Business Coaches Continued…

Benefits of working with a business coach

A business coach acts as a strategic business partner to assist you in achieving greater personal and business success. He or she may help you rejuvenate business growth; strengthen relationships within your company; help you become better organized; help you develop skills and knowledge; show you how to prioritize and achieve goals; teach you how to deal with conflict; help you streamline business processes and systems; encourage improved morale; show you how to direct and support changes in your organization; deliver feedback and develop and interpret performance assessments.

A Typical Business Coaching Relationship

Although business coaching relationships are personalized and customized, a typical set of stages might go as follows:

1. Contracting or Intake Stage. In this stage, the coach meets with the business person to discuss the coaching services needed and to define how to approach the objectives. Once all the particulars have been agreed upon, an official agreement is signed.

2. Information Gathering and Debriefing Stage. At this point, the coach gathers and reviews information, including personnel files, organizational values and principles, mission and vision, ethical statement, organizational charts, annual reports, policies and procedures, internal correspondence, operating plans, product literature, analyst's reports and public files. This information is obtained through interviews, direct observation and other methods.

3. Feedback stage. A number of times throughout the information-gathering period, the businessperson will receive verbal, written and/or audio feedback.

4. Planning and Active Coaching Stage. At this point, the coach will work with the businessperson to determine what to do next.

5. Reassessment Coaching Stage. A reassessment stage allows the coach to evaluate, refine and enhance the coaching program.

6. Final Evaluation Coaching Stage. The businessperson and coach evaluate the work that has taken place thus far.

7. Follow-up Coaching Stage. In this final session, the businessperson and coach discuss next steps.

By Margaret Evans