Without exception, those business owners who were able to find new levels of success did so with the help of a trusted adviser. So what is a ‘trusted adviser’ and if you were considering one, what should you look for:
- Working alongside a coach and mentor requires a good working relationship. A good coach should challenge you, stretch you and take you outside of your comfort zone, and at the same time help you to develop skills and achieve results you never thought possible. You should feel a strong sense of synergy and mutual respect when you meet the coach you want to work with.
- The key to success lies in the ability to map and track your progress. You should be able to look back on your accomplishments, analyse any disappointments and be able to identify lessons you can take forward to help you make better and better decisions going forward. It’s essential for your coach to be able to offer you an easy to use system so you don’t lose track of the coaching and the progress you are making.
- A great coach will take a holistic approach, making sure you maintain a healthy life/work balance, understand your values and make sure all the reasons why you went into business in the first place are firmly in line your plan.
- A great coach will be able to demonstrate exactly what you will get from the coaching relationship and what results he/she has obtained with other clients.
- You should have a plethora of testimonials to go through and be able to speak to clients of the coach, before making your final choice.
The Government has its own strategy regarding business coaching. Having seen the power of coaching in sports and with some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who all state the importance of having a coach/mentor, they have invested over £50 million into The Business Growth Service. This service offers business owners ‘matched’ grant funding towards business coaching and training, with registered coaches and coaching organisations.
To find out more visit https://www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk/ or speak to us here at CGA and we will gladly share with you our experience of business coaching and what good looks like.