Part 4: Competence in Business Coaching
Bongi was in a high-pressured environment making high-pressured decisions. She worked with a range of professionals, from the C-Suite through to entry-level managers. Each person had specific coaching needs, regardless of their levels of competence, as defined in the 5 areas defined in Dr Elana Siew’s book Competence Refined→ available on Amazon Kindlei. These 5 areas are:
- Experience
- Ability
- Skills
- Knowledge, and
- Behaviour
Bongi was responsible for choosing the most experienced coaching company, with the most applicable and valid experience, for each individual that she was assisting to develop.
Grateful for the support and guidance of her Business Coach, Margi, Bongi had a Business Coaching session to identify what she needed to look for when selecting the most promising Business Coach for each person. To gain some insight, she read this article on How to choose the right business coach→
Margi recommended that Bongi look at the following criteria when selecting a Business Coach:
- The Business Coaching company
- How the Business Coach works with your team
- Ensure a sound business methodology
The Business Coaching Company
When googling Business Coaching companies Bongi didn’t know which way to look! Her search yielded endless results with no way for her to assess who was credible and who wasn’t. Feeling very overwhelmed, Bongi approached Margi to help her through this dilemma. Margi suggested that Bongi select a few critical criteria on which to assess and shortlist the Business Coaching companies, such as:
- Recommendations from previous clients
- Years of experience, showing that they can maintain and increase their client base (this adds to credibility)
- Their ethos and culture
The above-mentioned factors give Bongi an indication of whether the business coaching company was bona fide and if it would add value to her staff. To reinforce her decision on choosing the right business coaching company, Bongi perused this article→, which reinforced her thoughts.
How the Business Coach works with your team
As a Human Resource Practitioner, the interpersonal relationship between coach and coachee is critical. For her, this was the deciding factor when selecting a Business Coach. Can the Business Coach work with your team, both as a team and as individuals. Bongi wanted someone who worked professionally, and yet was flexible enough to provide the coachee with the freedom to explore their own process, rather than simply plodding along towards defined goals.
Bongi wanted business coaching to be an experience, and not a chore. Therefore, the manner and individual style of the coach needed to be compatible with the needs and personality of each person being coached.
Bongi found a nice video that gave her an 8-step process for choosing the right coach. You can view this here:
How do I choose a business coach? 8-step process template download→
Ensure a sound business methodology
Credibility and personality were one thing, a solid business coaching methodology is quite another. To make sure that Business Coaching works there needs to be a professional framework in place that ensure the business coach is following a tried and tested method that guides the coachee towards results.
Progress and development require a formalised programme, and even though coaching is a personal adventure, this ensures that the results are solid and sustainable.
By now Bongi had discovered that SA Business Coaches ticked all her boxes. While perusing their website, she came across a blog that explained the value of a Business Coach working within a Framework with Methodologies. You can read the blog here: Become A Coach: Part 5 – Confusion about Becoming a Business Coach – SA Business Coaches→
To work with a coach who comes from a Business Coaching company that ensures credible and experienced coaches please visit our Coaching Services page→
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