Bill McRea

Everyone at some point or the other needs sage advice. Business leaders are no exception, since they specially need it to ease the life of stress and worry that arises from strategies, profits and important meetings. They usually have difficulty in perceiving simpler solutions to problems. Coaching or mentoring is the most efficacious approach to help business leaders to achieve maximum in minimum time and that too without taxing their lifestyles.

The goal of a business coach should always be to help draw out leadership capability in individuals he is associated with. A business coach must make an effort to help the business executive learn about how to design and link specific leadership challenges, assuming complete responsibility to overcome the challenge successfully.

A business coach must take the following steps first, before introducing them with the leadership and problem solving aspects:

- Take into account the work culture and the talent of the team, by partnering first with the CEO or business head and the HR team.

- The mentoring should go on for as long as the business coach is not completely satisfied with the performance of the participants. The aim here is to coach the executives in such a way that they are aware of every aspect of leadership and problem solving skills.

- Companies hire business coaches to improve the performance of the team, both, collectively as a team and individually. After the completion of the coaching session an executive should have a better understanding of individual and organizational behavior. He should be able to comprehend the key changes that are required for his transition from manager to leader.

The six characteristics that are indispensable requisites for a successful business coach are:

Strong Belief: Coaches need to have a very strong belief system, a vision of the future, a positive approach to every problem and a strong understanding of themselves. This they need to pass on to the managers, who lack these basic leadership skills.

Optimism: This is an absolutely essential trait for a leader. It is a trait that sets apart the managers from leaders and the coach himself should have this approach on life and business, to teach others.

Courage: The coach has to hardwire this virtue in managers. He has to prove to them that although we all have our own fears; the main thing is to learn how to overcome them in the best possible way.

Teamwork: This is a very important point to remember. It is preached everywhere, but seldom practiced. The coach should himself know how to work within a team. Everyone knows that leaders cannot do everything by themselves and so they have a team of individuals with different talents. He has to guide the team in such a way that each talent is fully utilized and the team feels good about using their talent.

Good preparation: Always prepare and go through your content before you start implementing them on the participants. The content needs to cover all the aspects of the subject, from basic skills to designing and implementation of leadership ideas.

Clear communication: The most important of all traits is effective communication. Managers dont essentially become leaders because they cannot communicate their ideas to the management and their team effectively. A business coach is not only responsible for polishing the communication skills of the participant, but also on how he speaks and conveys management strategy to the participants.

Kris Koonar
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/characteristics-of-a-business-coach-92911.html

Are you ready to take your business to a higher level, but you’re not sure where to start? Have you had some success running an offline business, but you could use some guidance on specific strategies for making your online business soar? Hiring an online business coach can help you to grow your business and yourself to higher levels of success than you might be able to achieve on your own.

An online business coach has expertise in successfully managing an online business enterprise along with demonstrated experience in coaching clients to successfully breakthrough to achieve the goals they have set.

Here are a few of the questions that you might ask when you are hiring an online business coach:

How long have you been a full-time online business coach?

Everyone has to start somewhere, but you’ll want to know if you are this coach’s first client, or if they’ve had a few years of experience doing small business coaching.

May I see a list of references from your current and former clients?

Take the list of references and actually contact them, visit their websites and get a feel for how it was for them to work with this coach.

Is your value system in alignment with mine?

Everyone has basic core values and most often their business practices are in alignment with those personal values. In order to be able to work with and successfully implement your business coach’s recommendations, their values must be in alignment with yours or there will be conflict.

What is their policy regarding refunds if you are not satisfied with their performance?

Not everything works out the way we want it to, and sometimes in a business coaching relationship you decide that what they are teaching you is not working and you’d like to scrap the whole arrangement. What is their termination and refund policy for their coaching clients?

Can you clearly define your approach, your processes and methods and how they will deliver the results I am looking for in my business?

Knowing a business coach’s approach and methods will further help you decide if you think you will be able to work with them and implement their recommendations in your business.

Hiring an online business coach could be exactly what you need for a breakthrough in your business, but you must take the time to choose the right business coach for your online business, and your values.

What are some questions you ask when you are hiring an online business coach?

When you engage the services of a business coach to help you and your business to grow beyond your current levels, it will require a financial investment, but business coaching services should never be selected on the basis of price alone.

Consider business coaching to be an investment in yourself and in your business. You are hiring someone to facilitate your progress, so make sure that you choose someone that you like, that you think you’ll enjoy working with and who can deliver before you focus in on the price.

Here are some pricing guidelines and general policies for business coaches that you can use when you are looking to hire an online business coach.

Free introductory session

When you have narrowed down your options to a short list of prospective coaches you can request an introductory session to see if you think you’ll be able to work with this coach and if their approach appeals to you.

Group coaching

Group coaching sessions tend to be more affordable as they are less customized than one on one coaching sessions. You can enroll in a group business coaching program from as low as $75 per session up to as much as $100 per session depending on the size of the group, the number of sessions purchased and the relative notoriety and successful track record of the coach.

Individual coaching

The variables for individual coaching prices include such things as how many hours you book the coach for. If you purchase a package of sessions it can reduce the rate that you will pay.

The coach’s reputation or level of celebrity status can impact their price structure as well. If you are looking for a coach with name recognition you will pay a premium for their services and will probably have more limited access to them.

Individual coaching rates can vary from between $125. to over $1,000 or more per hourly session.

Always ask about contracts and cancellation policies when you are vetting an online business coach.

You look to hire a business coach because you know, as Einstein wisely said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” Bringing in a business coach who has the objectivity, knowledge and expertise to jettison you right out of your comfort zone and teach you how to replace those old, non-productive habits with new, powerful practices can help you achieve and exceed your goals.

Here are a few questions you can use to get you thinking about what to look for in a great business coach:

Are they someone that you have a rapport with?

You will be working with this person shoulder to shoulder for awhile, so you want to make sure that you like them, that you ‘click’ with them and that they are someone that you can develop a good rapport with.

Have they defined exactly what they can and can’t do for you?

You will be implementing the strategies and practices that the coach suggests, so you must be clear on your expectations of the business coach and the coach’s expectations of you as a client.

How much experience do they have in coaching online business clients?

Get a feel for their level of experience with coaching online business clients. What financial level of clients make up the bulk of their business? Are you comfortable with this coach’s level of experience?

Does their approach/philosophy resonate with your core values?

You must find someone who has values that are in alignment with your values to eliminate a huge potential for conflict.

What do you look for in a great business coach?

Are they easily accessible when you need them?

Can you reach this coach whenever you need them, or do they only have limited contact hours when they are available to you? How quick are they to return phone calls, emails? Will they be there for you if you find yourself in a crisis where you need their assistance right away?

Hiring a business coach is a big step. These questions will guide you towards thinking your decision through strategically.

A business coach incorporates the basic business ideas combined with effective practical ways to accomplish the set business objectives. The coach develops strategies and methods of communication skills that can be implemented to enhance business communication.

Developing self-awareness is considered to be one of the most significant benefits of coaching, as it forms the basis of all change. Discovering how others perceive a person can prove to be an eye-opener to most people. It helps to evaluate ones strong and weak points. Often people discover them strengths that are not being utilized advantageously, or weaknesses that can be turned into strengths, or abilities that are either being used for wrong purposes or are being over-used. Sometimes, mistaken beliefs or rationale could cause certain behaviors.

A business coach helps to eliminate illusions, enabling people to face reality and work accordingly. Besides, they also assist people in developing skills in areas such as organization, leadership, strategic development and time management. They also help to confront personal assumptions and beliefs that often results in a waste of time, money and energy, as clients continue doing something although it may not be working, or fail to notice obvious business solutions. Thus, a business coach inspires change, creativity and innovation.

A business coach can help you to plan your business growth in the following manner:

. An experienced business coach does not believe in dictating his ideas or solutions to his clients nor do they spoon-feed them. He tries to search for a middle path to help his students learn all business-related details in a simple manner. This approach also helps executives to develop confidence to take up new challenges without any hesitation.

. business coaches help build, maintain and strengthen partnerships based on mutual appreciation and respect for each other. This allows executives to express themselves clearly. It also helps them to understand, analyze and find relevant solutions to their problems, with a little assistance from a business coach if required.

. They help enhance organizational strength and develop team spirit. This encourages them to share the workload rather than keeping all to oneself. It also teaches them the benefits of working as a team and understanding the fact that together everyone achieves more.

. A business coach works as a guiding factor in motivating employees. He teaches them the value of motivation and appreciation. He throws light on the positive effect of giving the well-deserved recognition to the employees, thereby motivating them to work better.

. Business principles also form an essential part of business coaching. It is considered to be one of the most important ways to develop, unleash and increase the potential within each employee. It helps in achieving both personal as well as professional goals. Moreover, a business coach also helps to enhance the communication and decision making power of each employee.

These days an increasing number of organizations are employing business coaches, their utility being evident by the resulting increase in the productivity and quality of various business projects. It is observed that when people take coaching from experienced business coaches, they tend to learn a lot from their experience and use the acquired skills to improve their business relationships. These enhanced relations often lead to growth in the business.

Leadership is also one of the most important factors required for achieving and maintaining success. A business coach helps executives in developing a strategic plan of action, clarifying their role as presidents, showing them how to delegate authority to others and concentrate on a long-term vision.

It is essential to study the important details of a business under an experienced business coach, as he can help you to apply productive plans and methods in the best possible manner. A business coach should always be selected on the basis of his experiences and ability to teach, as ultimately it is the human factor that works towards achieving business objectives.

Kris Koonar
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/how-a-business-coach-can-help-you-plan-your-growth-137604.html