Choosing an Apprentice


Along the path from where you are now to millions in revenue, thousands in readers, tens of thousands of prospects, or hundreds of clients  -- whatever criteria you use to define success for your coaching...there us is one key speedbump which is seldom talked about.
 
That is capacity.
 
This is especially true as your revenues grow up to six figures and you set your sights on building a seven-figure legacy business with a global impact. 
 
How do you get your head around this problem? What secrets will ease your way through the growing pains? 
 
In all the many thousands of hours of consulting, coaching and training I've done, there is only one key I've found to date that doesn't require significant cash investment.  And that is the concept of apprentices.

Several years ago I was one of those apprentices.
 
I'd been running my own recruitment business for some time, and had become disgruntled by putting great people into heirarchical organizations that stifled creativity and disregarded the whole person. 
 
I decided to take a sabbatical and paid for supplies to begin volunteering with the Coaching Scoop's Real Interviews project for Steve Davis and Thomas Leonard of CoachVille.
 
Some might say I had found myself a real winner of an apprenticeship program.
 
I tell you this story for two reasons.
 
(1) You may find yourself wishing for an apprenticeship for yourself, from time to time.  It's a great way to move quickly into new areas by finding a mentor who will trade you a lifetime of wisdom for your legwork.

(2) Regardless of where you think you 'are' in your work, you are ready for an apprentice.  Because the benefits of an apprentice are in fact much greater to you than just the added pair of willing hands.
 
What you teach, you become. 
 
And what you teach, also becomes your legacy. 
 
As you mentor your apprentices, there is a point at which they become your proteges. 
 
This is a tipping point that occurs when the apprentice graduates from learning to creating.

A few things to bear in mind as you prepare for apprentices:
 
(1) Don't change what you do. 
 
Design the apprentice relationships so that it doesn't disrupt your productivity.  Allow your apprentice to come into your existing set up.  The key at the beginning is to increase your capacity, not add capacity.
 
Your apprentice is someone you invite to your house without cleaning up first.   Soon enough, they'll be helping you tidy things.
 
(2) Pick certain people for your apprentices.  There are two main criteria.

You must like and respect them.

They should be entrepreneurially minded, meaning either they have run a business of their own OR they were brought up by familiy who did.
 
The latter covers just about every other characteristic you could want: loyalty, hard work, a sense of urgency, and a problem solving orientation.
 
(3) Use technology and systems to support the addition of new people to your business.
 
The most basic and essential way to induct an apprentice is to set up a system of shadowing.  The simplest way is to set up your email so that a copy gets sent to your apprentice.

That's a natural part of the selection process because the apprentice - mentor relationship can rely quite a bit on personal chemistry and whether or not the visions align. 

Andrea J. Lee coaches entrepreneurs and online business owners. As Thomas J. Leonard's General Manager, she helped build and manage the largest network and trainer of personal and business coaches in the world. Now the CEO of Andrea J. Lee Group of Companies, she writes, speaks and consults on Marketing, Internet and Business systems. This is an excerpt from the her NEW BOOK - Multiple Streams of Coaching Income, http://www.multiplestreamsofcoachingincome.com


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY (blog)

Coaches Agree; It's a Tough One
New York Times
You are coaching the team that is on offense and is trailing, 17-15. Both teams have one timeout left. What do you instruct your players to do? DAN REEVES Former coach of the Giants, the Broncos and the Falcons “No question, I would use the clock and ...
Patriots players, coach, fans ask 'what if?'Worcester Telegram
Super Bowl 46: Bill Belichick's Coaching Errors Leave Patriots On Losing EndSB Nation
If Giants want him back, Tom Coughlin wants to keep coachingUSA TODAY (blog)
Christian Science Monitor -Toronto Sun
all 20,649 news articles »


SB Nation Pittsburgh

Penn State Recruiting: New Coaching Staff Boasts Southern Ties
SB Nation Pittsburgh
By Adam Bittner - Assistant Editor Members of Penn State's new coaching staff hope to use their southern roots to draw recruits to Penn State while keeping a focus on Pennsylvania. Feb 7, 2012 - Members of Penn State coach Bill O'Brien's new staff ...
Post-Super Bowl and Patriots, Bill O'Brien set to tackle Penn State coaching ...Washington Post
The O'Brien era at Penn State begins todayCitizens Voice
Who is Bill O'Brien? New Penn State football coach brings mix of fire, smarts ...PennLive.com
York Daily Record
all 72 news articles »


The Age

AFL scrutinises coach contracts
The Age
Mark Neeld was one of two coaches who quit suddenly last season. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has thrown his support behind a move to regulate the annual coaching merry-go-round and prevent a repeat of last September's scenario ...

and more »


USA TODAY

Report: Todd Haley to join Steelers coaching staff
WEEI.com
By Arielle Aronson Former Kansas City head coach Todd Haley may have found a new home. According to Mark Carman of 610 AM in Kansas City, Haley will join the Steelers coaching staff as the new offensive coordinator. The move has yet to be announced by ...
Roundup: Haley reportedly a Steeler; coordinators get jobsUSA TODAY
Todd Haley resurfaces in PittsburghESPN (blog)
Roundup: Steelers reportedly hire HaleyTucson Citizen
Revenge of the Birds -Los Angeles Times
all 256 news articles »


PR Web

Insight: Global Coaching Study released during International Coaching Week (5 ...
TrainingZone.co.uk
The International Coach Federation (ICF)'s Global Coaching Study, released today during International Coaching Week, highlights the phenomenal growth of the business and life coaching industry worldwide. “Membership of the ICF has grown from 11000 when ...
2012 ICF Global Coaching Study Reveals True Size of a Growing IndustryMarketWatch (press release)

all 16 news articles »


Young hockey coach has big shoes to fill
Delmarva Now
Cape Henlopen High School new field hockey coach Kate Windett says it runs in her blood . / CHUCK SNYDER/DELAWARE WAVE LEWES --Five seasons of near flawless play under former head coach Nicole Hughes culminated in an undefeated season and a DIAA state ...

and more »


Thibodeaux introduced as Tulsa's defensive tackles coach
Tulsa World
new guy Calvin Thibodeaux: The new TU coach was a four-year letterwinner at OU. By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer Calvin Thibodeaux was introduced as Tulsa's defensive tackles coach on Monday afternoon to complete Bill Blankenship's staff.

and more »


USA TODAY

Charleston coach Cremins says he was physically exhausted
USA TODAY
20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. By Timothy D. Easley, AP In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach ...
Cougars' Cremins says physical exhaustion, doctor's advice led him to step ...Washington Post
Cremins left due to exhaustionCharleston Post Courier
Bobby Cremins: 'Team play has lifted my spirits'WIS

all 51 news articles »


Bleacher Report

Tampa Bay Bucs Struggle to Assemble Coaching Staff: Fan's Look
Yahoo! Sports
Contributor Network 4 hours, 55 minutes ago Besides prior flirtation with another college coach in Chip Kelly of Oregon, few predicted that the Bucs would target the former head coach of Rutgers University. Indeed, during the lengthy search to replace ...
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Still Silent on Assistant Coaching PossibilitiesBleacher Report
Buccaneers Coaching Staff Search: Florida's Dan Quinn Turns Down Job ...SB Nation
Am I Missing Something?The Pewter Plank
National Football Post -Pewter Report -Bucs Nation (blog)
all 33 news articles »


Leader in Biopharmaceuticals Selects CallidusCloud's MySalesCoach Mobile Coaching
MarketWatch (press release)
MySalesCoach is a ground-breaking new iPad app that enables sales people to apply real time coaching to their daily sales situations wherever they are. The new app delivers a fast, easy user experience that helps enforce a culture of pervasive coaching ...

and more »

Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home