I read an interesting article recently on a survey of businesses and why they engage with a coach. The top 3 reasons are:
- To help the business transition and grow
- Act as a sounding board
- Address behavioural issues in a business
I can definitely concur with this – they are the main areas I focus on when working with clients in Brighton, Sussex and London.
The article said that the average coaching assignment is between 7 to 12 months and that the client has to have a strong desire to change/move their business forward. Again, I concur. As I tell clients “you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” So clients have to want to change and those who are ‘blamers or victims’ seldom benefit from coaching.
I stopped calling myself a business coach because I realised that clients need different things at different times (as the above report suggests), a business coach to help make big decisions and plan, a facilitator to help drive management teams forward, a mentor to advice and an advisor to act as a sounding board and sometimes even a friend to provide a safe environment to let off steam!
Whatever your situation, I strongly believe that every business should seek this external support and with various government funding grants available, it makes it more affordable than ever.