The conversation went something like this, “You should find a consultant in Nashville since you’re based in Nashville. That way you can met with him/her easily and have a local connection”. That advice from my friend wasn’t crazy, but it seemed limiting to me in the age of Skype, email, web 2.0 and all the other great communication tools I may be forgetting to remember. So I cast a nationwide net – looking for someone to help me with strategic planning, marketing and social media. After a month of planning and interviewing I decided to work with Jessica Levin of Seven Degrees Communications. Jessica’s based in New Jersey, and the distance between her and Nashville hasn’t been a detriment in any way. In fact, the distance has enabled her to help me learn Web 2.0 communication skills I need, since our coaching sessions utilize skype, facebook messaging, twitter, email and more. I’ll now say that I’m going to a ‘meeting’ even if it’s a virtual meeting.

Now, to get to the point about coaching. I love having someone to answer to, someone to help me set goals, hold me accountable, help me see the big picture and most importantly – force me to continue to step outside my comfort zone. At times it’s stressful because it’s easy to stay stuck in my old way of doing things. But when I work through the stress and do the assignments I’m given, I always feel a great sense of joy and purpose. Bottom line counts too, and I’m seeing real results in my business.

As a musical team building facilitator, I often take my clients out of their comfort zone. As we begin our programs, we see the furtive glances of participants looking for the nearest exit! And a few hours later, we take pride in the change we’ve witnessed, all of us – leaders and participants. Enthusiasm levels run at about 110%.

Effective team building or coaching are catalysts for change and change is inherently hard. I urge you to consider what, or who, will be your change agent in 2011. If you’d like suggestions, whether for marketing & social media help, C-suite coaching or team building, I’m happy to share resources, so please get in touch.

Push yourself to learn something new and to reach, you’ll be glad you did.

Billy Kirsch

About Billy Kirsch

Billy is a Grammy & Emmy nominated, CMA & ACM award winning songwriter with numerous Top 10 hits to his credit. His team building programs and keynote speaking presentations help people tap into their creative abilities to become more innovative and engaged in their work. Clients include Fortune 100 companies and organizations throughout the world.