Business Energetix

What is Business Coaching?

If you are familiar with athletic coaching, you have a good framework for understanding business coaching. Like the golf, soccer or swim coach, a business coach works with a team or individual to build on their existing skills, consistently improve performance and realize their full potential.

The International Coach Federation, the global organization for professional coaching, offers this definition of coaching: "Personal and business coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organizations." (www.coachfederation.org)

Clients describe their Business Coach as a "thinking partner" and Business Coaching as a "relationship that provides focus" or a "place to think creatively and act accordingly". [For more client feedback, visit www.BusinessEnergetix.com and see testimonials.

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Does Business Coaching work?

In studies conducted by professional coaching organizations, clients have been overwhelmingly satisfied with the results they have achieved.

Three separate studies have documented that coaching increases the return on investment. A 2001 report from MetrixGlobal described the leadership development effort by a Fortune 500 firm that added Coaching to leadership development training. The results: Coaching produced a 529% return on investment and significant intangible benefits to the business."

The Public Personnel Management Journal (1997) reported on a study comparing the change in productivity with training alone compared to training with the addition of coaching. Training alone increased productivity 22.4% and Coaching, which included goal setting, collaborative problem solving, practice, feedback, supervisory involvement, evaluation of end results and a public presentation, increased productivity by 88%.

And, in 1987, a study (Showers) compared how much the knowledge gained in training was actually used in the work place after the training. The research found that when training was delivered through presentation, demonstration, practice and feedback only about 5-10% of those skills actually transferred to the work place. When coaching was added after the training, 90% of the new skills acquired transferred back to the work place.

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How can a Business Coach help me when they don't know my industry?

Professional coaches are trained to listen astutely, to observe and to customize their response to your individual needs. The coach's job is to create the setting for you to use your skills, creativity and expertise more effectively.

You bring your industry knowledge to the partnership and the coach brings a powerful process to tap into that expertise in a new way to find solutions that have not been unearthed previously. As a part of your coaching process, you may uncover areas of your business or industry you want to know more about. Your Business Coach will help you design the process to find the information you need so your action plan moves forward.

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How long does it take to see the results of Business Coaching?

You can expect to see benefit with each and every coaching session and those benefits accrue to create outstanding results.

The length of the coaching engagement depends on several factors, such as the magnitude of the goals, the client's commitment and dedication to doing the work between coaching sessions and the obstacles uncovered along the way.

Business Coaching clients typically work with their coach for about a year; many continue well beyond that, setting new and higher goals because they see the value of being focused and accountable. Others choose to work intensely for a time, take a time to integrate their learning and return to coaching when they are ready to move to the next level.

The choice is yours what would work best for you to stay focused on your business goals and the actions to achieve them?

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What benefits will I see from Business Coaching?

You can expect to see some or all of the following benefits:

Better strategic thinking skills
A more effective leadership style
Achieving business goals faster and more completely
Documenting business plans in a systematic and organized manner
More effective execution of business plans
Developing more productive teams
Setting clearly defined expectations for employees and co-workers
Overcoming personal barriers to success
Achieving a better life/work balance

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Can't my accountant do what a Business Coach does?

There are some accountants and financial planners that have trained specifically in the coaching process but most financial professionals do not replicate what a Business Coach does.

Accountants are experts in one critical aspect of business, the financial performance. That's a critical measurement of a business's success, while it's not the whole picture.

For example, an accountant may see that your marketing expense is greater than the industry average or even what your business can support, and recommend that you reduce that expenditure. That's good advice for managing expense but it doesn't address your need to maintain visibility and credibility in your market so your customer and prospects will find you and your business will grow. A Business Coach can help you find ways to continue to be visible in the market while you implement your accountant's advice to reduce the expense.

A Business Coach compliments rather than replaces an accountant as a part of your business success team.

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My business isn't in trouble or failing-what would Business Coaching do for me?

Great question! It's a smart business decision to look for ways to improve performance while your business is running well rather than waiting for signs of failure.

Business Coaching will help you build on strengths, identify the opportunities that hold the greatest potential and systematically act on those.

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Can I talk with a Business Coach before deciding if this is right for me?

ABSOLUTELY! Contact us to schedule a no-cost consultation. During that confidential telephone consultation we will ask you about your business and your goals and offer you a brief sample coaching session. You will determine whether our approach to Business Coaching is a good fit for you and we will assess whether you are a good candidate for our services.

There is no-cost and no-risk to you for this consultation.

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