Coach Colin and The Alternative Board

02/06/2026

I had one of those coaching moments today where the business owner could feel the frustration clearly, but was also starting to see the source of it differently.

Things were not happening the way they should, people were not doing what had been asked of them, and the follow-through was weaker than expected.

The usual business owner stuff.

But as we unpacked the conversation, the insight started to shift from “my team is not listening” to “maybe I have not been clear enough in how I am asking.”

The reflection identified the issue, because there is a big difference between giving someone a task and creating clear expectations.

One sounds like, “Please sort this out.”

The other sounds more like, “This is what needs to be done, this is what good looks like, this is when I need it by, and this is what I expect you to come back with.”

Same person.
Same task.
Completely different level of clarity.

This is where many business owners get caught, because they believe they have delegated properly, while the team member has only heard a rough instruction and is left to interpret the rest.

The owner expects ownership, the team member is still trying to understand the brief, and the gap between those two positions becomes the place where frustration starts to build.

One feels ignored.

The other feels set up to fail.

Leadership often breaks down in that gap, not because people are useless or because no one cares, but because the expectation was never properly transferred.

So, when people are not doing what you asked, the first question is not always, “Why are they not listening?”

Sometimes the better question is, “Did I make this clear enough for them to succeed?”

That question changes the conversation, because it moves you away from blame and brings you back to leadership.

Where in your business are you assuming clarity, instead of creating it?

If you want an accountable team, have coffee with me Colin Carmody

I guide Overwhelmed and Frustrated Business Owners and their Management Team from Chaos to Clarity & Control using the Business Builders Blueprint™

Improve Your Business - Change Your Life.

20/05/2026

Running a business is not for sissies.

It can feel like a stack of Jenga blocks waiting for the wrong move.

This past week reminded me of that.

One week, multiple conversations, with different business owners in different industries, and topics that ranged widely.

Purpose.

Sales process.

Marketing strategy.

Staff development.

Role fit and responsibility.

Executive exit and succession planning.

New business development.

CEO leadership ability.

Launching a new service.

KPIs and performance management.

On paper, those look like unrelated conversations.

But they are not.

They are all Business Owner conversations.

Because when you lead a business, you are rarely dealing with one neat issue at a time.

You are constantly moving between people, money, strategy, sales, structure, leadership, and ex*****on.

And underneath each of those conversations sits the same three questions:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻?

That is the work of leading a business. It's not just reacting to the loudest problem or ticking off tasks. And it's not just hoping the team will “get it”.

It's about stepping back, thinking clearly, and making better decisions.

Again and again (and again).

Want more clarity and control in your business?

Have coffee with me Colin Carmody

I guide overwhelmed and frustrated business owners and their management teams from chaos to clarity and control using the Business Builders Blueprint™ to improve their business and change their lives.

08/05/2026

Can you take time off from your Business when it matters most?

I sat chatting to one of my clients yesterday morning reflecting on the last couple days, being grateful for the fact that we have some flexibility.

The weather has brought much of Nelson Mandela Bay to a standstill (and not just because the municipality ran out of petrol).

I had to cancel some appointments, and several clients pre-planned for the worst, shifted our meetings out by a week.

My wife and I juggled "impromptu School holiday activities" like a beach walk to see the big waves and trips to the office.

My kid played in the rain and mud making rivers and ate icecream because I had the luxury of flexibility.

I have all 4 garden walls and no leaks.
I have water and I'm warm.

These are blessings.

The biggest of these is that I have some freedom and flexibility when I need it most.

I'm always working on this goal with my clients.

Let's have coffee when the rain clears but before the next crisis.

07/05/2026

"How many sleeps Dad?"

A lesson in Accountability.

My son wanted to go for another pony ride and asked me when he could go.

I said, "soon my boy".

That's just not good enough for a 5yo.

"how many sleeps?" He wanted to make sure. He has a memory for these things and wanted to set an expectation.

So I had to commit. Not "some day", not "soon". I had to think ahead to other commitments I had for the weekend (nothing actually) and make a promise. Nothing less would satisfy him.

What a great lesson in accountability. He allowed me to set the expectation, it wasn't urgent, it could even have been next week. But I had to commit.

I had to give a time stamp.

As Owners, how often do we ask out people to do something, and then trail off into vague expectations of completion.

When you ask, gain commitment with a time frame - it's such a simple phrase "by when?" but we leave it out so often, and then wonder why its not done.

If you want a more accountable team, have coffee with me Coach Colin.

I guide Overwhelmed and Frustrated Business Owners and their Management Team from Chaos to Clarity & Control using the Business Builders Blueprint™

Improve your Business Change your Life.

06/05/2026

Wow April flew past in a Flash of light.

And 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘆...

I was chatting to a mate last week reflecting on how the month was (I was taking full advantage of the public holidays doing what ever I wanted for 3 days).

"𝘏𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯?" he asked

"𝘏𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤" I said.

I felt like every sardine had been packed into the can. My calendar was full and I've politely declined more offers than an introvert at a networking breakfast.

You see I planned on taking some leave in April. I blocked out one whole random Tuesday and the 3 days between Freedom and Workers Day.

And I did that back in January.

You see I knew that I would be working had, with a big 90 day sprint and I'd need some time off.

"4 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴!" I said to my mate - all my coaching sessions and workshops had to find space, and so I was "busy".

Then he corrected my math.

"7 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴"

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲.

Considering how much work I crammed into 3 weeks, I could always do that and have a whole week off every month!

It's possible.

I just have to oil some ways of working and get my systems operating under high pressure.

Because they definitely got stress tested.

Which begs the question of you;

👉 What if you only did what was high value work?

👉 Work with High ROI on your time?

👉 What if you cut out the fluff, the distractions, the nonsense and the unimportant?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐮𝐩?

Let's buy back 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 time, have coffee with me Coach Colin and The Alternative Board

I guide Overwhelmed and Frustrated Business Owners and their Management Team from Chaos to Clarity & Control using the Business Builders Blueprint™

We'll Improve your Business Change your Life.

05/05/2026

What gets remembered in a digital world?

In the rush to make a sale and move onto the next one, a customer is quickly forgotten. But will that customer remember you?

A little touch of intentionality goes a long way in differentiating you from the noise and keeps you from being forgotten. We call it your "Red Rose" - what sets you apart from all the others. And gets you remembered.

I visited Little Walmer Gold Club last week for a meeting, and got my car washed.

First time using the service there.

Waay more expensive than what I usually pay.

Also I don't golf (just putting it out there).

The guy found my in the cafe, took my keys, brought my car in, and a couple hours later I climbed in to find this golf Tee in my change shelf.

Perfectly Placed.

This photo was 'as is'

What a simple gesture. Costs them nothing but it struck a cord with me.

It could have been chucked into a cup holder, but it wasn't.

It was placed so that I'd immediately notice it. And Remember it.

Intentional.

Low cost.

Big meaning.

~Coach

27/04/2026

17/04/2026

When you stand too close to the problem, perspective becomes your prison.

The beauty of the skyline beyond the wire becomes blurry.

When we stand back and look from a distance. The problem fades, and the answer to how we solve it unlocks.



What problem have you been standing close to?

Let’s have coffee, and change your perspective.

16/04/2026

“Just because it’s hard, doesn’t mean it’s a problem.”

That came little insight came out after a tough conversations yesterday, one of two with Business Owners that highlighted the constant struggle they faced that made them want to wave a white flag.

When Everything feels like a lead weight.

You're taking knocks from every side.

Someone or something is stretching your limits.

And the immediate reaction is, “Maybe this isn’t worth it” (well that’s the “PC” version at any rate).

But hard is not always wrong.

Sometimes hard means you are learning a new skill.

Sometimes hard means you are having the leadership conversation you have been avoiding.

Sometimes hard means you are finally doing the work that growth requires.

That is where Mindset, Skill Set and Activity matter.

Mindset is what helps you frame the challenge properly.

Skill Set is what helps you handle the challenge better.

Activity is what helps you keep moving, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Too many people quit in the hard bit. Not because the path is wrong, but because they misread the strain.

The real question is:

Is this hard because it is a problem?

Or is it hard because this is what growth feels like?

What have you been calling a problem, when it may just be hard?

Tell me over a cup of coffee.

I guide Overwhelmed and Frustrated Business Owners and their Management Team from Chaos to Clarity & Control using the Business Builders Blueprint™ to Improve your Business Change your Life.

09/04/2026

You started a business to build something.

Not to become the most multi-skilled employee in the room.

Yet for many business owners, that’s exactly what happens.

You’ve built a team, but you’re still the one answering most of the questions, solving most of the problems, and making most of the decisions.

Here’s a simple way to test whether accountability actually exists in your team.

Ask a question.

If NO ONE puts up their hand, you don’t have ownership.

If MORE than one person puts up their hand, you don’t have clarity.

In both cases, the result is the same.

Everything flows back to you.

Over time, your team learns to rely on you, even if that was never your intention. And without realising it, you’ve become the bottleneck in your own business.

This isn’t just a people issue.

It’s a leadership and structure issue.

If you want a team that takes initiative, owns outcomes, and moves without waiting for you…

Let’s have a coffee.

I work with overwhelmed and frustrated business owners and their management teams to move from chaos to clarity and control using the Business Builders Blueprint™.

Improve your business. Change your life.