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Perfectly Paired: Your Checklist for Hiring a Business Coach
Want to know how to succeed in business? Consider a business coach. They are a step in the right direction toward growing your business, whether you’re chugging along or stuck in a business rut.
All the greats had coaches. Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Simone Biles, and Wayne Gretzky became GOATS partially due to their coaches. Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates can thank a business coach for helping them achieve their successes.
Coaches have experience. Also, they have a bird’s eye view of your business. In contrast, you’re in the thick of it with a dramatically different vantage point.
Recognizing, understanding, and doing everything you need to grow a successful business is extremely challenging to sustain alone. You shouldn’t feel like you have to shoulder it all, all the time.
Finding your perfectly matched business coach can be daunting. Not everyone has the business or coaching experience that’ll meet your needs. Plus, not all “coaches” are honest about their resumes.
Below, we’ll give you our checklist to help you find a business coach that meets your needs.
There’s a business coach specializing in every need–leadership, mindset, strategy, goal setting, and start-ups (to name a few). First, understand what you want to get out of a coach. Next, find a professional coach who specializes in that area.
Determine how you absorb info best. Are you an audio-visual learner? Are you okay with written communication, or do you prefer watching videos? Do you want one-on-one attention, or are you fine in a group setting?
Thoroughly research your coaching candidates. Check their website and LinkedIn profile for background information and try to confirm the details, if possible.
Look for professionals with backgrounds in your industry and field who have worked with companies your size and life cycle. Find out if they have been published in a reputable trade journal or spoken at industry conferences.
Additionally, check coaching and trade associations. Typically, these bodies certify trainers or set standards and requirements for membership, making it easier to find a reputable coach. A few organizations like these include:
- Association of Corporate Executive Coaches (ACEC)
- International Association of Coaching (IAC)
- International Coaching Federation (ICF)
- International Organization for Business Coaching (IOBC)
- The International Authority for Professional Coaching and Mentoring (IAPC&M)
- Professional Business Coaches Alliance (PBCA)
- Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC)
Anyone can create a website and claim to be a coach. The trick is to determine if they are legit or not.
Your potential coach should have stellar reviews to back up their claims. Type in the coach’s name or company name along with the words’ review,’ ‘complaints,’ and ‘scam’ in your search engine’s browser. You’ll soon get a feel for how well they’ve helped others.
Ask your potential coach for references, or grab some from their website. Contact references and former clients to see how well the coaching service worked for them.
Everyone has their own teaching style. Learn your prospect’s style by getting answers to the following questions:
- How will they teach me? One-on-one guidance? A group coaching program?
- Do I have to complete their training program?
- What is their training plan or regime like?
Every coach operates uniquely. Familiarize yourself with your prospects’ processes.
Some coaches don't have a procedure. You’ll discuss your business issues over virtual or face-to-face meetings, and they’ll tailor instructions to your specific case. Others have a tried-and-true training plan. What do you prefer?
You and your coach must click and get along well together. Even if your personalities are wildly different, you must enjoy interacting. Keep the following things in mind when interviewing or researching your coaching prospects.
Honesty
You’re paying your coach to “give it to you straight.” You don’t want them accepting subpar work from you or saying ‘yes’ when they’re really thinking ‘no.’
Authority
Coaches do more than teach. They are your accountability partner (or could be). Is your prospect someone who commands your respect, trust, and authority? Would you be a little bit afraid or ashamed to let them down if you didn’t follow through with your commitments to them? If so, that’s a good thing.
The Yin to Your Yang
You want a compatible coach. However, you don’t want someone who is too much like you. Rather, you want a coach who is strong in areas you aren’t, who can boost you in places you fall short. Their strengths can be in personality or work ethic.
Motivational
Your coach should care about your success. Look for someone who talks less about past accomplishments and more about understanding your business. You may even want a coach who can envision business successes you never thought of. They should ask you questions to get a better idea of your business.
Not Best Friends
You and your business coach don’t have to be best friends to have a great working relationship. As long as you can trust them, you can use their expertise to achieve better business success.
Checking All the Boxes
You might not know the next step to take for your business. That’s a knowledge issue.
You may have researched some “next steps” but struggle to apply what you learned. That’s an execution issue.
You may already know exactly what to do and how to do it. Still, you struggle to motivate yourself to do what you need to. That’s an accountability issue.
A coach can help you with knowledge, execution, or accountability. Check out coaching services to help you address any issue you might have trouble with. Coaches can even help you identify areas for more considerable success during times when your business is humming along smoothly.
With our tips above, you can confidently make the right choice for your business coach. And when you’ve chosen your coaching service, be coachable. Put in the effort to do what your coach advises.
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