Business coaching is a professional, strategic, logical and sequential system which entails the following processes:
- The setting of initial benchmarks, ie the assessment of the current status, using, if practical, 360 degree assessment (manager, customers, suppliers, peers, staff),
- The identification of performance gaps, ie the difference between where we are and where we want to be,
- The setting of achievable and realistic development goals, which are consistent with job performance requirements and career development or business plans,
- The identification of obstacles to development and ways to overcome them,
- Regular monitoring to evaluate and measure progress,
- The setting of specific development tasks, mutually agreed between the coach and the coachee, which will help the coachee to achieve the agreed goals.
A professional business coach works closely with the client to define, clarify and achieve personal development goals, such as leadership, management skills, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, motivation, time management, planning, organising and control, communication, etc. Coaching is thus of major importance in performance management and career development. Also, a Managing Director/Owner of a business can use coaching to resolve business problems, or to take their business to the next level of profitability.
Coaching is a very active process – it is rooted in objective, measurable behaviours. It involves a series of commitments between the coachee and their coach to do certain things, such as learn new skills, change behaviours or think in new ways.
A coach should not be confused with a counsellor, trainer, mentor or sports coach, as the process is very different from all of those. A good coach will help you find the best that is in you, bring it out, and discover helpful new ways of expressing who you are.
Specifically, a coach will help you to resolve issues, find new methods, provide opportunities to bounce ideas, brainstorm, and take on new challenges. He/she will encourage you, motivate you, hold you accountable, and help you see yourself in new, more effective ways.
People use a coach to assist them with a very broad range of projects, from changing personal habits to working on major life decisions, such as career choice, values, or strategic issues.
Coaching focuses on the individual – it happens only in a personal, interactive, one-to-one environment, based on trust and mutual respect. It is entirely tailored to the coachee’s unique and specific circumstances. The growth and development of the coachee will directly impact the company or division’s bottom line.