I am hired by clients for a whole host of reasons.

Some want me to help them make their businesses more profitable.  Others want to start a business they have always dreamed of but just do not know how to get started.  Still others are not sure what they want to do professionally and use coaching as a mechanism for figuring it all out.

My favorite clients though are the high achievers who find themselves stuck in a RUT

RUT stands for Real Underperformance Travesty.

It’s actually only a travesty if you do not learn why your RUTs reappear and how to avoid them in the first place.  In fact, if you play your cards right you can use a RUT to teach you more about you than you ever thought possible.

Those of us who fall prey to a RUT have all the tools of success:  interpersonal skills, raw intelligence, entrepreneurial spirit, wonderful ideas and a support system to make it all happen.

In spite of all this, for many clients, a RUT always seems to get in the way of consistent progress.

And you know what, we have no one to blame except ourselves.

Get out of your own way for crying out loud!  

If you believe you fall prey to RUTs then perhaps what you fear more than anything else is . . . success.

You know the drill, we have been told our whole lives that we are special, that we are unique and that we will achieve great things.

So we want to make it happen but we also know that if we truly give it our all, and fail, then maybe it did not fail, but instead we are failures.

So what do we do?  We hold a little back in our “excuse reserve”.  “Phew,” you might think, “Did not give it 100% so I am not failing.”

But guess what, you are not achieving very much and compared with your potential for success you are letting yourself down time and time again.

So here is the Success Solution . . .

ARMM yourself with knowledge first.  Then do something with that knowledge.

ARMM stands for Ask, Respond, and Maintain Momentum.

First, ask yourself, what are the causes each time you fall into a RUT?  Most of my clients say they do not know.  In fact they do, and it usually only takes a little while for us to figure it out.

And once you do come to an understanding of the root of the RUT, you can anticipate the warning signs and then deal with them preemptively next time from a posture of self-understanding.

If networking puts you in a RUT for example, what about the act of networking is creating your malaise?  Is it the size of the crowd, is it the demographic, or is it your insecurity about what you are selling?

Now that you are asking the right kinds of questions  . . . respond.  Take action based on the knowledge you have accumulated about you.  If it is about your perceived inability to sell at networking events, find someone else to sell for you, or practice selling first with people who you trust.

Take baby steps in the kiddie pool before jumping into an Olympic sized one.

Oh and if everyone you meet sucks at networking events, that’s probably because you think you suck.  Be kind to yourself and watch how, magically, others become tolerable and even fun to be around.

Finally, maintain your momentum by bringing in trusted confidants.  These can be colleagues, mentors or coaches.  Share with them your struggle so they can help you understand you.  These are the people who call you out on your BS . . . they are priceless.

It is human to fall into a RUT.  Exceptional people though take the time to explore the causes, respond to those causes in a careful and thoughtful manner, and finally, share their knowledge with others so the RUTs are fewer and less intense.

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If you have any questions about coaching please feel free to contact me at scott@kineticcoaching.co, and remember I always offer a complimentary 30-45 minute session to prospective clients to determine if we want to work together.