I am currently involved in a discussion with an old friend over what a business coach brings to a business. The fundamental question is does the business coach act as a therapist at times. The answer is a qualified yes. Qualified because the business coach has been hired to help a team solve a specific issue, train new skills to beat the competition, or help a business launch. A business coach is not hired to exorcise personal daemons.
A business coach is not hired to exorcise personal daemons.
Yet, it is invariable that a business coach – really any trusted advisor – will have a bonding experience with the coachee. In that experience the coach will help the coachee improve in other areas than just the business issues that need to be resolved. This comes from the mutual trust and respect that is built during the coaching relationship.
They help their clients focus on the basics that build success. The continuing practice of fundamentals tends to spill over into the private lives of the clients.
In sports, top coaches get more out their players than what happens on the field. These coaches help their players become more responsible members of their communities and better individuals. The sports coaches have their players focus on the fundamentals of their sport and their lives. This happens because the sports coach is able to establish a bond built on trust. Coaches like Phil Jackson, Guus Hiddnik, and John Wooden come to mind as top coaches that have done that.
The result is a better-run business, a high functioning team, and improved personal relations.
Top Coaching Benefits
The same is true when it comes to top business coaches. They help their clients focus on the basics that build success. The continuing practice of fundamentals tends to spill over into the private lives of the clients. The result is a better-run business, a high functioning team, and improved personal relations. The nearby chart shows the benefits of a business coach. What is apparent in the chart is that most of the benefits are personal.
So my friend is right. A business coach, any coach, is a bit of tactician, motivator, and therapist. Just remember that the latter is a beneficial side effect of coaching.
About the author:
Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army. He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079. You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin
The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small. The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.
