If you are interested in Personal and Business Coaching to improve your own and your business performance you are on to a good idea. Nevertheless, consider some of these issues before engaging a personal and business coaching.Coaching should have a Strategic Focus and hold you accountable, to consistently focus on your strategy, and provide expert*help with strategic decisions. The primary focus should be on the overall business system, and whether it will continue to deliver results well into the future. This requires that every part of the business is managed so that long term goals and plans are prepared and implemented, while profitability and cash flow is maintained.
Will your coach adopt the following approach:
1. Big Picture and long term view
2. Key Results (Profit, Sales)
3. The business as a system
4. Is the system working and delivering results?
Ensure that the coach demonstrates the skills you will need. A simple presentation of what can be done is not good enough. For personal and business coaching to work well your coach needs to demonstrate expertise in a way that you will benefit, and in such a way that it is suitable to your personal preferences and needs. Ideally your coach will also focus on how you will achieve success in life, not just in business, by working on your own dreams, goals, skills and habits. The following are some of the points you should expect your coach to focus on:
1. Reflection and balance in the goal you set
2. Clarity of purpose and goals
3. What is working and what is not working? Simple but this requires a good understanding and insight into what you consider important.
4. What will work better?
5. Happiness, fulfillment, excitement, enthusiasm.
Remember, you may want to achieve a business goal, but life is about more than business or a successful career. It should also be about getting what you really want. Start asking what you really want out of life, focusing on happiness. Balance yourself by considering and acting on your Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, Physical and Material well-being. At the same time balance the important parts of your life - Family, Friends, Social, and Business/Work/Career.Imagine how different our lives could be if we manage ourselves each day to be and do what really matters most. That is what personal and business coaching should deliver, not just a focus on business goals such as sales and profit, but on goals that enrich your life.
Lastly, negotiate a monthly fee and no upfront payment. That enables you to stop the coaching if it does not deliver what you expect. However, if you wait till the time or the season is just right, or for the perfect coach, you will never start personal and business coaching. Give it a go and start taking progressive action on the aspects that are important to you.
