail to make the tough decisions. They don’t always do what’s best for the business. Believe me when I say a short-term pain more often than not leads to long-term gain.

Ever found yourself putting off making some tough business decisions?

All of the most successful sporting coaches have had to make tough decisions, but had these decisions not been made then they wouldn’t have achieved the success that they did.

Business owners often lack confidence and self-belief, and therefore are constantly doubting themselves and whether they are making the right decisions. We all have doubts and it’s usually our own self-doubts holding us back from achieving. Having the right mindset is imperative to achieving success.

If in the business by yourself, it’s not uncommon to feel as though you are losing control of your team and your business. You are not alone.

At my quarterly planning session ‘Growth Club’ a few weeks ago, I asked the business owners in the room which of them said they felt lonely at times in their business. The majority of them! They often want to be a part of a team or share responsibilities. Think about sport – are you a golfer, swimmer or tennis player? Or footy, soccer or netball player? We all need a sounding board for our ideas, and someone to discuss the positives and negatives of every decision and possible outcome with. It’s more important to hear what you need to hear as opposed to want to hear.

You also need to be getting honest feedback and being asked the tough questions. It’s unlikely your staff will be doing this. Remember, this is done every week with professional athletes.

Due to the above reasons, business owners often lose their passion or drive. It’s hard to push yourself past your limits, but in order to achieve you must be pushed, one way or another. Having support is crucial for success.

Maybe you know you aren’t pushing yourself as hard as you could or should be. This is often the case for business owners who have been in business a while or have hit a plateau and don’t know where to go next with the business.

No professional athlete believes they can be the world’s best without a team of coaches around them, including Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Serena Williams. So why would you think you could be? z Beau Robinson is an Action Coach Business Coach and former Super Rugby Champion and Wallaby. beaurobinson@actioncoach.com