The Power of an Outside Perspective: A Coaching Story for The Malin

Sometimes the most powerful coaching sessions are the shortest ones. Not because they’re rushed, but because a single shift in perspective can illuminate everything.

I sat down recently with a business owner who was experiencing a challenge familiar to many entrepreneurs. Like most small business owners, they started their company because they were exceptional at their craft. As the business grew (always a good problem to have!), they brought on staff and contractors to help manage the workload.

But here’s where things got tricky: clients kept requesting that the owner personally handle their calls and solve their problems. The team members seemed to default to “needing” the owner for decision after decision. The business was growing, but the owner was becoming the bottleneck. They couldn’t figure out why this pattern kept repeating, or what to do about it.

This is where an outside perspective becomes invaluable. As a coach, I have the privilege of seeing people and their businesses from the outside looking in — without the emotional attachment or the daily immersion that can sometimes obscure patterns. As this owner shared their story, I noticed something they couldn’t see from the inside.

I shared a quote from Arthur Jones that captures this dynamic perfectly: “All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they get.”

We sat with that for a moment.

Then came the question that clarified what to do: What design changes do you need to make to change your results?

The realization came quickly, but it started somewhere deeper than they expected. Before we could talk about setting boundaries with clients or empowering the team, we had to examine the owner’s own thinking. Why did they feel compelled to say yes every time? What belief was driving the impulse to step in and solve every problem?

It turned out the “design” that needed changing wasn’t just operational — it was internal. The owner believed that being responsive and available was what made them valuable, what kept clients happy, what proved they were a good leader. Once they named that underlying belief, everything shifted. The actions — setting boundaries, empowering the team, resisting the hero impulse — became natural extensions of a new way of thinking.

This is often where the real work happens in small businesses: the design change starts inside the owner’s mind before it can show up in the business itself.

All organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they get.

Arthur Jones

Why This Matters for Your Business

As entrepreneurs, we’re often too close to our own businesses to see the systems we’ve built. These are things like the unspoken rules, the patterns we’ve normalized, the habits we’ve reinforced without realizing it. An outside perspective can help you see what you can’t see for yourself.

As a Savannah native and entrepreneur of 15 years, I’ve walked the path of building and scaling a business. As a certified personal and executive coach, I now help other business owners navigate these challenges. That’s why I’m excited to partner with The Malin to offer their members 30-minute coaching sessions — one each month as part of your membership.

Whether you’re dealing with team dynamics, growth challenges, or simply feeling stuck, sometimes all it takes is 30 minutes and a fresh set of eyes to help you see the design you’ve created — and how to change it.

Ready to gain some clarity as a Malin member? Read more about your coaching benefit and schedule a session here.

Not a member yet? Schedule a tour of The Malin Savannah to discover how the community, amenities, and member benefits (including monthly coaching) can support your business growth.