It is immensely comfortable to continue doing what one has done before. However, it is often neither profitable nor fulfilling to do so. Beginning a relationship is always difficult. Think of the beginning of your relationship with your wife/husband/significant other. Wasn’t that beginning difficult? Beginning a relationship with a business coach is also a new experience, and should be entered into with at least the care and trepidation one exercises in considering any partner in one’s life.

How does one find a qualified business coach? How does one know this is the business coach who will understand me and my business? How does one start such a relationship? The answers are simple. They all start with conversation. Contact the business coach you suspect may be the right “fit” for you, get a telephone appointment, and begin talking.

Telephone or email the business coach you suspect may be the right “fit” for you. Ask for a complimentary session (most qualified and credentialed business coaches offer such a complimentary session), and begin talking.

The above procedure will get you connected and speaking to the coach of your choice.

Now your “due diligence” phase kicks in:

• Listen for a 3-5 minute information exchange:
  • Does he/she give you a summary of his/her business experience?
  • Does he/she ask for a summary of your issue/problem/dilemma?
  • Do you feel heard?
• Listen for the background of this coach:
  • Is he/she credentialed through the ICF?
  • Is he/she experienced in the field in which you desire coaching?
  • Is he/she credentialed in the field in which you desire coaching?
• Listen for the coach’s purpose behind his/her questions:
  • Does he/she seem genuinely interested in you?
  • Do his/her questions cause you to ask yourself heretofore unasked questions?
  • Does he/she seem more interested in discussing his/her fees?
• Listen to your heart:
  • Is this a person you wish to have along with you on your journey?
  • Are you comfortable enough with this person to discuss your innermost thoughts/feelings?
  • Do you feel this person can hold the essence of you in confidence?

At the end of the day, you must be willing and comfortable in sharing your heart-of-hearts with this person. You are not selecting an employee. You are selecting a partner in your business and in your life. Consider all data with your head, and then choose with your heart.

tools to help you get started with coaching

• Coachability Quiz
  Most people feel they are coachable. My experience tells me something different. If you wish to test your ability to be coached with an empirical result, follow this link to a coachability quiz, take the quiz, and see how coachable you are. Take the quiz here.
  
  
• Guidelines for Coaching
  How does a coaching relationship work? The short answer is. “We talk.” A more informative answer is we talk about the issues you wish to talk about. Through conversation, you arrive at a course of action appropriate for you, and I assist you in completing the course you have identified for yourself. All coaching is about you. Your coach is trained to facilitate your formulation of a course of action which will address any particular issue you wish, and is trained to assist you in the completion of your prescribed tasks here.
  
  
• Garry's Blog
  The blog is an area where you can access an archive of articles and newsletters and a calendar of events with Garry Oskam. Access the blog here.