What to Look For in the Right Business Coach

For a sports team to be successful it takes more than just a superstar player, a strong roster of talented young backups or even state-of-the art training facilities. While all of those can be important factors, none of it would result in a winning unit without the help of one person: the head coach.

The coach is the person who meshes all of those elements together, who can turn a rag-tag collection of different skills and abilities, egos and personalities and other disparate factors into one cohesive unit designed to accomplish a task better than anyone else. One need only look at a person like former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson, who took an “eccentric” rebounder (Dennis Rodman), a sometimes moody forward (Scottie Pippen) and arguably the greatest player in professional basketball history (Michael Jordan), intertwined them with a changing roster of teammates and created an NBA juggernaut that rewrote the record books, to see what impact a good coach can make.

But sports aren’t the only area in society where a good coach can help make a positive difference. In the business world, having someone who can take an objective look at your company, analyze your businesses’ strengths and weaknesses, compare them to the current market and come up with solutions that can make a positive impact is vital as well. A good business coach can mean the difference between seeing your company succeed through troubled times and struggle to stay afloat.

But how do you find the right business coach? What sort of things should you look for when seeking a business coach? You could, of course, take the easy approach and perform a quick Internet search, but unfortunately those rankings aren’t based on skill but often on how much they’ve paid to move to the top of the search results. And picking the first business coach you see in the phone books is only good if you’re looking for a coach named Anthony A. Anderson.

You search for a business coach should be thorough and involve several key questions including:

- Does the business coach understand the particular needs and market conditions of my company?

- Can they determine my problems through a series of simple questions, even if I don’t fully understand the problem myself?

- Does the business coach have any first-hand experience with my particular business?

- Does the business coach have a track record of success?

- Can they produce examples of proven success with other businesses?

- Does the business coach have excellent communication skills?

- Can they explain what needs to be done so that I have a clear understanding of what needs to be done?

- Do they offer practical (and affordable) solutions? Or do they suggest wild, radical changes that involve a great deal of risk on my part?Are they familiar with current business models, trends and practices as they relate to my field?

- Are they experienced in social media marketing, cloud computing, online sales, telecommuting, etc.?

- Can they inspire me to greater things?

- Can they help me develop the motivation to succeed and not give up?

These are some of the questions you should consider when beginning the process of hiring a business coach. They will, after all, be working for you (and not the other way around), and just as with any employee you hire, you should know if they are up to the task.

While you can search for a business coach on the Internet or in a phone book, you most assuredly shouldn’t hire the first one you come across. Ask other business associates if they’ve used the services of a business coach and, if so, what their experiences were like.

Further, ask them if they can recommend a business coach who has served them particularly well. This doesn’t mean that the same business coach will be right for you, but getting input and suggestions from people you trust might help shorten your search.

A business coach can be the winning piece to your quest for a “championship” business. But finding the right one involves asking the right questions and doing thorough research. The importance of your company makes it imperative that you take your time and make a careful selection. The reward for your patience will be a business that is ready to take on all comers and win in the end.

Here’s to your success!