How to Choose a Business Coach: Three Critical Factors
Monday, January 10th, 2011
“…[A coach is] part advisor, part sounding board, part cheerleader, part manager and part strategist.“
The Business Journal, April 10, 2000.
Before starting the process of choosing a business coach you need to honestly examine your own personal readiness to be coached. Business Coaching will work best for you when two factors are present:
- you are willing to learn, grow, and take action
- you recognise a gap between where you are now and where you want to be
If either factor is missing business coaching may not be successful. However with regards to the latter point it is common for clients to approach business coaches with a determination to change but without clarity around how they want to change. A good business coach can assist in providing the direction required.
If you are ready to be coached I would suggest three critical factors would be relevant in identifying a business coach with whom you could successfully work. They are:
- Experience: The business coach should have worked well with someone who’s where you’re at.
- Compatibility: You and the business coach should get along, naturally. Business coaching should be a fun experience for both parties.
- Respect: You should feel respect for who the business coach is and for what they’ve accomplished. The business coach should be able to point to a record of successful achievement (business and personal) in their own lives.
I believe you should talk to a number of coaches to identify the best one for you. Ask plenty of questions to enable you to assess their experience and your compatibility and respect for them. When you have chosen your business coach ensure you and they are continually working effectively to ensure your success.
Contact us to see which of our three business coaches will best achieve your business outcomes or return to the Stepshift Leadership Blog for more business advice.