Beware of the Business Coach!

How To Choose a Good Business Coach

Most are rubbish but a few are good.

The following article is very important in understanding what to expect from a coach and understanding how they operate. We will also compare a coach to an adviser.

Choosing a coach or adviser is a decision that most business people consider on a regular basis. Business coaches unfortunately have a variable reputation. Whilst evidence is anecdotal due the lack of research, the inconsistency of coaching services is great with the common comment: “It depends on who you get”.

The lack of standards and lack of pre-requisite qualifications contributes to the variability of the service supplied. After-all anyone can call themselves a coach and begin trading immediately. Costs vary considerably as well ranging from a few hundred dollars per month to a few thousand.

This is a great shame as good coaches with industry experience have a lot to offer and add considerable motivational support and business advice.

What is the difference between a coach and an adviser?

Simply put, coaching is mainly motivational in its approach whereas advisers offer specific advice in a specialty area such as strategic planning, people management, or marketing.

The message is simple therefore: if you want ongoing motivation choose a coach, if you want specialist advice then choose a specialist.    If you want someone who understands strategic planning and can help you analyse markets and devise real strategies then choose someone who is a specialist in this area.

One survey by Fast Company Magazine found that up to 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies hire coaches to improve their businesses - and they wouldn't be hiring them if there wasn't a good return on investment.

A coach never predetermines a solution or overtly criticises but must ensure the person ‘moves on’. Coaching is a process involving the owner or manger to develop their own solutions and then provide support and feedback in their implementation.

Business owners and managers can be stubborn and passionate but most tend to stay with the status quo and afraid of change.    The complexities of dealing with the emotions and fears can be quite challenging for a coach, which is why experience, maturity and confidence and important characteristics of a good coach.

The lack of understanding of the coaching process is a major issue.

Few individual coaches have a defined coaching process which is critical in making any real personal and business changes. The coaching process is largely about having the ability to guide the person to making better decisions about the business. There is a fair bit of psychology and patience involved.

A coach must also be able to influence thinking and behaviour to effectively facilitate changes in the business.

Business owners and managers often know what the solution is. It is the motivation to proceed and the pathway that needs to be developed. In our experience this is where coaches fall down. They have to have sufficient business and specific industry experience to really contribute.

Most coaching starts off well as the person being coached is excited and gets the initial motivational ‘kick’ but as time goes the coaching sessions become more business orientated where specific solutions are required such as personnel, sales and marketing strategies and operational issues.

OK!: to the crunch, what to look for:

Experience as a coach. Those that have been around for a while must be doing something right. A large part of coaching is motivational and personal influence over a person is important.
Reference checking is paramount due the intangible nature of the service
Look for a defined coaching process
Look for membership to some coaching institution or marketing /consulting associations where some independent review on their performance is conducted
Experience in the industry is also important. A coach who has no experience in retail industry will not related to the specific issues and pressures in that industry and not be able to provide sufficient guidance over the longer term.

Good Luck!