In grammar school, about the only subject I dreaded was gym. I went to school in the days when all little girls wore dresses. For gym class, we slipped on some shorts and changed our shoes to the PF Flyers we kept in a cubby-hole. Then it was off to the gym for some dreaded activity: Dodge ball, chin-ups, or that awful rope I could never quite climb. "Is this all there is to sports?" I wondered. Finally, during a dodge ball game in 4th grade, I figured out that the sooner I got hit, the sooner I could get out of that war zone called a game.

By the end of grammar school, I thought I was just not an athlete. Junior high wasn't much better. Besides the ugly gymsuits we had to wear, I was introduced to gymnastics and volleyball. Again, those sports were not for me.

It was at about the same time that my father introduced my brother and me to golf and tennis. We played golf on a little 3-par course. A nine hole game was about all I could handle at the time (never mind that I played with my father's former set of clubs from the late 1940's). With only fatherly instruction, we found our way on the course and on the court.

My brother was more of a natural athlete, figuring out easily how to swing a club or a racquet with very little guidance. With the same amount of guidance, I was an average player.

When I was 14 or 15, there was a summer tennis school at our high school that was run by the tennis coach. My brother and I signed up for it. As I said, he was a natural, and developed a very strong return, both forehand and backhand. I improved a little that first summer. I didn't play well enough to join the girl's tennis team, however, but it was fun to play matches with so many different people.

The second summer was a different story. My serve improved dramatically. It was a "surprise" serve; not necessarily fast, but its power was in the spin.

Our coach would gather us daily into one group for a few minutes to discuss particular techniques. One day he talked about improving our serves. In the middle of his discussion, he added, "One person who has improved a lot this summer is Glory. I'd like for her to show us her serve."

The other instructor went to the other side of the net as I got up to "demo" my serve. Sure enough, the ball went over the net, my opponent lined up to return the ball with a forehand, and as soon as the ball hit the ground, it took off to his right and was outside the reach of his swing.

The best part was that I could make that serve happen consistently! My opponent would either miss the ball completely or would "dink" it at the top of the racquet. How was this all possible? How could I have improved so much in a sport?

As I looked back over the preceding weeks, I remembered that the two instructors spent more focused time with me as they went from court to court, coaching me, watching where I was erring, offering tips to correct and adjust, and helping me to leverage my strengths. This made a world of difference in my game.

The world of business works in the same manner. Some people are born naturals and need very little coaching to get it right every time. Others ebb and flow between being average (and knowing they could improve their game) and actually doing well. This second group can utilize the services of a business coach to greatly improve their performance. Whether it's becoming a better strategist, balancing everything that's on their plate, improving their management style, or increasing net income, working with a coach to build on your strengths can greatly improve your results.