Why Hire a Business Coach?
Utilizing a business coach is valuable whether you are a small-business owner, a high-level executive—or even a professional consultant yourself! In fact, many of the most successful consultants I know receive ongoing guidance from another coach that they respect.
Along those lines, I recently received an email from the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC), an organization to which I belong. An article titled: "Even Expert Consultants Need Mentors" addresses several great reasons why a business consultant is useful.
When looking into a coach, you'll want to consider two factors: 1) How will you benefit from a coach? 2) What type of coach would be best for your needs?
The Value of Coaching
There are several common doubts that I have encountered when speaking to a prospective client about coaching. What's in it for me? I'm good at what I do, so how helpful will it be for someone unfamiliar with my business to come in and tell me how to run things?
The IMC article addresses these doubts effectively with the following argument:
"First, would someone as accomplished as you benefit from a coach or mentor? As good as we think we are in a particular discipline, we can see things from only one perspective. All of us go to a spouse, colleague or friend for a second opinion on many issues. Why wouldn't we do the same in our profession? Tiger Woods, inarguably the top golfer in the world, has at least one golf coach to help him tweak or completely rebuild his swing. Just because you are good doesn't mean you can't improve."
Their conclusion for consultants is just as relevant to business professionals in any field: "Just because you are a good consultant doesn't mean you can self-diagnose where a coach would best help. Take your own best advice (leave diagnosis to the experts) and spend some time with a coach or two to see in what areas you could most benefit."
In fact, many coaches, including myself, offer an initial free consultation, in order to evaluate whether a potential client will benefit from working with them. So you have nothing to lose by checking it out.
What Do You Need Most?
The article goes on to point out that choosing a coach goes beyond finding a second set of eyes to analyze an aspect of your business in more depth. It is important to find the right person with the training and experience to help you energize an area that has challenged you.
"What kind of coach or mentor is best for you? Would you best benefit from a consulting mentor, perhaps a senior colleague whose professionalism and experience you admire? Would a life coach, whose expertise integrates your attitudes, skills and approach to your profession and life, provide a more sustained beneficial change? Or maybe a coach known for developing your capability in a specific discipline such as marketing, public speaking or negotiation?"
Something important to keep in mind is that hiring a coach does not mean you are having problems or that you are incapable. Hiring a coach means that you are dedicated to running your business as smoothly and successfully as possible, whatever it takes.
Calling a business consultant like Ground Level Consulting could be your first step to the next level of success in your work and in your life.