Is it a weakness to have a coach?

I was talking with a company owner the other day who challenged me about why he might need a coach. What a good question!

I met with another CEO who has a life coach, a marketing coach, a leadership coach, and a personal trainer. His business is small but let me tell you it grew 2000% last year.

So, who has a coach? Leaders and senior management teams of most Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes of course, and 17,000 Vistage members worldwide.

Of course I’m prejudiced. I was a Vistage member for 4 years before I sold my company and went through extensive training to be a Vistage Chair. My Group held up the mirror and challenged me to make the changes I knew I needed to make in my company and myself. They challenged me to look at my competitive environment and the strategy I was pursuing. They challenged everything-my assumptions, my decisions and my passion for the business. A good peer group does that every time you meet.

Some business executives see it is a weakness to ask for help. Think of it as feedback. Tough, caring feedback.  Where do you go to get that?