I’ll argue that enhancing self-awareness is the most important benefit of coaching, because without it things don’t change. Finding out how one is perceived by others can be eye-opening. An individual may have strengths that are not being used to his or her best advantage or weaknesses that turn out to be strong points that are over-used or applied in the wrong situations. Sometimes people assume that others are perceiving things, processing information, and learning in the same way that they do. Or, behaviors may be driven by mistaken rationales or beliefs.

Coaches assist people in developing skills in areas like organization, time management, leadership and strategic development. They also challenge the personal assumptions and beliefs that can result in clients doing of more of what’s not working, or overlooking painfully obvious solutions to problems.

Among the beliefs that I’ve encountered in my coaching practice are, “No one can do the job as well as I can” (therefore I must do everything myself); “I can’t afford good people” (so I must settle for mediocre performance); “If I ignore the situation, it might fix itself” (so I won’t confront the issue); and “I am 100% responsible for everything that people in my department do” (which means that I must review everyone’s work).

Leadership is a particular concern for the small business owner or entrepreneur. It can be quite difficult to go from being the “content expert” (the one who creates the product or service) to the “person in charge of the company.” Coaching can be invaluable for helping these executives develop and communicate a strategic plan, clarify their role as president or CEO, delegate authority to others, and focus attention on a long-term vision.

A company’s stage in the business life cycle also informs the coaching process. Executives in early-stage companies, for instance, need help managing the myriad of details involved in selecting the appropriate business structure, locating professional service providers, deciding between hiring versus outsourcing, developing marketing and sales strategies, and getting orders in the door.

Managing a growing enterprise can carry with it as much or even more stress than the initial start-up. Common issues involve revising a strategy or business plan, hiring the right talent, developing more sophisticated operating systems, evaluating competitive threats, growing at the right pace, and for many business owners, the need to delegate day-to-day tasks to other people.

In established companies, executives grapple with changing customer needs, encouraging innovation, and finding ways to increase productivity and efficiency. Sometimes there is expansion into new markets, or major new product offerings as a means of capturing additional share. Here the needs may be for methodologies to evaluate opportunities, the hiring of more experienced managers, a new management structure, or deciding on major investments in new technology or machinery.

Finally, the company may be in the throws of major change, such as a sale, merger or acquisition. In cases like these, where the quality of leadership, management, and especially communication plays such a huge role in the transaction’s success, a coach can assist the management team in working through the business, psychological, and emotional issues inherent in these kinds of events.

Selecting the Right Coach for Your Needs

Coaching is an unlicensed profession, which means that anyone can call him or herself a coach, regardless of training, skills, or background. It is this author’s observation that a fair amount of what is called coaching is really business consulting – experts evaluating a situation and offering advice and solutions. This is not to suggest that consultants don’t offer a valuable service. Rather, it means that the burden is on clients to understand what exactly is being offered.

It is advisable to look for a coach who has had some kind of formal training in coaching techniques, adult learning principles, and assessment methodologies. The ultimate goal of coaching is to make clients more resourceful and confident, and these things happen when people learn new skills and how to think differently. The right training ensures that the coach is able to accurately gauge the client’s situation and offer appropriate tools and techniques that match the individual’s learning style.

Beyond academic credentials, it is helpful if the coach has least some familiarity with the nature of your situation. For instance, a coach with no experience in business or business management might have a difficult time understanding and responding to issues that regularly arise in the workplace.

Finally, chemistry between you and your coach is critical. It is for this reason that almost all coaches offer an initial session to prospective clients at no charge. Without honest and direct two-way communication, the training, experience, and skill of the coach become irrelevant. When all is said and done, mutual respect and trust are the prerequisites of a successful outcome.

Excerpted from the new guide, “The Case for Business Coaching How It Can Improve Your Performance, Productivity, and Profitability,” which is available at no charge through the author’s Web site Career Success Through Following Your Urges
You might think that the business of living life following your urges would be bad for you. That is if you subscribe to the belief that deep down human beings are evil if left to their own devices. Truth is, human beings are basically good. It's the odd man that kills or maims if otherwise we'd have a much higher incidence of killing and maiming around us.What of the man who we read about in the daily newspaper who jumps into the water to save a child or even a dog? Or the uncle who wrestles a shark to retrieve the arm of his nephew? Chances are neither of these people just doesn't even stop and think – they follow their instincts or urges and do what they need to do at the moment to save a life.We gre of what’s not working, or overlooking painfully obvious solutions to problems.

Among the beliefs that I’ve encountered in my coaching practice are, “No one can do the job as well as I can” (therefore I must do everything myself); “I can’t afford good people” (so I must settle for mediocre performance); “If I ignore the situation, it might fix itself” (so I won’t confront the issue); and “I am 100% responsible for everything that people in my department do” (which means that I must review everyone’s work).

Leadership is a particular concern for the small business owner or entrepreneur. It can be quite difficult to go from being the “content expert” (the one who creates the product or service) to the “person in charge of the company.” Coaching can be invaluable for helping these executives develop and communicate a strategic plan, clarify their role as president or CEO, delegate authority to others, and focus attention on a long-term vision.

A company’s stage in the business life cycle also informs the coaching process. Executives in early-stage companies, for instance, need help managing the myriad of details involved in selecting the appropriate business structure, locating professional service providers, deciding between hiring versus outsourcing, developing marketing and sales strategies, and getting orders in the door.

Managing a growing enterprise can carry with it as much or even more stress than the initial start-up. Common issues involve revising a strategy or business plan, hiring the right talent, developing more sophisticated operating systems, evaluating competitive threats, growing at the right pace, and for many business owners, the need to delegate day-to-day tasks to other people.

In established companies, executives grapple with changing customer needs, encouraging innovation, and finding ways to increase productivity and efficiency. Sometimes there is expansion into new markets, or major new product offerings as a means of capturing additional share. Here the needs may be for methodologies to evaluate opportunities, the hiring of more experienced managers, a new management structure, or deciding on major investments in new technology or machinery.

Finally, the company may be in the throws of major change, such as a sale, merger or acquisition. In cases like these, where the quality of leadership, management, and especially communication plays such a huge role in the transaction’s success, a coach can assist the management team in working through the business, psychological, and emotional issues inherent in these kinds of events.

Selecting the Right Coach for Your Needs

Coaching is an unlicensed profession, which means that anyone can call him or herself a coach, regardless of training, skills, or background. It is this author’s observation that a fair amount of what is called coaching is really business consulting – experts evaluating a situation and offering advice and solutions. This is not to suggest that consultants don’t offer a valuable service. Rather, it means that the burden is on clients to understand what exactly is being offered.

It is advisable to look for a coach who has had some kind of formal training in coaching techniques, adult learning principles, and assessment methodologies. The ultimate goal of coaching is to make clients more resourceful and confident, and these things happen when people learn new skills and how to think differently. The right training ensures that the coach is able to accurately gauge the client’s situation and offer appropriate tools and techniques that match the individual’s learning style.

Beyond academic credentials, it is helpful if the coach has least some familiarity with the nature of your situation. For instance, a coach with no experience in business or business management might have a difficult time understanding and responding to issues that regularly arise in the workplace.

Finally, chemistry between you and your coach is critical. It is for this reason that almost all coaches offer an initial session to prospective clients at no charge. Without honest and direct two-way communication, the training, experience, and skill of the coach become irrelevant. When all is said and done, mutual respect and trust are the prerequisites of a successful outcome.

Excerpted from the new guide, “The Case for Business Coaching How It Can Improve Your Performance, Productivity, and Profitability,” which is available at no charge through the author’s Web site Give It Up
Americans spent almost as much in two months on holiday items as they did all year on charitable giving in 2004. Holiday retail sales for November and December 2004 in the general merchandise category were up 5.7 percent, totaling roughly $229 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Charitable giving for 2004 topped $248 billion.Why am I telling you this? Because once again I'm promoting Holiday for Charity, which encourages more donations to charity.The program works like this:1. ask friends, family and business associates to donate to a charity instead of buying you holiday gifts2. sell your gifts online at eBay's GivingWorks and donate the proceeds to charity3. regisn selecting the appropriate business structure, locating professional service providers, deciding between hiring versus outsourcing, developing marketing and sales strategies, and getting orders in the door.

Managing a growing enterprise can carry with it as much or even more stress than the initial start-up. Common issues involve revising a strategy or business plan, hiring the right talent, developing more sophisticated operating systems, evaluating competitive threats, growing at the right pace, and for many business owners, the need to delegate day-to-day tasks to other people.

In established companies, executives grapple with changing customer needs, encouraging innovation, and finding ways to increase productivity and efficiency. Sometimes there is expansion into new markets, or major new product offerings as a means of capturing additional share. Here the needs may be for methodologies to evaluate opportunities, the hiring of more experienced managers, a new management structure, or deciding on major investments in new technology or machinery.

Finally, the company may be in the throws of major change, such as a sale, merger or acquisition. In cases like these, where the quality of leadership, management, and especially communication plays such a huge role in the transaction’s success, a coach can assist the management team in working through the business, psychological, and emotional issues inherent in these kinds of events.

Selecting the Right Coach for Your Needs

Coaching is an unlicensed profession, which means that anyone can call him or herself a coach, regardless of training, skills, or background. It is this author’s observation that a fair amount of what is called coaching is really business consulting – experts evaluating a situation and offering advice and solutions. This is not to suggest that consultants don’t offer a valuable service. Rather, it means that the burden is on clients to understand what exactly is being offered.

It is advisable to look for a coach who has had some kind of formal training in coaching techniques, adult learning principles, and assessment methodologies. The ultimate goal of coaching is to make clients more resourceful and confident, and these things happen when people learn new skills and how to think differently. The right training ensures that the coach is able to accurately gauge the client’s situation and offer appropriate tools and techniques that match the individual’s learning style.

Beyond academic credentials, it is helpful if the coach has least some familiarity with the nature of your situation. For instance, a coach with no experience in business or business management might have a difficult time understanding and responding to issues that regularly arise in the workplace.

Finally, chemistry between you and your coach is critical. It is for this reason that almost all coaches offer an initial session to prospective clients at no charge. Without honest and direct two-way communication, the training, experience, and skill of the coach become irrelevant. When all is said and done, mutual respect and trust are the prerequisites of a successful outcome.

Excerpted from the new guide, “The Case for Business Coaching How It Can Improve Your Performance, Productivity, and Profitability,” which is available at no charge through the author’s Web site Fire Branding Customers to Your Business
The idea of fire branding customers comes from my grand daughter, Taylor. She applied a tattoo to her shoulder and was pleased as she displayed a small peace symbol about the size of a peanut. Each time I looked at her shoulder, I was reminded of the little symbol and what it meant. It made me think about how great it would be to fire brand customers with my business name. I thought of countless ways of placing my logo around the world to spread the right image.I realized that several companies are fire branding their image everyday. All I have to do is see a red and blue swirl and Pepsi comes to mind. A few yellow arches and hamburgers with fries make me hungry. A consistent image is what makes this work for e, merger or acquisition. In cases like these, where the quality of leadership, management, and especially communication plays such a huge role in the transaction’s success, a coach can assist the management team in working through the business, psychological, and emotional issues inherent in these kinds of events.

Selecting the Right Coach for Your Needs

Coaching is an unlicensed profession, which means that anyone can call him or herself a coach, regardless of training, skills, or background. It is this author’s observation that a fair amount of what is called coaching is really business consulting – experts evaluating a situation and offering advice and solutions. This is not to suggest that consultants don’t offer a valuable service. Rather, it means that the burden is on clients to understand what exactly is being offered.

It is advisable to look for a coach who has had some kind of formal training in coaching techniques, adult learning principles, and assessment methodologies. The ultimate goal of coaching is to make clients more resourceful and confident, and these things happen when people learn new skills and how to think differently. The right training ensures that the coach is able to accurately gauge the client’s situation and offer appropriate tools and techniques that match the individual’s learning style.

Beyond academic credentials, it is helpful if the coach has least some familiarity with the nature of your situation. For instance, a coach with no experience in business or business management might have a difficult time understanding and responding to issues that regularly arise in the workplace.

Finally, chemistry between you and your coach is critical. It is for this reason that almost all coaches offer an initial session to prospective clients at no charge. Without honest and direct two-way communication, the training, experience, and skill of the coach become irrelevant. When all is said and done, mutual respect and trust are the prerequisites of a successful outcome.

Excerpted from the new guide, “The Case for Business Coaching How It Can Improve Your Performance, Productivity, and Profitability,” which is available at no charge through the author’s Web site What Does Honest Abe Lincoln Have To Do With Company Growth?
Is formal training important? After all we can all learn from other employees or from outside consultants we bring in can't we?Well, in my previous life as a consultant IT project director I noticed people would often be too busy doing their own job to learn the skills of an outside consultant too.That's despite massive efforts made to train people.But unless skills are used regularly after training they fade away.Learning from others in your own organisation can also be fraught.Learning by "sitting next to Nellie" as it's known can work. But it means that any weak custom and practise procedures are copied.These weak procedures may actually be the direct opposite of the and how to think differently. The right training ensures that the coach is able to accurately gauge the client’s situation and offer appropriate tools and techniques that match the individual’s learning style.

Beyond academic credentials, it is helpful if the coach has least some familiarity with the nature of your situation. For instance, a coach with no experience in business or business management might have a difficult time understanding and responding to issues that regularly arise in the workplace.

Finally, chemistry between you and your coach is critical. It is for this reason that almost all coaches offer an initial session to prospective clients at no charge. Without honest and direct two-way communication, the training, experience, and skill of the coach become irrelevant. When all is said and done, mutual respect and trust are the prerequisites of a successful outcome.

Excerpted from the new guide, “The Case for Business Coaching How It Can Improve Your Performance, Productivity, and Profitability,” which is available at no charge through the author’s Web site www.ForwardMotion.info.

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