What’s it like to have a business coach?

A good business coach will challenge you and support you; so you become the best you, running the business you deserve. Taking on a business coach is one of the big steps that successful businesses take, you’ll look back on the decision and realise how important a step it was. It’s natural to have questions about the coaching process, here’s some of the most common questions.

What happens in a coaching session?

You might feel slightly apprehensive before your first session with a new business coach. A good coach will get you to talk about what’s going on for you, rather than tell you what you should do. There will be “a process” but it’s about you, not the coach.

What’s it like to have a business coach?

A good coach will ask you the difficult questions that you have been avoiding, get you to realise where you’re going and what steps you’ll take. It’s not always comfortable, sometimes it’s downright challenging, but you’ll achieve more than without those challenges and feel great.

Who’s the right coach for you?

Your coaches role is not to tell you what to do (mentor) or teach you new skills (trainer), their role is to get you to focus on what you want to achieve and to get you to take the appropriate actions. So it’s not essential to “have done the job before” (mentor or trainer), although understanding the issues you face in your business can help. The best coach for you doesn’t have to be one that used to the busiest/ best/ most successful in your sector (if they were those things, why are they not any more?).

You coach needs the skill to challenge you (nicely, but it may still feel uncomfortable), question you, hold you accountable and help you motivate yourself. What business and coaching experience (and qualifications) do they have?

Rapport? You need to get on with your coach, although not be best friends. Friends rarely challenge you as much as somebody independent (or have coaching experience)

How can I tell if it’s a good business coach?

There is no simple answer to this question. for me the following are all relevant as you decide.

• Qualifications: There are many coaches with different qualtications and no one professional standard. There are some very good coaches who have no coaching qualifications! Maybe other qualifications are also relevant to what you’re looking for (MBA, Degree in a relevant subject?) or simply experience in the area your are looking for coaching in. For me there is one important thing that qualtications show, a willingness to learn and grow; that links to a further question which is “what ongoing development is your potential coach undergoing”? A good coach is always learning.
• Who coaches your coach? If your coach doesn’t have coach, what does that say about their attitude towards ongoing learning, development and the profession they’re in?
• Personality: What do you know of your coach and is there a fit between your personality and there’s? You may gain that understanding of their personality as you know them, watch them in video or read several of their articles. On the other hand don’t discount somebody with a different style to you, the coaching process is about helping you grow.
• Experience: Do they have experience or expertise in the area you want support in? Sounds like an obvious question, but the answer may not be as important as their coaching skills. Coaching is about helping you think differently and structure your thoughts, not about telling you what to do. Experience can be useful though.
• Style: What’s their style of coaching and what do you really need? Some are very directive (perhaps to the point that they’re trainers or mentors), where others are completely non-directive.
• Flexibility: is their programme and the dates they can work with you set in stone? How flexible can they be to your needs? Good coaches will offer the ability to get in touch with them between coaching calls and make it easy for you to flex the calls.
• Value: Note I said value and not price! What are you going to get from the process, what does it mean to you and how will they help you?
• Testimonials: These can help you to judge the coach you’re considering, do the testimonials looks real (names, photos etc.) or made up (Mrs S of Sunbury said…)? Can you contact some of the providers of their testimonials?
• Interview them: Have an initial discussion where you decide on them, but like all the best interviews – approach it remembering that good coaches will be deciding if they want to work with you!

In case you’re wondering, I’d be very happy to chat through any, or all of, the above with respect to you and me working together.

What’s next?

Don’t waste today, by not taking action (even just one small step forward).

You’re in business to improve yourself

If you don’t change, how can you get the business you want?

Now you’re ready to take action, call 0203 488 6739 today

Tomorrow means you’ve wasted another day!

How should I get the most from my coach?

Be open and tell you coach how you feel, a good coach helps you use your feelings to get you moving forward. Prepare for your session by reviewing what’s gone on since last time.