~by Haley Lynn Gray~
Being a successful businessman is not the same thing as being a great writer or a great salesman. The latter two require you to have a single skill that you excel at (creative writing, negotiation etc.) while in order to run a business, you need to possess a wide set of skills, and even that may not be enough. Experience, while relevant in any occupation, plays the greatest role in running a business and nowhere else do you get to learn so much as you do from a failure.
Nonetheless, it would be false to presume that a business is something you can’t learn or get better at with time. With the help of business coaching, you can get to a greater level of executive efficiency much sooner, which might be just the thing you need if you’re on the brink of starting your own enterprise or if you hope to quickly boost the morale within your own company. All in all, there are several reasons why business coaching might be just the thing you need, and here are some of them.
1. More efficient leading on an example
By engaging in the act of executive coaching, you’re not only boosting your leadership skills but also demonstrating two important virtues. First, you’re not afraid to admit that there’s something you don’t know and second, you are willing to self-improve for as long as you live. This latter part is particularly important seeing as how you will be forced to send some of your employees on extra courses. By undergoing a course on your own, you will make a statement that you aren’t asking your team to do anything you alone aren’t willing to try your hand at.
2. Bouncing ideas
The problem with bouncing ideas off your employees lies in the fact that, while you may be able to role-play from their perspective, they often can’t imagine walking a mile in your shoes. This is due to the fact that most entrepreneurs start their careers in an entry-level position and then proceed to get several advancements before they actually muster enough courage to get a business of their own. Unlike this, not a lot of your employees know what it’s like to run a business. On the other hand, by getting a business coach, you will have someone who knows exactly how you’re feeling and someone who can give you adequate feedback. Later on, though by this experience, you will be able to do this on your own, as well.
3. Becoming more competent
Like everything else, competence has to be trained. However, the problem with systemic incompetence lies in the fact that people are A) unaware of it or B) don’t know how to start fighting against it. A lot of people believe that in order to boost their efficiency, they have to focus on their strengths and downplay their weaknesses, whereas a business coach can give you a new perspective on this issue. For instance, by reaching out to business and leadership coaching agency, you can learn how to drive organizational growth and promote positive business practices, which is something that most young entrepreneurs outright ignore.
4. Emphasis on company culture
The next major problem that business coaching can solve is that of company culture. First of all, you need to learn how to promote positive business practices. The idea that the customer is always right belongs in the past, seeing as how it promotes a hostile work environment. So does rewarding individual rather than team effort. Sure, you still have to acknowledge individuals who are constantly outperforming but playing too much on competitiveness within the office can be a bad practice that gives negative long-term effects. All in all, your job as a boss is to set up a culture that will yield positive results on its own, long after you’ve started meddling.
5. Result-oriented decision-making process
Perhaps the most important thing that an entrepreneur needs to adopt is a result-oriented decision-making process. The reason behind this is simple. If you’re an employee and you fail while doing everything by the book, there shouldn’t be any repercussions. For an entrepreneur, this is definitely not the case. Here, the result is all that matters and the consequences of your actions are something that will be felt by everyone, not just you. Learning this on your own can be incredibly expensive, which is why business coaching is often a better choice.
In conclusion
As an entrepreneur, you will constantly be under stress but you’ll seldom be outside of your comfort zone. Even if you make a mistake, you’re responsible for the repercussions, same as you’re to praise for any positive outcome of your choices. With business coaching, you will find yourself in an extraordinary situation. After all, even in the most democratic of offices, your employees may still be reluctant to point towards your mistakes or openly defy you. This alone would be a reason enough to contact a business coach.