By | Clate Mask | www.allbusiness.com
After more than 20 years of experience working with small businesses, I’ve learned there are natural stages of business growth, and these are often marked by periodic plateaus. When you hit one of these plateaus it may seem natural to put your head down and plow through. After all, entrepreneurs are a tenacious and resilient bunch.
But simply doing more of what you’ve been doing will not lead to future growth. Converting a stumbling block into a stepping stone to achieve continued growth requires an alternative approach and that often comes from gaining a different perspective. This is when a business coach can be invaluable.
Business coaches have a wealth of experience and can provide business strategy and tactics to help you break through these plateaus. However, the best coaches go beyond this to help entrepreneurs identify and address their weaknesses, insecurities, fears, people management issues, etc. because all these factors influence business performance. Identifying what is holding you back can improve your decision-making which can lead to better business outcomes.
Because you’ll be sharing such personal frailties and difficult experiences, it is vital you are comfortable with your coach and trust their counsel when they speak candidly to you about what you must change. A good coach will challenge you to help you see the things—personally and professionally—that are hindering your business growth.
All of this makes choosing the right business coach a task that requires careful consideration. Here are four tips to ensure you make the right choice.
