Selkirk Performance coaches business leaders to manage themselves and others

“Starting a business is about learning how to manage yourself. Growing a business is about learning how to manage others.” — Eve

“The leader must know and communicate where the company is going, why it matters, and how each individual helps to get there.” — Eve Duke, organizational psychologist, CCF (Certified Coaches Federation) coach and founder of Selkirk Performance in Revelstoke, B.C. — Photo courtesy Eve Duke

In order to run a successful business, it isn’t enough to create a tremendous product or balance a budget, you need to be psychologically savvy. If you’re not a self-aware type of people-person, that could be problematic. Fortunately, there are business coaches available to help solve the mind-bending riddles that keep entrepreneurs up at night.

“Psychology is the study of human behaviour and the mind,” said Eve Duke, organizational psychologist, CCF (Certified Coaches Federation) coach and founder of Selkirk Performance in Revelstoke, B.C. “With the amount of human interaction it takes to run a business, it is easy to see how critical it is to understand people. Finding the right people for the job and motivating, elevating, and uniting each person on the team is one of the secret ingredients that the most successful leaders in the world know and understand.”

Duke has been studying human behaviour for quite some time. For a decade, Duke owned the Women's Snowboard Federation, one of Canada’s largest companies for training female coaches and athletes. Then she sold the company and switched from a sport to business focus after buying a property management company.

“Although they couldn't be more different, the element that I enjoyed the most in both companies was developing people, teams and culture,” she said. “Having amazing people also made my life easier and the companies transferable. I sold the property management company in 2018 so I could finish a masters in organizational psychology and shift full-time into business coaching.”

Test yourself

Regardless of where you are in your business journey, being mindful about yourself and those around you goes a long way.

“Starting a business is about learning how to manage yourself,” said Duke. “Growing a business is about learning how to manage others. In the end, both stages are really about personal growth.”

Duke suggests taking personality tests to learn about yourself and your employees.

“It’s a great starting point in understanding how people are wired and how to set them up for success,” she said. “Plus, everyone loves finding out more about themselves.”

Duke has several recommendations for business-focused personality tests, such as DISC, Keirsey Temperaments, PSIU, Myers Briggs, or the Hogan Personality Inventory.

Clear the air to right the ship

As with most relationships—business, personal or otherwise—communication is key.

“If you want your organization to run effectively, there must be clarity at every level,” Duke said. “Starting at the top, the leader must know and communicate where the company is going, why it matters, and how each individual helps to get there.”

If this all feels a bit overwhelming, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to do this on your own. Selkirk Performance offers remote learning sessions to guide your business into the future.

“We begin with a few sessions that determine the leadership's goals and objectives, so everyone has clarity on the final target,” said Duke. “From there, I do interviews and an assessment to understand where the business and leadership is currently at from all points of view. Then, we refine and align all the business elements with the central goal to operate as a high performing cohesive unit.”

Duke also has some insightful articles on her website such as What to do if you think your boss dislikes you and 5 Essentials to Build a Small, Powerful Team.