What to look for in a business coach

Coaching is not therapy, but it is a great way of creating a better understanding of ‘how you tick’. Traditional training courses are a highly effective way to update skills and knowledge and a great way of networking with similar people from outside of your organisation. Coaching works in a different, often deeper way. It develops you both in a professional and personal way:

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Selecting a Coach

If you search for a coach on the internet you will be overwhelmed by the choice available. Discuss your needs with a Line Manager, your HR department or other trusted advisor at work. They may be able to make a recommendation.

If not, try contacting a training provider as they will usually have access to trained and qualified coaches.

Some coaches specialize in the type of individual that they coach. For example, women returning to work after maternity leave, newly promoted Managers or Managers wanting to make the step up to Director.

We recommend that you discuss in detail your requirements with a reputable provider and meet at least two coaches prior to your selection.

The first meetings are usually free of charge and are called ‘chemistry’ sessions. These are designed to help you make the best choice according to your specific needs.

Don’t make your choice based on how ‘nice’ a coach came across. Be honest with yourself, you will need a coach who can challenge your assumptions and current ways of working in a positive way that makes you work more effectively.

 

Ideal Coaches believe the following…

Four fundamental principles of Coaching.

1. The Coachee is resourceful

  • The Coachee has the resources to resolve his or her problems. You have not come to be ‘fixed’. Only the coachee can really know what to do because only the coachee knows the full story and only the coachee can actually implement the actions and live with the results

2. The Coach’s role is to work with you and develop resourcefulness: sometimes it is also about giving advice when appropriate

  • There is an old adage which states that “if you give a person a fish, you have fed him for a day; but if you teach a person how to fish, you have fed him for the rest of his life”
  • Therefore, coaching is solution focused and outcome-oriented with the emphasis on the coachee reaching the outcome for themselves.

3. Coaching addresses the whole person – the past, present and future

  • Often the doing part of a coachee’s life is being sabotaged by the being part. Difficulties in our professional lives are often paralleled by difficulties in the personal part of our lives. Coaching is not psychoanalysis, but it can, in a powerful way, help a coachee to understand the unhelpful or limiting beliefs that are barriers to real success

4. Coaching is about change

  • Coachees come to coaching because they want something to change, they want to be more effective. The role of the Coach is to help them achieve this increased effectiveness. The process can be intensive and requires commitment and focus by both parties.

If you need a coach to push you forward in your career, give our licensed and professional coaches a call on 01932 874 944

Or email: info@peoplebusiness.co.uk