Dr. Earl R. Smith II

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33 Responses to “What do you think about coaches and business coaching?”
1.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:50 pm e
John Ayers: I believe coaching can have a dramatic effect when you are working towards a goal. As individuals, we get caught in our usual way of thinking and some business/personal coaches can help you think through a situation from a different perspective, in confidence. Many people have a mentor who can play the same role, but in the fast paced business world of today, mentoring has taken a back burner for many professionals. A coach acts like a mentor and sometimes can offer insight from a different market, vertical, or profession.
2.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:50 pm e
M. Prabhakar Rao: Nowadays, there are many big firms and groups – global or local, which strongly believe in training (coaching) and invest heavily in it. The areas include management games, skills imparting problem-solving, effective-communications, efficient-interfacing with customers (both internal & external), negotiation abilities, team-building & playing, leadership, personal grooming & behavior, etiquette, language & cultural exposure, especially when the firm is planning to export its executives to establish overseas facilities, systems orientation, like while implementing concepts like QMS, EMS, OHSAS, 5S, 7 QC Tools, 6Sigma, Organisational Beliefs & Values and what have you?
While the above is a more formal training, at an informal level seniors all the time, willy nilly, coach their juniors – overtly or by demonstration, say in sales, accounts, banking, finance, operations, R&D, quality, etc..
Training can be routinely done, as a matter of corporate policy or against some felt-needs or against an individual initiative.
However, you need to clearly identify your/your team/your organizational needs – through a comprehensive ‘Training Needs Analysis’ & ‘Evaluation of Training Methodology’, define the training objectives of the training and locate the right training source.
3.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:51 pm e
Claudia Del Giudice: Leadership coaching has proven its effectiveness in helping people and executives towards new attitudes, approaches and behaviors. To step up in responsibilities, to manage new position and complex challenges, to make changes in approach, to enhance the organization’s effectiveness through leadership. From what I know they have significant business knowledge, strong backgrounds and years of experience; they create ongoing relationship, mutual honesty, trust and positive enviroment and you will feel comfortable with them as they understand issues and share your values. It costs money.
4.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:51 pm e
Jim Broiles: I have had experience identifying the need for a coach, the process of finding the right one to engage with and putting place the agreement. I am not an executive coach.
The circumstances where an executive coach can help are those in which culture, personality and style attributes are impeding individual or team performance. These issues often become visible during organizational change, succession planning or when a talented person is struggling as a leader. A coach can help organizations or individuals make a transition. A coach is an intermediary or facilitator in team conflict resolution. A coach can identify gaps in an individual’s executive fiber and find the best way to fill them so they are ready for more responsibility in the future. A good coach can also indentify the need for deeper counseling by a medical professional.
The goals of the coaching depend on the nature of the transition. One set of goals would be aimed at a career transition. An entirely different set would be aimed at a change management program. The expert coach will have a proven assessment toolset and will work with you to identify the goals that fit the situation. A great coach will also drive execution and measurement of progress.
There are a lot of “executive coaches” out there. Interview at least three. Many want to work remotely. I find that the face-to-face interaction is mandatory. Some are more focused on health and spiritual well being I call these Life Coaches. A good executive coach focuses on helping small business owners or larger corporations. They are former executives with a great network and experience working with the BoD and executive staff. Others are focused on transitioning your money into their pockets. I’ve seen pricing range from $125/hour to $650/hour. I’ve found that Venture Capital Firms usually keep the name of a good executive coach in the rolodex and usually know who to avoid as well.
Email me and I will give you the name of someone who I think of as a good executive coach at the BoD and executive level if that’s what you’re looking for.
5.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:52 pm e
Diana Shaffner: Coaching in business as well as personal matters is an extremely powerful way to get out of your own way. In fact business coaching and coaching to help with personal goals can hardly be looked at as separate endeavors. Since it is you – the person – with all its strengths and weaknesses that drives your actions whether they are business related or not. So coaching in general is a wonderful tool to advance on all fronts in your life. Everyone no matter their background or level of experience can benefit from such support. Through a good coaching program customized to your individual needs you will learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible. There is a lot more YOU in you than you think. Go and set it free!
6.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:52 pm e
Todd Rhoad: Having been through a lot of organizational changes, I think it can be useful to have a coach during major transformations. Some of the changes I’ve been through that would have warranted use of a business coach would be during a downsizing, restructuring, merger, acquisition, and changing from non-profit to profit (or vice versa). Basically, any major organizational change that management can’t find any literary support for are useful events for coaches. I think issues like motivation, team building, etc. don’t require the use of a coach. There is a lot of information out there on these subjects. If managers just take a little time to read and apply the techniques or ideas to their environment, they will see some success. Too often they don’t want to think (it may make their head hurt) or they just don’t have any experience applying someone else’s ideas (another great reason to do nothing…ha ha). If that technique doesn’t work, try another. It comes down to how bad you want to succeed.
I typically do a lot of research when making changes to my team or programs. I’ve spent a few years learning how to do research and use information presented by academia, trade journals, etc. As a matter of fact, I have book coming out this year that will coach employees on career development through a self-motivating, team based approach (but that’s another story). Sometimes it’s not easy to apply everything we read but it gives a good starting point. Once I hit a subject I can’t find a lot of literature on, I go to my professional networks to seek out experts and war stories. It’s amazing what you can learn from others. If I still can’t find anything (for free that is), I go to a coach.
My mentor on my book has over 25 years experience as an executive coach. Our views on many subjects are quite different. This is most likely due to the fact that what worked a long time ago may not work now. My mentor’s background is business and mine is engineering. Naturally our views will be different. We learn as we go. I’ve found his experience critical in understanding how organizations got where we are now (i.e. a constant state of change).
In using a coach’s expertise in assisting an organization with major transformation, I would expet a coach to generate measurable processes. These are well defined activities, including goals, expected responses, and factors for measuring progress and success. I don’t trust a coach who can’t tell me what to measure on their processes (that’s an open loop system). If you have nothing to measure, how do you define success? More importantly, how do you make changes along the way to ensure you’re staying on track?
7.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:53 pm e
Shlomi Harif: I believe there are excellent reasons for executive and business coaches. I don’t want to speak to ‘life coaches,’ because that’s the slippery slope that can lead one to a therapist, a philosopher, or even a phrenologst {smirk}.
An executive coach can bring a leader up to the next level in terms of self-awareness of action, of politics, of the kind of machievelian tools required to get into and remain in the C-level playing field. This means a client must be willing to listen openly, be willing to change, sometimes even make great changes (everything from hair style to dress to mannerisms to methods of dealing with staff, peers and managers. I found mine of immense value — but also found that he was the best “tool” I ever rented. The moral compass was missing. It was focused on what was best to make me more effective, and nothing about the cost on others.
A business coach is what I call a mentor: someone not in your chain of command, or even in the same company, that you can turn to for advice on how to handle a specific organizational or business situation. Failing to have a mentor with the right skills, striking out and finding someone who can fulfill that role is critical. It’s also simple: you can go the ‘business coach’ route, and troll the the ads, or you can cast around your industry and identify four of five people whose behavior or experience in their company matches what we will go/are going through. Find out through your network whether they are a good personal match for you. Then contact each of them (LinkedIn is great for that), and flat out ask their advice. If they’re in town, buy ‘em a nice dinner each time. Out of town? Consider the investment to fly in and buy ‘em dinner at least once. You may need to talk with two or three of these folks to get an answer or direction that makes sense, but you’ll be expanding your network, getting real-world advice, and, ultimately, paying less than for a relationship with a coach.
Which brings me to the barbed hook in all this: business and executive coaches have a downside that requires management: in order for them to have second changes to coach, they must instill co-dependence on their clients. If you have one, be careful to ensure you are not becoming dependent on them instead of using the life, executive and business coach between your ears.
8.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:53 pm e
Randall Isaac: The researchers in the classic business book, “Good to Great” found ~9 points that separated the “Good” companies from the “Great” ones. One of those points hilighted that the executive in the Great companies were able to see the business problem and drive to a business decison, whereas the executive in the Good companies were adversely impacted by personal ego. This is not a frivolous issue; bear in the mond the Good companies were also multi Billion organizations.
For me, the best executive coaches have experience in helping their clients drive toward deeper levels of self awareness, and hence enable them to see business problem more clearly, and therefore make better decisions.
9.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:54 pm e
Karen van Warmerdam, ACC: In general, situations when a coach is most valuable and is most often engaged are:
1. Increasing performance or accelerating achievement
2. Supporting smooth and successful transitions
3. Accelerating development; addressing gaps
4. Supporting the resolution of specific challenges
5. Gaining clarity on an issue or set of issues
As you listed, these situations could be for an individual or team and in the business, professional or personal sphere.
The goals of the coaching agreement should be as specific as possible and based on the results the client wants from the engagement. Even for “softer” areas, some type of KPI’s or measurements should be found.
The coaching agreement should at least document the basic business variables: operational details, what the coach will fulfil, what is expected of the client, etc.
As already mentioned, a successful coaching experience includes finding a coach that is the right combination of experience, knowledge, skills and style for the client and the coaching subject. Advice to interview three coaches or to get a referral is good, especially if one is hiring their first coach.
You have received great input; I would reiterate that any professional business or executive coach would address the entire cycle of the engagement from front-end goals and objectives, through execution, measurement and back-end review & revision phases.
10.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:54 pm e
Wade Burgess: As with any resource, defining parameters and expectations is very important with coaches. Define specifically why you want a coach and what role you expect them to fill. If you’re looking for someone to help keep you accountable to your own initiatives and/or shed some outside light on your plans, they can fill a valuable role.
Word of caution: they don’t know you or your business as well as you do. (Analogy: you treat your own car better than a rental car). My experience has shown that the business coaching profession is flooded with also-rans. Sometimes those who can’t do attempt to teach. Challenge them, interview them, and look for a successful track record. Consider how Tiger Woods chooses his coaches. Your business matters as much to you as golf does to Tiger.
One final thought: consider a mentor instead of a coach. Find someone who has accomplished what you’re striving for and do whatever you can to learn from them. Truly successful people are always willing to help mentor a handful of others.
11.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:55 pm e
Monika M. Stickel: First, I’d like to commend you for thinking this way as a leader in your organization.
I believe in coaching in general. On a personal level and at a professional level for all executives. To grow in today’s ever changing environment we need to stay on the cutting edge by learning. This includes working on our weaknesses as opportunities. For team building purposes, this is also important.
I’ve used coaching in several situations. Teambuilding to develop my people, personal speech training, managerial skills as I grew in the organization and as a triathlete I have a swim coach and a trainer.
Personal perserverance with the right attitude takes us where we want to go. However, to become the best, we need to continual seek new advice on how to improve with the right mentors along the way.
If it’s done right, for the correct purpose and with a plan on where the coaching will take the person or team, it’s a no brainer. Without a plan and to simple spend money in this area without direction, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Good luck.
So, I believe in business coaching.
12.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:55 pm e
Lionel Spearman: That is an ineteresting question. Think it is important to have some rules of engagement, but as for my stories even though I have business owners in my family there is still much I did not know and that is still the case – so I had no idea on what to expect or quantify nor the questions I should ask. I was ill prepared to conceptualize cash flow and its importance, structure and its relevance, the potential risks (which was probably a good thing), how to market, what to look for in an employee/associate, how to develop reputation. I did know the importance of doing a good job and of keeping a schedule and communicating expectations, defining project scope, etc. So I quess the answer would be first create a model of your business benchamrked against known businesses to include relevant operational components and revenue streams. Then task the coash with assisting you in the creation of processes to redress and close teh gaps that were defined by the model.
13.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:55 pm e
Howard Berkowitz: Perhaps not the usual business coaching, but there has been an increasing trend, in the US military, to provide senior officers and officers in training with mentors. I’ve provided links to a couple of documents that reference mentoring a bit peripherally, but may give insight.
One practice, which is certainly worth considering in business, is looking to retired experts/executives who have held similar jobs, but, at this point, have no conflict of interest in advising. To my knowledge, several four-star field commanders have asked for the assistance of retired senior officers, of 3 or 4 star level, who had a positive effect on their career and whom they trust completely. Such an advisor/mentor is completely outside the chain of command and the advice is private.
Another mentoring relationship is in the Warfighter and similar training simulations for senior officer practice & training. These are exercises to train generals, and the overall exercise director is a 3- or 4-star officer respected for their ability at combat command. Again, the idea is to get someone highly respected, yet who is not in your personal chain of command.
Yet another military practice, which would have to be adapted to business, is the idea of the senior enlisted advisor as a sounding board for commanding officers. In general terms, one could think of such a person as the top foreman in the trade force. Especially at junior officer ranks, it is considered to be a responsibility of senior noncommissioned officers to train and develop their commanding officers.
For those not familiar with how officers and senior NCO roles complement one another, officers are responsible for the planning, preparation, and direction of their unit. NCOs are responsible for training, preparing, and supervising the individual soldiers of a unit. It surprises many civilians to visit a barracks, and find not the deputy commanding officer just below the commander’s name, but the senior NCO (first sergeant or sergeant major in the Army). Especially at higher levels, a command sergeant major acts both as the commander’s eyes on the ranks, not as an informer or disciplinarian, but as a cross-check with a different view than the officer corps, an on-the-spot trainer, and as a sounding board for the commander.
14.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:56 pm e
Carol S. Scott: Carol S. Scott suggests these experts on this topic:
Hany Malik
Michael Dow
Andrea Howe
Check out this website (www.suntiva.com). This company sets the standard for executive consulting, coaching, etc. Dr. Hany Malik and team are the best. See for yourself.
15.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:56 pm e
Mark Huber: >>>Top Line:
If you are (or the team is) committed to developing new habits and, in a sense, a different personality and are committed to an extended period of ‘adjustment’ during which these new habits are accepted, then go for it. 100% of the hard stuff must be done by the parties, and the coach is just a guide to this strange new land.
______
Feeling a need to change I have gone through a plethora of self-help books to identify, accept, celebrate and make use of the unique aspects in my style (work and life) and others. Emotional Intelligence(Goleman), The Relationship Cure(Gottman), Influence (Cialdini) and Pathfinder (Lore).
>>>>> Conclusions
Reading books (or listening to a coach) do not change people. The person must not just want it, they must commit to change in the fundamental sense of the word – exit status quo, exit familiar territory and actively fight like bloody hell against the internal and external forces pulling her/him back to zero – to safety. And they must not relegate the responsibility for the change to anyone else, let alone a high quality coach.
To drill home the point: True change is clearly an active, sustained, uncomfortable, all-star wrestling fight to the finish against your past habits (from decades) – not a one-time event to be endured passively.
If the Business Coach is talented enough to guide you or the team to make the commitment and sustain yourselves through the 3-4 months during which the new habits are perceived as uncomforable, unsafe or a sacrifice you have found gold.
Professional development is a long term effort. See the reference site. These folks wrote the Pathfinder which presents many exercises to be performed regularly like a trip to the gym – sustained effort and step by step improvement.
16.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pm e
Russ Moon,MBA: A great one is worth their weight in gold.
I recommend Mack Arrington – he is on Linkedin
Situations – name one and coaching could probably help you
My coach helps me better understand myself and how I interact with others resulting in large leaps in development. The net result is a greater link between my efforts to develop and the actual results being apparent.
Each time I fully engage Mack, I never have to tell anyone I have done “something”, they notice and tell me they sense “a difference”.
My secret, now not so secret, tool to navigating life,career,etc.
17.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pm e
David Owczarek: I worked with a fantastic coach as part of my most recent job hunting preparation. In addition to taking my resume to a new level, she also did extensive psychometric testing using the Myers-Briggs and Hogan instruments. The Hogan Development Survey was new to me and quite valuable. It may be more prevalent in the United Kingdom than the US.
The outcome of this was that I am much more attuned to what I am predisposed to be great at and very aware of what I need to work on. It has allowed me, also, to profile my potential jobs in terms of my natural strengths and weaknesses. Good Stuff.
18.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:58 pm e
Danny Stusser: You asked for direct experiences — I’ve hired two coaches, and can tell you that the chemistry between client and coach is important.
First coach I hired was well-meaning, but not a good match for me.
Cathy Rivers has worked for me for just about a year now, and I’ve gained a tremendous amount of self-knowledge from the relationship. She’s helped me to reinvent my vision for my business. I think she’s way overqualified to work for me and my tiny business … prior to becoming a full-time executive coach, she was a senior IT executive herself at Frank Russell Co., in Tacoma.
19.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:58 pm e
Kidra Shadroo: I truly believe in coaching since I have had two mentors in the last two years. I have also sought out coaches and I think people should if they know of a qualified person. To me a qualified mentor is the person who can help his/her mentee to succeed.
Although I benefited from both of my mentors, one of them was way more effective than the other one. I can itemize the elements that turned my mentoring sessions to a success as followed:
1. Amount of time my mentor spent with me.
2. Punctuality and keeping promises despite of corporate meetings and lunch with executives.
3. Being detached from corporate goals and more focused on helping me to succeed.
4. Responsiveness and replying back to my messages and notes.
5. My focus in the plan and reviewing the results with my mentor.
On the other hand one of my mentoring cases turned ineffective when my mentor kept postponing meetings, started to be too busy to reply back to my emails and got too involved in day to day routine of his job. After a couple months I personally decided to cancel my mentoring sessions since I didn’t see him being committed anymore.
Anyway I am so positive about mentoring and I recommend it to everybody.
20.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:59 pm e
Emily Deadwyler: I would highly recommend executive coaching for anyone looking for become more effective in their own career and to executives looking to improve organizational effectiveness. An executive coach teaches executives how best to work within the unique culture of the company and to tailor communications to the audience. In my opiniion, many professionals lack the personal insight necessary to “own” our actions and how they impact others – this is true at all levels of the organization – Chairman on down. An executive coach helps each individual increase self awareness and gain an better understanding of our unique strengths, weaknesses and triggers. A good executive coach will focus on how those strengths, weakness and triggers influence behavior and work with coachee to establish specific behaviorally focused goals.
The typical engagement lasts 6-12 months and includes weekly sessions with the coach. They often start with a 360 degree asessment. A good coach will have a professional degree (Ph.d is best) – watch out for shingle printers. Expect to see behavioral improvements within 6 months.
21.
July 8th, 2007 at 7:59 pm e
Vince Thompson: I recently wrote and published a book for Managers called Ignited: Managers! Light Up Your Company and Career. Keith Rosen, a very talented Master Certified Coach was profiled in a story about a divisional sales manager having a difficult time with a new boss. Concerned about the future of her role, she reached out to Keith who quickly determined where the disconnects were in her relationship with her boss. Then together they agreed upon a collective plan where ultimately Keith brought her boss into the dialogue. I know this sounds risky but given Keith’s thoughtfulness and expertise the boss welcomed Keith’s involvement. The relationship was saved. Keith’s client was thrilled and her boss became a client as well. I believe great coaches can be an incredible benefit not only for the client but for their network or relationships.
22.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:00 pm e
Mark Amtower: No one is ever the best they could be at what they do, so a coach or mentor is always a good idea, as long as the person you select as a coach or mentor is capable of taking you to that next level, or enhancing some of the skills you already have. Often a facilitated group of executives (or professionals in whatever niche you are in) is better than one-on-one coaching. A good facilitator can work the group to get the best advice out of each member to benefit all members. Again, the issue ebcomes slecting a good facilitator.
23.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:00 pm e
Darrell Kern: I think coaching is something that can help people focus on their goals and it has been a successful motivational tool for many. Sadly though, many people continue coaching longer than they need. I see it as training wheels and once you learn how to ride- take the training wheels off and claim your own path in life. Coaching can be very addictive- that’s the downside.
24.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:01 pm e
Aaron Bare: Tiger Woods has a coach, why shouldn’t every CEO? Beyond that, check out Vistage, it is a peer to peer CEO network. In fact, the worlds largest CEO membership group with over 50 years experience and 10,000 CEO’s as members.
25.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:01 pm e
Kathie M. Thomas: I went through a period when I didn’t feel I needed coaching until about 2 years ago (I’ve been in business over 13 years). I’d built my business so far but needed to take it further and wasn’t sure how to progress that. I took my time looking for the right business coach. I wanted one who had put in the miles and knew how to get results – there’s a lot of information you can get for free online so I didn’t want someone who was just going to repeat what I could find out for myself.
There was another reason for getting a coach too. I was looking at providing training/coaching services for my own industry as a Virtual Assistant and whilst I had all the knowledge required to adequately train and coach others, I needed to learn about the delivery of a coaching program and what to expect.
To add to that, I actually provide services to business coaches but didn’t want to be coached by one of my own clients. I didn’t want to blur the boundaries of our working relationships and had a good idea of what coaching involved but still needed to be on the delivery end of things.
The coach I found has been really good value. He has stretched me and had me doing things I didn’t think I could do. I started doing things I hadn’t done previously in my business – mainly because I just hadn’t given them any thought, or if I had, didn’t think I had the time to do anything about them. His ethics closely align with mine and I find myself talking to him about all sorts of things and find his advice to be very wise.
I believe people need to understand what the benefits of coaching are and why they should take the time and pay the money to receive coaching. Testimonials from existing clients go a long way for coaches on their websites and in their material. Some coaches prefer to do the phone contact, some online, some face-to-face. My own coach I have regular face-to-face meetings with, but the VAs I coach are done mainly online via lesson delivery, an online classroom and email contact.
For my own part, I wanted to develop my business to a point where part of the income was passive so I could have more time to pursue interests that weren’t going to be immediately income-producing, i.e like writing. My coach has helped me formulate ideas that have done just that – I was close to it but just couldn’t see it for myself till he pointed it out after asking lots of questions. So having a coach really means getting someone who can see the wood for the trees in your business and help open your eyes and your mind and basically to ‘think outside of the box’.
26.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:02 pm e
Rose Woodruff: As a personal and professional coach, former IT Corporate Owner, and current solopreneur I find the variety of answers here interesting. Although some coaching schools teach some mentoring, International Coach Federation certification is not about certifying mentors. The difference lies in consultants versus coaches. Coaching is about supporting the individual to become more and achieve more or about helping teams become greater or achieve more. It is not about handing the client information they can read in a Harvard Business Review or personnel textbook. Coaching relies on the relationship created between the coach and client that includes exploring values, challenging assumptions, exploring and selecting perspectives, and basically calling the client to interact with the world in some new way. It also holds the client accountable to achieve what he or she committed to do.
While going through my coach certification I was required to have a coach I really thought I had no need of. He is an executive coach. Although the first three months seemed flat because I had no burning issues, he uncovered underlying attitudes I had that would keep me from being as successful as I can. The skills that I used to run a successful internet company were not adequate to achieve greatness in my business where I am the only employee. Only coaching could have uncovered where I was holding back on my success.
So I see coaching as a means to greater success no matter where one is. Like any other service provider, if you try a coach and you don’t feel you are getting you money’s worth, it’s time to try a different coach.
27.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:02 pm e
Cuong Nguyen: I do beleive in professional business coaching, especially at more senior level of an organization. One should see coaches as friends, mentors, trusted partners, sounding boards, … And having a coach should not be interpreted as one’s weakness or equated to one’s incompetence. Let’s look around. Almost all high performance, successful athletes have coaches. Sometimes, one athlete has more than one coaches, each specializes in certain area of the game.
For more junior management positions (Director and below), group trainings (annual) are sufficient. However, for executives (VP and up), full-time or part-time coaches are recommended (budget permitting) as soon as possible. Selecting coaches in itself is a tricky business. However, the rules of thumb are: the coaches must be “have seen the movie”, “been there, done that”, effective in inter-personal communication, passionate, non-intrusive, and patient.
28.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:02 pm e
Linda Messina: I very recently hired a business coach. Although I have over 25 years in selling services and have done ok, I found that I really wanted to take it to the next level with my current position in order to achieve the financial possibilities that lay at my feet. While a coach can see the talent I’ve got, he can offer new ideas on how to leverage that talent and give me specific weekly goals to achieve that absolutely show results – immediately. It’s only been 3 weeks but I can see subtle differences already.
29.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:03 pm e
Gavin McKiernan: I very recently hired a business coach. Although I have over 25 years in selling services and have done ok, I found that I really wanted to take it to the next level with my current position in order to achieve the financial possibilities that lay at my feet. While a coach can see the talent I’ve got, he can offer new ideas on how to leverage that talent and give me specific weekly goals to achieve that absolutely show results – immediately. It’s only been 3 weeks but I can see subtle differences already.
30.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:03 pm e
Bill Moore: We compare business coaching to an individual seeing a psychiatrist: they talk out their business problems/frustrations/needs and almost always end up growing as a professional and a person due to the process.
Good business coaching helps you look at yourself and make adjustments to your situational approaches.
Improvements in listening, win-win attitude, and goal-orientation are consistent results of business coaching.
31.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:04 pm e
Gary Truesdale: Theres an organization out of Detroit called ‘The Business of Winning’ They have distilled decades of work by all of the top professional coaches, like Bill Walsh, Scotty Bowman, Pat Riley, among others and they have developed a trining and team building curriculum that is truly unique. I went to one of their symposiums a few years ago and have followed their work ever since. There are several books and intellectual property pieces available from this company.
32.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:04 pm e
Jesse Domingo: The need for a coach does not necessarily mean having one “forever” but “as the need (goals/crisis) arises”… better yet, think of it as having an annual medical check-up. Like updates, performance appraisals, etc… it would keep us on track, so… it’s good for us.
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We would need coaches if…
there is a crisis, generally too big to handle;
there is a goal(s), help depends on its necessity
as specially if it would affect others;
more so, if one wants to get better in his/her trade…
One must have to forget his/her pride and consider one.
For as in a sports team, one maybe the “star” player but…
s/he would still need a coach for his/her and the team’s betterment.
Likewise, in war, one maybe the best sniper but…
s/he would still need a commanding officer to succeed in a mission.
After all, we are not alone but part of a group, whatever it maybe.
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33.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:05 pm e
Nathalie Himmelrich: The idea of coaching in my opinion is to create excellence in any chosen area of ‘a person’s’ private and business life. By carefully analysing what it is that stops this person from fully developing and living his/her life’s potential coaches and clients work together through a client specific goal setting process and a tailored action plan is created. With this program adjustments are made in specific areas of the client’s life to help them reach their goals.
Under what circumstances a person should seek out a coach? When they realise that what they are currently doing is not giving them the results they desire and with the current knowledge and skills they have they are not able to adjust this process by themselves.
I’m not specifically an ‘executive coach’ but would highly recommend Juan – see link below.