“There's nothing like watching a person grow
along with a business.”
- Bob Sher
 What is a business coach?
A business coach is a cross between a personal consultant, sounding board,
tutor and manager. Coaches are not therapists who work on “issues” to
delve into your behavior. Rather, coaches focus on advising, motivating and training
to help you achieve the type of life you really desire. Workers at all levels
of the corporate ladder are enlisting coaches for guidance on:
- How to improve their performance;
- How to boost their profits;
- How to make better decisions about everything, from personnel
to strategy.
While coaching is a form of consulting, it differs from traditional consulting
in that coaches stick around to help implement new skills, changes and goals
to make sure it really happens.
Coaching can help you:
Why is coaching becoming so popular?
Many people are tired of doing what they “should” do and are
ready to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately,
many can't see it or, if they can, they do not know how to redesign their
lives around it. A Coach can help them see more clearly and make significant
changes.
People are realizing how simple it can be to accomplish something that several
years ago might have felt out of reach . . . like a pipedream. A coach is not
a miracle worker, yet a coach does have a large tool kit to help turn big ideas
into realities. People now have time and resources to invest in themselves
in this kind of growth.
Is executive coaching in business like coaching in sports?
Coaching incorporates principles from sports coaching, such as teamwork,
going for the goal and being your best. Yet executive coaching is not competitive.
It is win-win.
Who needs a coach?
Whether you are an employee with management aspirations, an executive
who can never get out of the office for a vacation, or an overwhelmed
entrepreneur
who needs a little guidance, an executive coach can mentor you to help you
achieve your greatest potential.
Why should you hire a coach?
- You want more out of life, and out of work.
- You want to grow personally and professionally.
- You want things to be easier; life to be simpler.
With a coach:
- You will take yourself more seriously.
- You will take more effective and focused actions.
- You will stop putting up with things that drag you down.
- You will create momentum to get results more easily.
- You will set better goals.
- You will strengthen your personal foundation.
How Bob Sher can help you
There are three types of business coaches working in the relatively new field.
They include:
- Organizational experts
- Intimate counselors
- Team leaders
Bob's experiences place him in all three categories, and he has
a winning track record to back it up when it comes to helping executives, prospective
managers
or entrepreneurs find better ways to consecutively improve personal and professional
lives.
As the retired CFO for a family-owned real estate firm that is Michigan's
largest commercial realty company, he is exceptionally skilled at helping family
business members transition from one generation to the next. He facilitated the
company's generational transfer from a long-time CEO to three of his sons.
What's more, Bob knows first-hand the value of coaching, and he can apply
what he learned through coaching with what he has learned through managing people
and mentoring them to your coaching situation. Bob sought out a coach in 1989
to help find balance in his professional and personal life. He had become a workaholic,
and he burned out after spearheading a major reorganization at the realty company
that had eliminated more than one-third of the firm's work force in six
weeks.
Bob can do for you what his coach did for him. His coach helped him:
- Adopt a slower, yet more productive pace at work.
- Reduce the “little things that cause frustration.”
- Learn how to leave work at the office when he left for the
day.
While there is no cookie-cutter formula for coaching, as each situation presents
its own unique set of problems and solutions, Bob's approach begins with
a one-on-one meeting during which he:
- Does an assessment of your unique situation
- Becomes your coaching partner, and discusses what is and what
isn't working, and then talks about how to fix it.
- Asks how you spend your time; challenges you; play's the
devil's advocate.
- Listens to you talk about your commitments.
“We go over a check list, as simple as ‘Do you make your bed,' ‘Is
your desk a mess?', ‘Have you gone to the doctor lately?' Bob
says. “When you are centered and take care of yourself, then you're
going to live positively.”
After putting together a check list, Bob works closely with you on developing
a list with goals and objectives to assist you in:
- Concentrating on strengths to reduce distractions.
- Finding solutions; not problems.
- Meeting your goals and objectives.
Next, if we are both comfortable, then we begin the coaching process. Through
coaching, Bob will help you decide where to spend time to get closer to your
vision.
How much time would you commit to a coach?
Two to six months on average, with the understanding you can stop if it
is not working for you.
How much do you charge for coaching?
Monthly fees range from $400 to $1,500.
How do you know if a coach is qualified for the job?
Today, this growing field has attracted a huge following, making it possible
for just about anyone to call himself a coach. Some are therapists. Some
have dropped out of the consulting business. While the International Federation
of Coaching has made no attempt to license the profession, it has established
standards
that certify coaches. The International Federation of Coaching, a network
of
professional coaches, and Coach U. both have web sites listing hundreds of
coaches and their specialties. You can visit these sites at:
> www.coachfederation.org
> www.coachu.com
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