About Business Coaching
What Is Business Coaching?
How Does it Work?
Couldn't I Just Do All That Myself?
Why Did You Choose Business Coaching?
What Is Business Coaching?
I'm not sure how others define it, but in my practice business coaching consists of helping business owners determine what is important to them and how they can achieve it. That sounds simple, maybe even simplistic. I don't think it is.
As a coach, I don't tell business owners what their goals should be. For some it may be more time with the family without losing profitability. For others it may be increasing profitability. Some clients use business coaching as part of the business succession process, setting and achieving goals to keep the business healthy while removing themselves from day-to-day operations. I can't tell them what is important to them. I can help them prioritize their goals, because some goals are incompatible, at least in the same time frame. I can help them focus, working to weed out the distractions that can sap the time and energy of any business owner.
So, business coaching isn't like being a drill sergeant or even a basketball coach. Both a drill sergeant and a team coach impose outside goals and values on the new recruit, working to make him or her into what the military or team needs from the individual. I work to make the business owner what he/she wants to be.
How Does it Work?
Business Coaching is like athletic coaching in at least one sense. Both types of coaches help to exercise muscles needed to succeed. In business coaching, we connect regularly, either in person or on the phone. We may also have some email exchanges. Those meetings help us to evaluate successes and identify areas of frustration.
As a result of those meetings, the business owner will usually leave with "homework." Like free throw drills for the basketball coach, the homework is designed for the business owner to exercise muscles he or she needs to develop in order to reach the desired goals. Then, at the next meeting, we evaluate the successes and frustrations again to see what progress has been made and where continued work is needed.
Couldn't I Just Do All That Myself?
You could do it without my help, but you aren't. And you aren't because something is getting in the way. Coaching is designed to get those obstacles out of the way that are keeping you from peak effectiveness in your life. Coaching makes you accountable in a way that many people can't be unless facing another person. I know that I'm among the many people who can keep my commitments to everyone but myself. Many people can't be fully accountable to themselves without someone to ask the hard questions, question the answers, and probe for the reasons when you don't meet the commitments you make to yourself.
Like exercising a physical muscle, you may find that you can make your "accountability muscle" strong enough that you need coaching less often, or maybe not at all. In the beginning, though, you need a coach to keep you on track. That's where I come in.
Why Did You Choose Business Coaching?
I didn't start out to be a business coach. Two circumstances led me to include business coaching as part of my practice.
First, I talked to a lot of business owners about their businesses. As an attorney to small business owners, I talked to hundreds of business owners. Even more valuable than the quantiy of the conversations was the quality. In advising business owners about their legal issues, the discussion would often include what was working about their business and what was causing them frustration. This is only natural, as both business success and business frustration often equate to the need for legal services. Our conversations would often move beyond the legal issues to the more fundamental concerns for the business owner. Thus, I would learn how successful business owners thought, and how they worked through areas of concern for them.
I also learned that I was a good listener who thought about the hows and whys of getting to the desired result. Clients expressed appreciation for what they found to be valuable insights about themselves and their businesses.
The second circumstance was that I entered into a business coaching program myself. This program, for attorneys only, helped my practice immensely. It also helped me to put into place the tools and structures that I used in my business and could then coach others to use.
Once I saw the value of coaching, for myself and my clients, I was hooked. It's extremely gratifying to make such a profound and personal difference for people. With my aptitude, experience, and tools I found business coaching to be a win-win for myself and my clients.
Karen Brady & Associates, P.C.
5400 Ward Road
Building V-170
Arvada, CO 80002
Telephone: 303-420-2863 | Fax: 303-424-2599
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