What is business coaching?
Whether you’re a business owner, an executive, a manager, an employee or simply a person looking for a new job or career, hiring a business coach to help develop and hone your skills could greatly improve your chances of success.
The term 'business coaching' encompasses:
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executive coaching (for seniors)
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start-up business coaching (for entrepreneurs)
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management coaching (for team leaders)
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staff coaching (for teams)
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interview coaching (for potential employees)
Business coaches utilize structure, impartiality and acquired expertise to help their clients explore their strengths, build on their weaknesses and learn new techniques to help them excel in their fields.
A business coach will assist and guide the business owner in running a business by helping them clarify the vision of their business and how it fits in with their personal goals. Business coaching is a process used to take a business from where it is now to where the business owner wants it to be.
Business coaches build actionable plans.
Proactive business owners seek to understand why reaching business growth goals is important to them personally, and the impact it will have on their life. After all, the business owner ultimately determines the speed and passion in which the goal is met (if ever). If it is not linked to the business owner’s personal dreams, goals and plans for themselves, there is no burning reason why getting to that business goal is critical.
After clarifying where a business owner would like to take their business, business coaching will help plan and prioritize what goals and strategies are needed to help progress the business closer to its goal. A business coach will meet with the business owner regularly, either weekly or monthly, to keep them on track to the commitments made during the past coaching session.
Coaches have years of experience that they bring to the table. They help owners figure out what their goals are, and create a road map to reach them. Their perspective on the company can help owners see which items are just tasks and which are long term objectives.
Business coaches create owner accountability.
A critical component of business coaching is accountability. You will never see a football coach run laps of the field for their team. The very same fact is true of a business coach. A business coach is not a consultant. They will not do the work for you in your business. They are there to keep you focused on the end result and remind you why it is important. They will motivate you to keep your commitments. They will act as a sounding board and when needed hold a mirror in front of you, highlighting your business and personal blind spots.
What results will you get?
Coaching is a great tool for finding your hidden resources, for setting and achieving goals. Reaching goals requires action. But what is also vital is to have a system and support.
During individual sessions, the coach provides motivation and feedback on your life, business, relationships, career and goals you set, as well as on ways of achieving them.
Successful result of the client is the successful result of the coach.
Working with a coach allows you to set ambitious goals and focus on them. You will learn to control your mind, listen to yourself and your body, and better understand them, get a powerful impulse for reaching your dream and getting the results you deserve.
Coaching will bring certainty to your life, raise your level of awareness, self discipline and motivation. You will wake up in the morning feeling grateful, happy and full of energy and desire to do what you really like and move in the direction you have chosen.
You will find it easier to get rid of your bad habits, solve health and financial problems and improve your relationships with colleagues and close ones.
Remember that you already have all the answers to your questions. To start living on a different level, you need to listen to yourself first and foremost. A coach will be your partner and helping hand.
There are an estimated 53,300 business coaches, according to the International Coach Federation. So how do you know which ones are the real deal?
Business coaching it’s about helping real business owners grow real businesses as a result of discovering breakthroughs and implementing proven best-practice systems and processes, many of which are often too complex and difficult to implement without proper coaching and mentorship.
Effective coaching absolutely has the ability to transform your business. To demonstrate the power of effective business coaching, consider Eric Schmidt, the former executive chairman of Google who hired Bill Campbell to be his business coach. Schmidt described his initial thoughts about coaching and his relationship with Campbell in Fortune: “How could a coach advise me if I’m the best person in the world at this? But that’s not what a coach does …They have to watch you and get you to be your best … Once I realized I could trust him and that he could help me with perspective, I decided this was a great idea.”
Check Out The Testimonials
Really dive into the content of what people are saying: Search for video reviews, if possible, and listen to what former clients have to say. Are they talking about feelings, or are they sharing the real results that their business coach helped them generate? It’s possible to love your business coach but also be broke.
Verify Claims
Too often, business coaching material is taught by coaches who have never grown a business (other than their program), so everything they teach is theoretical at best, and they may have no idea if it will actually work for you and your business. Does the program seem too good to be true? If it’s promising overnight success or huge profits that seem unrealistic and unsustainable, it probably is.
A business coach can change your life and your business, but it‘s important to take the time to vet your coach. Make sure you do your due diligence to find the program that is right for you.