Coffee Bump
-by Colle Davis
Coffee is not my thing; however, my wife and our best friends are all coffee lovers. They need their coffee, mainly in the morning, to feel awake and alive, but they may also indulge in a second cup at some point in their busy days. Therefore, I enjoy making coffee for them, and my beloveds all require a generous dollop of heavy unwhipped-whipping cream, and several of them take a bit of sugar.
They refer to my blend as Colle’s Coffee. I serve it to them in various cups ranging from fine porcelain, pottery, or colorful thick glass mugs. Their steaming cup is mud thick, dark, and hot. The magic ingredient is the Devonshire-style cream. It is a super heavy whipping cream. I love it on my morning cereal, too, with nut milk.
What is unique about the cream? It adds color, flavor, and a natural sweetness that is hard to achieve. The coffee is the catalyst for their day, as the cream is for their coffee.
In the past year or so, I’ve purchased a variety of percolator-style coffee pots. They may seem old school to those who use the k pods or Mr. Coffee, but percolators have magic. They pip and burp and fill the kitchen with a rich, steamy fragrance.
Once the hot pot has cooled down, I rinse it and reload it with three times the suggested amount of ground coffee and a single teaspoon of Columbian instant coffee and plug it back into an automatic timer. If friends arrive, a quick flick of the switch and voila, fresh coffee begins to burble again. If no company, the coffee is ready upon rising the following day for my wife, Phyllis.
Think of coaching as the cream in the coffee of life — the special lubricant for enhancing one’s career. Adding coaching makes the mixture more potent, pleasant, and powerful. Think about how adding a small amount of a quality ingredient changes the end product.
When companies feel they must cut or restructure, sales and training are the first two areas impacted. We have seen this process happen through multiple cycles over several decades, and both cuts hurt recovery and retention.
Leaders say, “But if we train someone, they might leave and go to a competitor.” So, if you don’t train them, they are worthless to us and will eventually leave anyway.
Training has a significant ROI; the more you spend on good training, the more you influence your company’s soul. Consider your investment as a pay-it-forward move. Even if a well-trained person leaves, they are grateful for the training and support you provided during their tenure and be supportive of you in the future.
Executive coaching is specialized and personalized training.
The first question I ask a prospect is, “What do you want to be doing two years from now?’
I phrase it this way; If I pulled up in front of your place in a brand new 40 ft motorhome, opened the door, and yelled, “Come on, get in! Let’s go.”
How would you respond? What would be your first question?
In the three decades of asking that question, all but two people have said, “Where are we going?”
Exactly. Unless I know where you want to go, I cannot help you. But once we both know the destination, I can help you get there quickly and elegantly. That is my job; I have helped countless people achieve their goals over the past four decades.
Question: What has to happen for you or your company to value executive coaching enough for you to start coaching? Do they need to read testimonials, have a free session, talk to Colle to see if he is real, or look carefully at what they want for outcomes and what resources are required to get there?
If you do not take cream in your coffee, you can still understand how it adds to some people’s enjoyment of the experience. Coaching will change your life.
Book a free session with me, and I guarantee you will learn one valuable tool for influencing people—all that in thirty minutes or less. Sign up today. Set up a complimentary meeting via Zoom.
For more coffee suggestions or coaching insights, contact me, Colle Davis, cdavis@mycoach.com or 804-467-1536 (EST).
