Shaping the Leadership Environment: A Business Coach Fostering Purpose, Trust, Confidence, and Collaborative Clarity

In today’s dynamic business landscape, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders actively seek guidance to pinpoint the gaps within their business models. They are turning to experienced mentors to craft resilient business and leadership strategies. This narrative celebrates the remarkable contributions of a globally recognized business coach, Greg Pritchard. Renowned for his distinctive approach to mentoring, Greg boasts three decades of expertise in spearheading health, human services, and business transformation initiatives.

Entering his 11^th year as a mentor and coach, Greg Pritchard has earned acclaim as an executive business coach with a passion for leadership development. Beyond mentoring, he wears multiple hats as a captivating speaker, accomplished author, and the visionary founder of LEAD N EDGE Consulting, his entrepreneurial venture. Join us as we delve into the fascinating journey of Greg Pritchard – a leader, mentor, and entrepreneur making a significant impact in the realms of business and leadership.

The Vocation

Specializing in the intricacies of human behavior, he embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey in 2012. With a rich background spanning 28 years as an executive leader, he seamlessly blended training and mentoring with hands-on leadership experience. Throughout this extensive career, he navigated roles involving the management of large teams, handling multi-million-dollar budgets, and strategically prioritizing objectives, earning recognition for his achievements.

His expertise extended to diverse domains, from spearheading change leadership and workplace relations to serving as a project director in digitization and business process redesign. In functional capacities overseeing hundreds of staff, he excelled in compliance and fraud, product and program ownership, property and services, emergency management, and various other roles.

At the heart of his leadership philosophy was a profound emphasis on relationships and partnerships to enhance outcomes. In every role, he wielded influence by incorporating skills such as active listening to establish genuine connections, strategic thinking to pose insightful challenges, and effective communication to align people with their business and leadership objectives.

Reflecting on his journey, he shared, “I recently came across the notion that the universe is our employer and compensates its employees. I appreciate this perspective and relish in the art of astute decision-making, choosing pathways that propel the inevitable while shedding light on the necessary. Feeling empowered, my joy in coaching and mentoring stems from assisting business leaders in making clear decisions and executing with confidence.” 

Bringing to fruition the aspirations of clients 

Greg challenges the notion that coaches should prioritize believing in themselves over their clients. He firmly asserts, “Our potential expands when we form connections and partnerships with others.” Despite this belief, numerous obstacles hinder individuals, including:

Awareness: Clients experience more profound positive changes when they comprehend their impact on others and recognize their role in personal success.

Confidence: Even when business owners and leaders have an innate understanding of what they must achieve (or unearth necessary changes through mentorship), a lack of confidence may impede progress in planning or execution. Confidence, or its absence, is evident in various ways:

• Choosing to stand out and pursue excellence.
• Engaging the right staff, customers, and potential clients in the quest for excellence.
• Swiftly disengaging from staff, partners, and customers incompatible with their desired niche.
• Allocating time and resources to strategic priorities.
• Monitoring and managing vital business metrics.

Greg emphasizes that success in coaching should always be defined by goals, with the ultimate reward being shared success. Results take precedence, and mentoring/coaching engagements transcend mere transactions; their true value lies in transformative success.

Distinguishing Factor, Concentration, and Individual Empowerment

Greg defines the exclusive traits that give him an edge in the market, making him stay ahead of client expectations.

• He acknowledges that a coach or mentor might create programs that produce outcomes, but a client’s business leadership is personal (at least to them). The client must see that their program is providing the solutions they require. “In the words of one of my mentors, ‘it is not all about you.’” A coach must connect with and listen to the client.  A program should create power with the client and power within the client – that is what creates enduring results.
• He believes in fanning the fire of confidence with the behavioral tools and insights to get better as a leader and decision maker. Confidence grows when the program fits the purpose, the potential results are exciting, the plan is engaging and the projected ROI increases confidence and motivates action.
• Business coaches need to understand and live their own competence. An astute client wants specific outcomes, not a coaching process. Greg accepts that it is common industry practice to “coach the person, not the problem,” but in his experience, executives are willing to embrace their part in a better future if the coaching program builds confidence, capability and synergy with their coach and it gets results – especially the results to which the client commits.
• Enhancing emotional and social intelligence – the most effective choices include timing, execution, behavioral flexibility, engagement, personal power, influence, intentionality, and a host of other skills that are less related to knowledge and intellect than they are to how leaders behave and engage. As he works with others, Greg knows teaching, demonstrating and reflecting on events are all part of improving social and emotional intelligence.

What strategies can be employed to guarantee success as a business coach?

We all have our own definitions for success. It may be as easy (for some) as being content with having access to life’s necessities (however a client may want to define their necessities), but when you coach others, it is their success and how you define success together with them, as well as the steps necessary to get there, that matters. Outcomes count the most.

A business coach must have the attitude of a builder (or a rebuilder), the insights to change the client’s perspective on innovation and a keen understanding of how their words and actions affect other people. Experimentation and a test of what works are important aspects of success. This entails helping customers discover and seize opportunities (while having fun} and facing their fears.

The 20^th  century no longer has anything fresh to teach us (although many past successes can be repeated). Our new inspiration is the 21st century, and what is working NOW is showing us what is effective. Watch the actions of others. What technologies are being developed and deployed? What is preventing you and others from adapting? These are some of the questions that client must face to determine how much they want success and whether they are prepared to do what is necessary to seize a better future for their business and those who rely on their business.

Selecting an Appropriate Coach

Asked about the unique benefits of hiring a suitable coach, Greg highlighted the importance of the type of relationship a client seeks in a coach and the way in which the client organization best learns, adapts and steps out from within the constraints of the past.  For some (both leaders and organizations) there are natural human instincts that keep them frozen in what they know and frozen out of what others are learning and implementing.  Although there are cost benefits in keeping current customers, the reality in nearly every industry is that current customers will decline and those who could be customers will rise – it is as basic as demography. New customers frequently follow market leaders. This is not the conventional way of looking at consumers, but new market entries, new marketing techniques, and more virtual platforms are the drivers of the businesses which adopt them – while the businesses frozen in time miss out.

The choice of the right business coach could (in some circumstances) be a response to the adapt or perish scenario – Neanderthals probably did not have a coach. In truth, having a business coach is not necessary for all to survive and flourish. However, an effective business coach could unpack strengths and expectations that are not well known such as: vision, mission and strategic actions; the impacts of key people (both positive and negative); waste and inefficiencies in processes and expectations; staff and customer feedback; improving jobs, profit and sharpening purpose.

Aligning purpose, effort, and performance to attract clients, and creating more time and resources for business owners to pursue lifestyle objectives are also part of planning and partnering for business success.

Attracting Opportunities and The Principle of Manifestation

We are not enriched by what we want, we are enriched by whom we are becoming, explains Greg. He goes on to say, goals are not motivational in themselves – to be motivational goals need to feed positive feelings and those feelings need to feed motivation.  Busy people do not want more to do, they want to better understand what to do (and how to lead) to get closer to achieving what they want.

Something always has to change if results are going to be different.

The phrase “clear the path,” popularized by Steven Covey, refers to leaders removing barriers.  All leaders and business owners should heed that advice – clear the path for the business and for others, so the most important is what gets done. Dump or delay anything that does not matter right now and delegate where possible. If you want to move the needle towards the most important goals choose to do what matters most.

Update your plan of action, says Greg if what you are doing is not working.  If a client is not inspired to embrace a plan, change the plan, or change the goals. Find goals and actions that are inspiring, the rewards are always behind the actions and behaviors that attract the desired results. The Law of Attraction a NOT a wish, it follows behavior.

Insights into His Coaching Approach

Greg is an executive business coach who also refers to himself as a business mentor / coach.  Work with Greg on business growth / exit and succession, leadership development and specialized communication like social and emotional intelligence (SEI) & conversational Intelligence (C-IQ).

Business leaders also hire him because they are confident that he will collaborate with them, push them while still showing them respect, and offer original insights.  Others might hire him after looking into his experience, accomplishments, and how that aligns with the direction they are considering for their leadership.

An executive business coach may also act as a sounding board for executives and business owners and offer performance-affirming advice (are they on track?) or can introduce ideas that have never seriously been considered. The best outcomes occur when business owners, employees, and customers all have a voice and a process to hear all voices, solve important problems and build a more robust business.

Significant Accolades

In his past leadership roles, Greg garnered recognition for spearheading innovative change, restructuring initiatives, and transformative business projects. Recently, accolades have come his way as a member and director consultant at Business Network International (BNI), as well as for his own venture, LEAD N EDGE Consulting. Being acknowledged in the business realm brings him genuine joy, with a particular satisfaction derived from learning, succeeding, and evolving alongside others.

Greg identifies strongly with the entrepreneurial spirit, especially when advocating for meaningful causes and venturing beyond his comfort zone to enact life-changing impacts, both for himself and others. Overcoming doubts, embracing calculated risks, and receiving acknowledgment from others brings a sense of luck and pride. The pride stems from the realization that he has stretched, competed, and campaigned diligently to reach meaningful conclusions. Greg believes that altering the way progress and success are communicated transforms the entire experience for everyone involved in the journey of change.

Recently tasked with evaluating startups led by individuals under 30, Greg was given the freedom to consider not only their business merits but also their broader social impact. Despite varying opinions, his recommendations were heeded, resulting in rewards for enterprises that demonstrated tangible community impact and real-world results. Greg appreciates this alignment of recognition with meaningful impact, expressing, “I like that.”

Words of Wisdom to Aspiring Business Coaches…

Greg generously shares valuable insights for aspiring business coaches:

Prioritize Relevance Over Volume:

Focus on your clients’ questions, steering clear of overwhelming them with unnecessary information. Value, not volume, is what clients seek.

Demonstrate Value through Purposeful Alignment:

Establish a shared purpose with your clients and guide them in measuring their progress and results, ensuring an emphasis on delivering extreme value.

Teach Versatile Communication Skills:

Educate clients on multiple communication methods and the nuanced impact of each technique in various contexts.

Commit to Leadership Enhancement:

Acknowledge your commitment to supporting clients in evolving into better leaders who effectively manage their businesses.

Facilitate Access to Expertise:

Familiarize yourself with the professionals in your clients’ network and connect them with the talent they need to thrive.

Embrace Constructive Feedback:

Maintain openness to feedback on what is effective and what isn’t; recognize that your success is intertwined with theirs.

Connect on a Holistic Level:

Engage with your clients emotionally, intellectually, and intuitively. Fulfillment comes from a heartfelt mission, critical thinking for optimal solutions, and the courage (informed by the gut/enteric brain) to take decisive actions.