Rah-rah-rah, siz-boom-bah! Those were the days… and nostalgia tugs at your heart. You find yourself wishing your business could use a little bit of that excitement.
Perhaps hiring a business coach is the solution. Sales are sluggish, and your employees are in a “blah” mood. You dream of recreating the energy of your university days when practice sessions were intense, and everyone was pumped up, thanks to a coach who knew how to motivate even the most lethargic player.
These days, coaching is no longer just about sports. It has found its place in business. Coaches now frequent stuffy boardrooms, linger in office corridors, and are a permanent part of human resources agendas. Managers need to be retooled, reschooled, and rehabilitated, and employees need a good dose of adrenaline to rekindle their faith in the company.
The Role of Business Coaches
Business coaching is thriving, especially now that people—from executives to rank-and-file employees—realize that vital lessons about teamwork, entrepreneurship, and ethics must be learned from a relevant perspective. A business coach’s role extends beyond motivation; they must ensure that ethics temper profitability. When a company practices good ethics, it boosts its credibility and demonstrates that its mission is more than just words about vision, globalization, and empowerment—buzzwords that are so common today. A business coach ensures that ethics remain central to the business’s drive for success.
What to Watch Out For
Talk often suggests that hiring a business coach can be expensive—especially if you hire a top-tier professional. However, the dividends a coach can bring to your company are worth considering. A coach can make the difference between anemic sales and a business that “rockets” forward. After all, productivity is a business owner’s dream, and it’s that productivity that will help get your company back into the black.
Hiring a business coach doesn’t require complicated methods. If your company has never hired one before, you can rely on word of mouth, speak to your local chamber of commerce, or reach out to the International Coach Federation (ICF) via this link. The ICF mostly focuses on personal coaching but may provide valuable referrals.
Professionals like consultants, accountants, business professors, and others with wisdom to share have transitioned into business coaching, seeing it as an area where they can contribute their expertise. By observing the company from an independent perspective, coaches identify areas of improvement and help businesses regain their spark.
What Parameters Should Guide Us When Hiring a Business Coach?
First, the coach should understand the industry in which your business operates. They don’t need to know everything but should have a good working knowledge of your business activity. For example, if your company is in publishing, the coach should have experience as a writer, editor, or marketer and understand the industry’s unique challenges. They should also be familiar with your competitors’ strategies.
The coach should help answer critical questions, such as:
- What advantages does our company have that others don’t?
- Are we effectively using our human and technical resources?
- Do we have the right human resources to meet business demands?
- Are our objectives realistic? How do we compare to competitors?
- What weaknesses should we address?
- What core competencies can we capitalize on?
Second, a good business coach must be “other-oriented,” focusing on the company’s needs, not their own ego. A coach who constantly references their academic background, such as “Harvard University says…” or “McGill’s research shows…” might not be the best fit for your business. While theories from prestigious institutions can be valuable, a coach must understand the real-world, practical needs of your specific business.
A coach’s role is to observe, engage with the team, and then compare the company’s goals with actual performance. If there’s a significant gap, the coach’s task is to identify solutions.
Many Companies Now Believe in Hiring a Business Coach
According to Victoria Zunitch in a 2001 article in the Journal of Accountancy, clients expect CPAs and other consultants to study a problem and offer advice, often in written form. However, coaching involves helping clients find their own answers by setting and evaluating business goals. Coaches track progress, raise red flags when clients veer off course, and encourage self-monitoring, ultimately helping to correct unproductive behaviors.
For companies facing stagnation or high staff turnover, calling in an independent coach can provide fresh insights and solutions. Coaches often see issues that others overlook, offering creative solutions to help businesses get back on track.
Hiring a business coach is more than just a trend—it’s a proven strategy for taking your company to new heights.
