“What is a business coach?” That’s a question I get all the time. Let me help you understand what a coach is, and is not.
To be fair, just like there are a myriad different types of doctors, so it is with coaching. This is just a brief introduction to the kind of business coaching we provide, not a comprehensive guide.
Fourteen years ago, I was stuck. I thought I was great at sales—after all, I had consistently been the number one rep in my previous job. But in my new role, I was in over my head and couldn’t admit it. Then I got a coach, and it changed everything.
That coach helped me see my blind spots, work through challenges, and gave me the framework to succeed. He challenged my thinking, guided me, and shifted my perspective. That experience profoundly shaped who I am today.
Now, as a coach myself, I know the power of having someone in your corner. Coaching is about bringing out the best in you, helping you reach your potential, and partnering with you on your growth journey.
There are many types of coaches, but in the context of the business coaching I do, here’s an overview of what a coach is.
Here’s what a wise coach is:
- A coach can see you more clearly than you can see yourself in some ways.
- A coach is an accelerator for learning.
- A coach is an advisor, someone who can help you think clearly and act in ways consistent with your values.
- A coach is someone who can speak truth to you and challenge you when necessary.
- A coach is someone who sees your strengths and helps you elevate them.
- A coach is someone who believes in you.
- A coach is someone in your corner.
- A coach is someone you can be completely open and vulnerable with, and they won’t judge you.
- A coach is someone who has your best interest at heart.
- A coach is a partner on your growth journey.
- A coach is a wise thought partner to help you work through difficult or challenging situations.
- A coach helps you see differently.
- A coach helps you think differently.
- A coach is someone who asks the “dumb” question to unlock insights.
What a coach is NOT:
- A coach is not a guru with all the answers.
- A coach is not someone who is necessarily more successful than you are.
- A coach is not your savior.
- A coach is not a silver bullet to solve all your problems immediately.
- A coach is not your therapist.
- A coach is not someone who intimidates you into complying.
- A coach is not someone who enables you in your destructive behavior.
- A coach is not a yes person.
- A coach is not necessarily someone who does the work for you (that’s more of a consultant, and I do serve in that capacity for some of my clients, but that’s not “coaching”)
As Andy Stanley said, “You will never maximize your potential in any area without coaching. It is impossible. You may be good. You may even be better than everyone else. But without outside input you will never be as good as you could be.”
A wise coach in your corner is like a secret cheat code. That’s why I have a business coach myself, and that’s why I am thrilled to serve as coach to amazing purpose-driven leaders and entrepreneurs around the world.
