As a CEO or Managing Director you are expected to be an expert on all business topics. You are expected to make the right decisions every time. You are continually looked to from every quarter of the business to make decisions ranging from the not so important to critical business decisions and when it comes to staff, occasionally some personally very difficult decisions. The topics range from sales and marketing to operations, finance, staff, suppliers, customers, the Board, leadership and everything else in-between. To make it even more difficult being a MD or CEO comes with no instruction manual and the many books available seem to only be applicable to that book’s author and are more than likely have limited impact for different personality types in different circumstances. (We do not all run a unicorn out of Silicon Valley!)
In its simplest form, when you have a Business Coach, you are not alone in facing the many challenges that confront you. This does not mean you get to delegate any of the decisions, rather you get to apply the wisdom of someone that has experienced the highs and lows relating to your decision. As one client put it:
"Thank you very much for your help, guidance and tips, I really appreciate it and I am super grateful! Your hints and tips were the key to getting the result we wanted!!"
At the next layer down there is much more than just a sounding board. The key to your Business Coach is what they have experienced. This is where they can add value to you and your business. If they don’t have the experience to take you and your business to the next level, they more than likely will not be able to get you there.
Some experience considerations include:
Was the Business Coach the CEO or Managing Director of a company (not just a consultant or partner in a firm)?
When they were leading a company, did they have considerable success?
What size and stage is your company compared to the experience of your Business Coach.
Have they experience in what you do including:
o Sales and Marketing
o Operations
o Finance and Accounting
o Staff engagement and team culture
Perhaps most important of all. Do they pass the BBQ test? You are going to spend substantial time with them over potentially many years. While you don’t need them to be your best friend, they do need to be someone you get along with.
“My Business Coach holds a wealth of knowledge and experience across marketing and financial disciplines of business, crucial to the efficiency, management and growth of any business.”
Your Business Coach is the only other person in the organisation that is your equal. They are not afraid to ask you the tough questions and push you for different answers if they are not convinced by your responses. They will keep you focussed on the forest, not just the trees and help you transform your organisation from point A to point B.
For exceptional award winning Business Coach that can help you transform your business to the next level contact us today.
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