How to Choose the Right Business Coach For You

Ask any successful business owner, Olympic champion, pageant queen, or executive about their success, and they will likely thank a mentor or coach.   So, when you seek out a coach yourself, you can be sure you are in the right track.

But, is it just me or is there a new "Speaker, Author, and Coach" on every corner nowadays? Lately it seems that every other person I run into is "launching" their own coaching business. (And they are SMART... because the coaching industry is BOOMING in this "new" economy.) So, how do you choose the right coach for you?

Before I begin, let me tell you why I am qualified to "speak" on this subject. I am a coach, I have been coached, and I will never be without a coach in my life. I have spoken to others who cheerfully pay $150K per year to be coached, and I have spent an eye-opening afternoon with the man who commands such a fee. I have also spoken with people who have invested in coaching and considered it a WASTE. I have listened in pain as people have shared with me how they have been misled and maybe even deceived by a coach who over-promised and under-delivered. While I would never assert that I am the right coach for everyone (I know better.) I can certainly speak with confidence on how to choose the BEST coach for you.

Choose a coach who values her own practice... enough to insist on making sure that you are a right fit for her as a coach. Be very wary of coaches who will take on "any client" without first meeting with them to discuss their goals, obstacles, challenges and reason for seeking out a coach. How do they know they can help you without even knowing your name? A coach who values her own practice will be very choosy about the clients that she takes on and is not shy about referring business to other qualified coaches when a prospective client is not an ideal fit!

Choose a coach who cheerfully offers references, not just testimonials. Do people even READ testimonials? You bet they do. But, don't stop at just reading. Ask your prospective coach if you can actually speak to a couple of her past or current coaching clients. Make sure these "EXCITED CLIENTS" actually exist!! But also, make sure they are actual paying clients and not simply trying to increase their SEO ratings by being featured on another person's site! (You would be surprised to learn how often these glowing testimonials are from people who have not actually been helped by the coach!)

Choose a coach without an agenda. As a coach, my agenda should be based SOLELY on your goals. NOT based upon the coaching "system" through which I was certified. NOT based upon what I am comfortable addressing or handling. NOT based upon my "need" for money. A coach's agenda should be simple: TRANSFORMATION through SERVICE. If a coach is going to try to squeeze you into a pre-set agenda, you are better off saving the money and buying one of those "success in a box" offerings. A good coach begins each relationship LISTENING and ASKING QUESTIONS. AFTER doing this, a good coach should be able to provide feedback that evidences her attention to what you said as well as what you DIDN'T say. 

Choose a coach whose coaching style is a great FIT for you...  Don't hear what I am not saying, here. I did not say an EASY fit... but a GREAT fit. Sometimes coaching can be downright uncomfortable because a coach will SEE the best in you and demand you live up to your potential. The Olympic champion, Michael Phelps, didn't hire his coach because he was easy, or comfortable, or because he "let him slide" a little. He hired his coach because that person demands and brings out the best in Michael... His coach pushes him beyond his perceived limits. At the same time, you want to make sure you and your coach are a good fit values- and personality- wise. 

For instance, I was once rejected by a coach with whom I was trying to enter into a coaching relationship. She said simply that I "was not her client". OUCH!! But later, I was so glad I did not invest in a coaching program with this woman. See, once I got to know her a bit better through tele-seminars, I learned that her solution for Moms with young children is to hire a full-time Nanny or Au Pair so you can work uninterrupted. Well, the reason I quit my job was so I could raise my own children and be there MOST of the time. So her solution would not have worked for one of my TOP obstacles... TIME to work.   Next, I learned that she relies heavily on the power of palm reading for guidance. Again, not something I can personally "buy" into. Bottom line: Make sure that you and your prospective coach have a good connection, a good chemistry and will make a good team. 

Choose a coach who inspires you and leaves you hopeful, but also propels you to ACTION. My coaching tag-line is simple, "Encouraged, Empowered, and Equipped". I think that these three words certainly encompass a LARGE part of what I do as a coach / consultant. However, if I do NOT propel my clients to action, I have fallen way short. There is a saying (and a book) that says "Nothing Happens Until Something Moves". So true in business. There is such power in being positive, being encouraged and visualizing where you WANT to be or what you WANT to create... BUT, quite simply Nothing Happens Until Something Moves. Period. ACTION is the only way to take your business or your life to the next level of success. A coach should always hold you accountable to ACTION. 

Before I close, let me give you a few "warning signs" that should serve as red flags for choosing a coach.

"BUY NOW" buttons for coaching on their website... HOW do they know who is buying coaching? HOW do they know they can even HELP you overcome your particular obstacle or maximize the new opportunity you just uncovered? In short, they have no idea if they can help you if they have never met you before. They should be unwilling to take your money and you should be wary of giving it to them.  Have a conversation FIRST...maybe two!!

 "Anything for Money" coaches... new mom coach, executive coach, health coach, business success coach, marriage coach, singles coach, political coach, Christian coach, etc. There is no way to be all things to all people!   A great coach has been coached through this already... and knows better than to be on an "Anything for money" tour!  

"Uh... um.. well" answers to questions about their own personal coaching. A coach should be being coached... and should have no hesitations expounding - not only on how they have transformed the lives or businesses of their clients - but on how their own lives or businesses have been transformed by their own coach. 

If you are reading this article, I am assuming you are looking for a coach. If you are "up to" anything "big" in your life, this is a very good thing. The Chicago Tribune says, "Who seeks out a coach? Winners who want more out of life." If this is you, congratulations! You are already on the right track.