Things to Consider in Business Coaching
There are a number of things to consider in business coaching. Business Coaching is in essence the same as any other coaching other than the client is needing assistance within some aspect of their business. Depending on the business coach, they will work with small to medium size businesses, up to large corporations.
The business owner may want coaching for any of a number of reasons, from increasing sales to achieving higher profit. From working with staff members to overall running of the organization. The purpose of the coaching can be very varied and it is down to the client as to what they would like to work on.
Business coaching is not giving advice.
Often business owners ask their coach as to what the client should be doing in, or about a certain situation. It is important to understand that the coach is not an advisor and not there to give the client any advice. Rather the business coach is coaching the client to find the answers either within themselves or determine where else they may be able to find the resources they need. That can include books or articles the client could read to training or courses they may do to acquire new skills etc.
It is important for both the coach and the client to know and understand what the client is calibrating on, to judge the value of their coaching relationship. What is the goal of the client for the coaching? We have spoken about return on investment in a previous post. Of course the R.O.I is not always financial. In many cases the client may actually want to have more free time. Or learn to delegate some responsibilities to the right people, so that the client can start taking an easier role in the organization. Having said this, it is also important to understand that there is a difference between delegation and abdication. After all, if you are coaching the business owner, then the buck ultimately stops with them. The business coaching wheel is a great tool to check where you are at in different areas of your business.
The coach may also be hired to coach individuals within the business, like team coaching, group coaching, executive coaching etc. We will look at these roles in future posts.
15 really useful tips for the business client to consider.
1. Celebrate little victories along the way. Including those of the team.
2. Have an attitude of continuous improvement and training. From sales to customer relations.
3. Regularly review and set goals.
4. Become a product or service provider that over delivers rather than over promises.
5. Consider whether meetings are important instead of having unnecessary ones. This includes only having the necessary people present in the meeting.
6. Consider which clients are worth having and which are a cost or burden to the business. (Not all clients are profitable. 80/20 rule.)
7. How can you keep staff motivated to deliver their best. (It is not always financial.)
8. Be strict yet fair in regards to company procedures and rules.
9. Look at your profit and loss sheet regularly and know what your liabilities are.
10. Reduce wastage of pilfering. Keep regular stock take where necessary.
11. Delegate where possible to people who are adequately trained. Empowering staff.
12. Look for new markets to do business with.
13. Look at marketing and advertising routes to see what is working and what needs changing.
14. Consider what can be outsourced and what needs to be done in house. Also consider what costs, liabilities and risks are involved.
15. Become the market leader or go to person in your industry.
Business coaching varies from client to client.
These are only a sample of some of the things a business owner may want to consider. Of course business coaching will vary greatly depending on the business, its service, clients etc.
The business coach is not there to tell the client what to do and may not have experience in that particular field that the client operates in. As coaching is about process it is often an advantage that the coach is new in that particular industry as they will have no preconceived ideas about how business should operate in that sector and makes now value judgements.
Remember to consider what the real reason is for employing the services of a business coach and the way in which you are going to measure the results.
For more information about working with a business coach, please feel free to contact us at any time. You can also find out more about the coaching courses we offer.
