Business coaching done right is about helping someone else (the client) to discover for themselves what needs to change in their business and life... so that they may achieve greater success and fulfillment. Coaching empowers the client to solve their own problems and seize their own opportunities. While a business coach will help open new doors and opportunities, it's still up to the client to walk through them. When it's all said and done, business coaching is part science, part art...the science of success and the art of fulfillment.
So how does a business coach help drive greater success into your business and fulfillment into your life? Through the power of questions. Why is business coaching so effective? Again, due to questions! Why? Because no matter what, a client can NOT ignore a question. It's impossible. They may choose not to respond to a coach's question, but they still must process the question in their brain. Even a "no response" is a conscious decision. Therefore, every question asked gets through to the brain. The most effective business coaches, The Growth Coach included, have captured their powerful questions into a proven & guaranteed coaching process.
Why is the art of effective questioning so important to a small business owner, entrepreneur or professional? Most have a hard time asking tough questions of themselves...due to busyness and denial...two of the biggest enemies of greater business success. Typically, entrepreneurs don't slow down on their own in the first place to truly assess their situation and ask the tough questions. They are too busy being busy. Too busy working "in" the business. They confuse busyness with running a business. They have no time for questions...that's a recipe for disaster!
Besides busyness, owners struggle with denial. Most entrepreneurs simply don't want to face reality so they don't ask themselves the tough questions...they would rather play denial. Both enemies (busyness and denial) will sabotage your business success if you let them. Effective questions will help combat these enemies. That's why getting an objective business coach is so important. A coach will help you to slow down, face reality, assess your current situation (good, bad and ugly), and help YOU decide on the changes YOU want to make. That entire coaching process just described involves asking you insightful and empowering questions.
Through powerful questions, a business coach helps you look at things in a new and objective light. When a coach helps you change the way you look at things, the things you look at also begin to change...in terms of meaning, importance, relevance, etc. As Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist said, "To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem." At the Growth Coach, we believe that if you ask the hard questions, managing your business and life will be easier. If you only ask yourself easy questions or none at all, life and business will be hard.
Through effective questioning, a coach helps you get absolute clarity...clarity about where you are now (good, bad and ugly) and where you want to be (your ideal future). Then, through a questioning process, they help you create a focused action plan to get there. And finally, they provide on-going accountability (mostly questioning) to keep you on track, help you make adjustments, and help you arrive at your goals. Again, good coaching is powered by good questions.
Got good questions? Isn't it time? Please click on this business coaching assessment tool. It's a Face Reality Challenge. It will only take you 3 minutes and will ask you a series of important questions to help you decide on some of the important changes you need to make if your business and life. All the best!
Daniel M. Murphy
President, Founder & Business Coach
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System
Certified Business Coaches throughout North America