2019_PWN_V1_No4-web

GUEST
COLUMN
Everybody
Needs a Coach
As evidenced by the annual pro football draft,
even the best talent still needs guidance to go
from good to great
Colby B. Jubenville, PhD,
is a recognized author, international
BY DR. COLBY JUBENVILLE
No, I didn’t get drafted by Joe. The
truth is, I begged him to meet with me
basis. We want to be better tomorrow
than we are today. That’s growth.
speaker, business consultant
and professor. He is the founder
and the director of the Center for
Student Coaching and Success
(www.mtsu.edu/cbhssuccess)
on the campus of Middle
Tennessee State University, the
largest undergraduate college in
Tennessee. A Senior Consultant
with Brentwood, TN based
Brent Consulting Group, he is
the recipient of the Nashville
Emerging Leaders Impact Award
presented by the Nashville Area
Chamber of Commerce and YP
Nashville. The award honors one
of Nashville’s top leaders who
has made a significant impact
on Nashville’s young professional
demographic. Most recently, he
was a blogger for the Washington
Times focused on self-reliance
and developing an entrepreneurial
mindset. His website can be found
at www.drjubenville.com, and his
latest book can be found at
www.mepersonalbranding.com.
Kyler Murray. Nick Bosa. Daniel
Jones. They all share something in common.
By virtue of being drafted (read:
hired) in the top 10 picks overall in the
2019 NFL draft, they were considered to
be some of the best young football players
in America. Each is expected to one
day lead corporations named the Cardinals
and Giants to success. But they aren’t
exactly expected to produce hall of
fame dividends overnight. Organizations
know they will need coaching to season
them into great professionals.
You are no different. Nor are your
employees. Heck, I was no different either.
Coming out of college and starting
out down my own professional path, I
certainly fit the description of a raw talent
who needed coaching and seasoning
to produce dividends.
Joe Calloway was one of my coaches.
The author of “Category of One” impacted
my life in numerous ways. But he
didn’t draft me. In fact, he didn’t even
know me until I called him up and told
him that I used his wisdom every day in
everything I did.
and to become my coach. Looking back,
it was borderline stalking. But Joe’s response
to my begging changed my life.
I’ll never forget what he said when I finally
gave him a chance to speak on the
phone. He said ‘Colby, if you think I can
help you, then come on up and we’ll
meet.’ I was probably in the car and on
my way before he even finished that sentence.
And in our first meeting, I recall
spending no less than five hours asking
him questions about everything he knew.
Why did I do it? Why did I push Joe
so hard to be my coach? Because I firmly
believe that everybody in life needs a
coach. Great coaches push us to where
we need to be and where we want to go.
At some point in life, and certainly
on a professional path, all of us reach a
ceiling of complexity. It’s where we can’t
seem to get any farther, or, perhaps better
said, higher, and we need to turn to
somebody else and say ‘I need your help.’
Believe me, when you reach – or hit
-- the ceiling of complexity, you will need
a coach. It’s the same reason we all seek
out conferences to attend on an annual
Here, then, is the $64,000 question?
How do you get a coach? Mind you, I do
not recommend pestering geniuses like
Joe Calloway at their personal addresses.
Perhaps instead you could develop such
a relationship through a conference visit
where your idol is speaking? Or through
a very professional email?
Regardless of your chosen approach,
the key to striking up a coaching relationship
is that you must add value first.
Don’t just ask for help (which is exactly
what I did to Joe, poor soul!). As “the
minimalists” Joshua Fields Millburn and
Ryan Nicodemus have said, contributing
to other people—or adding value to their
lives “is the only way to gain another
person’s buy-in, and it’s one of the few
ways to get others to believe in you.”
How do you do that? You’ll have to
figure that one out for yourself. As examples,
though, “the minimalists” have
suggested options including: creating
something someone can use, inspiring
someone to take action, lending a helping
hand, showing someone how to do
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12 | PRESSURE WASH NEWS | VOL. 1, NO. 4 | FALL 2019