Do you work with a tornado? You know the kind of person who always seems surrounded by drama in their personal and professional lives?  Any attempt by their colleagues to get them to change their ways falls on deaf ears.  Can you see them heading for burnout in a couple of year’s time? 

Research from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales found that 45 per cent of people questioned say they have suffered from stress, citing unattainable targets, poor management and bad work-life balance as the causes.  Employees claim their work stress levels also affecting their home life, with half saying it impacted on their health and 41 per cent reporting it was detrimental to their social life.  The expert highlights those in the financial sector as being renowned for being stressed.

Therefore employers have a duty of care to protect their staff.  Staff who perform well become an asset not a burden. 

Believe it or not some people actually love a crisis.  In fact when things get too predictable they get bored!  But how do you tackle someone who thrives under stress, but for whom this habit is beginning to damage their health and effectiveness? 

 Here are 10 Top Tips on how to recognise and cope with stress

Performance management and stress could be discussed at an annual Appraisal.  An employee may not realise the impact stress could have on their performance.  If their needs lie at the heart of their behaviour, this may subconsciously drive their choices and decisions.  These needs may include a need to be in control, a need to be liked or a strong need for perfection, all of which could create scenarios with stressful outcomes.  Offer them one2One coaching or mentoring support, this will help them identify what behaviour or habits they need to change and what new approaches they can adopt.  This could then be progressed through an action plan, reviewed periodically.  A Personal Coach or Mentor will hold them accountable to take some action. Recommend that they have a health check with their GP, and to start taking responsibility for their own stress management.  Stress related illnesses are avoidable, and therefore a complete lifestyle assessment would be beneficial with the emphasis on reducing alcohol intake, eating a sensible diet, and avoidance of junk food. Encourage them to delegate, prioritise and become personally more organised, e.g. by using a task list, setting realistic deadlines, proper diary and time management Provide some opportunities for them to do some strategic planning and to allocate time for this in their schedule Encourage them to learn some relaxation techniques, e.g. by taking up a relaxing hobby like fishing or Tai Chi.  These will have a beneficial effect on their health by reducing stress hormones, lowering blood pressure, creating a happier state of mind leading to better sleep, more energy and resilience to stress. Provide options for them to look into their own work-life balance, i.e. by not taking work home/on holiday and using technology to make this easier for them with remote working for instance Discuss setting realistic goals and not to over commit themselves Introduce some coaching techniques to help them pause and  reflect on the consequences of their behaviour.  They should be encouraged to adopt new ways of handling stressful situations, handling themselves in a crisis, and conflict management – perhaps by attending workshops focussed on emotional intelligence. Help them to identify the warning signs of stress, i.e. binge eating or drinking, poor sleep patterns, aggressive behaviour, or stress related illnesses, e.g. migraine, eczema, IBS. The overall recommendation being that sensible stress management is a long term solution, which although it requires commitment provides a viable solution much more effective than the short-term solution, i.e. going sick and being put on medication.

Setting realistic expectations and identifying if your staff are under stress will save money and improve staff retention and morale in the longer term.  

Simple website mistakes can cost you potential clients, lost revenue, frustration by the bucket load, and jeopardize the success of your coaching business.

It takes time to establish a successful coaching business, so make sure you give your business the best chance of success by getting your coaching website right the first time. Your website is one of your most important marketing tools, if you avoid these common mistakes when you create your coaching website, you will be way ahead of the competition.

Lack Of Focus

Your goals for your coaching website need to be clear, detailed and time-specific. They need to be like a road map, helping you to make good decisions and get closer and closer to a successful coaching business. If your website goals are fuzzy you’ll struggle to put all the pieces together and build a site that attracts your ideal clients to you.

Trying To Appeal To Everyone

You website needs to be aimed at a specific target market with a specific problem. There are a lot of coaches out there, you need to stand out from you competitors and have a clear message. It’s not enough to tell your visitors that you’re a coach and can help them solve their problems and be successful. You need to demonstrate that you understand your visitor’s pain and have a solution, and you need to do that in the first few seconds or your visitor will click away.

If your website is targeted towards a specific target market with a specific problem – such as first time mums, aged 25 to 35, who are working and overwhelmed with the responsibility of being a mum, wife and breadwinner you will find it much easier to grab their attention and offer a solution.

Talking about you and about coaching rather than your visitor and the solution to their problem

Your visitors don’t buy coaching, they buy solutions to problems. Your website needs to demonstrate that you understand their problem and have the solution. That’s what your visitors are looking for and that’s what they will buy.

Not having enough keyword rich content

Many coaching websites don’t have enough content. Your website needs to demonstrate that you are an expert and that you have solutions that will produce results. You need to prove to your visitors that you can help them, so provide keyword rich content that builds credibility, helps you to connect on a deep level and encourages potential clients to take action.

Not knowing your most wanted response and not having a clear call to action

Your website needs to lead your visitors to take action that will help them to solve their problem. If you don’t have a clear sense of what you want your visitors to do, they won’t know what to do and are likely to click away and never return. Your website needs to encourage your visitor to take action and leave them in no doubt about what they need to do and how to do it.

Guessing at the keywords potential clients will use to find your site

If you target the wrong keywords you will wait for months and still not get search engine traffic to your site. You need to research the keywords clients use to search for what you offer and focus your content around those keywords. Only then will your site have any chance of being listed on the first page of Google.

Why does your site need to be on the first page of Google? Because 90% of searchers don’t bother to look beyond the first page of search results! If your website isn’t on the first page of search results it will be virtually invisible to the people you want to find it.

If you are making the mistake of focusing your coaching website around keywords that hardly anyone is searching for and know you need to do keyword research but hate the idea or don’t know how, you could pay someone to do keyword research for you, or you could buy already researched keyword lists.

Whatever you do, don’t guess at the keyword phrases your potential clients will use to search for what you have to offer.