Keeping It Simple
The fastest, simplest ways to grow your business - no jargon, no fluff. Practical strategies that actually work for SME owners in the USA, New Zealand, and worldwide.
Every coach has sat across from a client who talks for forty-five minutes about the symptom and never once mentions the cause. Search "what does a business coach do" and you'll find plenty about accountability and frameworks. Nobody mentions the precondition underneath all of it: a coaching relationship only works if you tell your coach the thing you'd rather not say out loud.
The Enemy: Managing the Session Instead of Using It
It's a natural instinct — presenting the polished version of your week, leading with the win, softening the real issue. Most owners do it without realising, the same way they'd answer "how's business?" at a networking event. The problem is that coaching isn't networking. Every minute spent managing your coach's impression of you is a minute not spent solving the actual problem you're paying to fix.
The Framework: The Candour Check
1. Name What You're Avoiding — Before each session, write down the one thing about the business — or about your own decisions — you'd rather not bring up. That's usually the real agenda.
2. Lead With It — Open the session with that item, not the update. Sessions that start with the hard thing get to a solution; sessions that end with it usually run out of time first.
3. Track the Pattern — If you notice you're avoiding the same topic three sessions running, that's not a coaching problem. That's the actual problem.
"Keeping me sane and focused during uncertain times."
— Rachel Williams, Icehouse Coaching Programme
The Execution Gap
Owners know, intellectually, that candour gets better results. What stops them is the same instinct that makes any of us curate what we share with someone whose opinion matters to us. A good coach isn't there to judge the decision — they're there to help you see it clearly enough to change it, which is exactly why the relationship has to survive being told the unflattering version.
Quick Wins
- Before your next session, write the one sentence you're least keen to say out loud — and say it first.
- Ask your coach directly: "what am I not telling you that you think I should be?"
- Review your last three sessions for a topic that keeps resurfacing without resolution.
Key Takeaways
- Identify the topic you're avoiding before each coaching session, not during it.
- Lead with the hard issue instead of the polished update.
- Watch for a recurring avoided topic — it's usually the real problem.
- Treat candour as the precondition for coaching ROI, not an optional extra.
If you've ever left a coaching session having talked around the real issue, that's worth naming before your next one.
Kevin D’Ambros-Smith
Kevin is the founder of Simple-Growth and a business growth coach with experience at DDB, Ogilvy, and Saatchi & Saatchi. He has co-founded 9 companies, coached 200+ business owners one-on-one, and holds a 9.5/10 NPS. Every article on this blog reflects real-world experience - no theory, no fluff.
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