Fifteen years ago, I was accepted into the Entrepreneurial Masters program run by Entrepreneurs’ Organization at MIT’s Endicott House in Boston.
I will never forget the first speaker I heard there. Verne Harnish, author of Scaling Up and founder of Gazelles, started out by asking our group of 75 entrepreneurs, “How many of you have coaches?” I had just hired one about a month prior and assumed that all entrepreneurs attending such a prestigious program had coaches. To my surprise, only three of us put up our hands. I remember Verne was quite surprised by the low number and literally shouted out: “Everyone needs a coach! All successful entrepreneurs – from Bill Gates to Michael Dell to Steve Jobs – they all have one or more coaches”.
I took Verne's advice to heart and from that day forward have worked with Kevin Lawrence, author of Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life. Kevin has coached me over the years as I set up my business and life the way I wanted.
Here’s how he recently described our journey together in his Lawrence & Co. newsletter:
“When I first met Nigel, he was being pummelled by life, despite a booming business. He was the prime example of someone who didn’t supply his oxygen mask first – and was paying a high price for it. It quickly became clear that he needed a different mindset – and different tools to handle the intensity of life as a CEO. Today, he lives every business owner’s fantasy, with lots of free time to spend on personal passions – building homes for people in need, travelling with his family, and creating great experiences everywhere he goes.”
A big shout out to both Kevin and Verne for being a huge part of my journey.