Business coaching can be highly valuable for all sorts of organisations, from brand new startups all the way through to long-established firms. Whether you want to grow, expand your team, or simply make more money, a good business coach can help you reach your goals and more. But how can you find a good coach? How do you know whether they are truly qualified to help you and your business? Technically, there are no required qualifications to become a coach. So, it’s important that you do your research if you’re considering hiring a coach before you commit, to ensure that the investment you’re making will pay off. In today’s blog post, we will be exploring 11 traits all business coaching experts should have, to help you pick the right coach for you, and have the peace of mind that they really know what they’re doing when it comes to coaching! So, whether this is your first time searching for a business coach, or you’ve been left dissatisfied with your experience with a coach in the past, this post should help you and your business move forward onto even bigger and better things!

What are the traits all business coaching experts should have?

Of course, each and every coach will be different. They will have various specialisms and ways of working, so it’s all about finding one that works well for you. having said that, there are some basic traits that you should expect from any coach you work with. I believe that these are the markers of an expert in their field that will help you to choose a good coach and stay away from those who may be underqualified!

Coaches should have good, relevant experience

Possibly the number one thing you should be looking for out of a business coach is a good level of experience that is relevant to being a coach. They should have worked in a business setting for a number of years. After all, being a business coach is probably not the best role for somebody who is new to the workforce! This experience looks different for everyone. But, their previous experience should inform their specialisms as a business coach. For example, somebody who has had a long sales career would be well placed to help other businesses increase their sales, while someone who has worked in recruitment would be good for helping them expand their team, and so on. Overall, business coaching experts should have good all-round business experience in some capacity. This should have equipped them with the transferrable skills they need to help others run their businesses and meet their associated goals.

Honesty is the best policy

A business coach who is not afraid to be up-front and honest is a complete must. If a coach is afraid to tell you how it is, how could you ever expect to improve on the things in your business that require work? Of course, there’s no harm in your coach being tactful in the way they tell you things, but it’s important that they are actually going to help address your issues so that you can improve. A coach who is always praising you and never talking about what’s gone wrong is unlikely to be an expert in this field!

They’re open to sharing

All business coaching experts should be willing to share their resources with their clients. These resources can take many forms. Perhaps it’s connections that they think could help your business grow. Maybe it’s knowledge about certain techniques to overcome challenges. A business coach who holds back on the things that could help their clients is not likely to be the sort of coach that will help your business to thrive.

A good coach should also be a good teacher

As a part of being willing to share their knowledge, resources, and skills, business coaching experts also tend to be good teachers. They will share their knowledge with you in a way that is engaging and genuinely helpful to you. Being a good teacher is a skill that can be honed over years of practice, but even the best newer coaches will have a knack for getting information across in a way that makes sense for you, the business owner. If a business coach seems apathetic towards sharing their knowledge with you in a way that makes sense, then perhaps they are not right for you?

Trustworthy coaches are essential

Following on from this, it’s important for any business coach you work with to be trustworthy. After all, you are entrusting them with one of the most precious things in your life- your business! It’s important for any business relationship to feel ‘right’ for both parties. So, you should gel well with your chosen business coach and feel comfortable enough to trust them with your business. If something feels a bit ‘off’ about your business coach, or you simply don’t feel as though you’d get along that well, then they are probably not the one for you, and there’s no harm in continuing your search!

They take action

The best coaches will be extremely proactive in their approach. They will encourage you to make changes and complete actions that will improve your business. After all, that is their main function as a business coach! But, they should also be willing to take action themselves. Whether this is making calls, getting in touch with contacts they think could help you, reading and recommending books and resources, or something else beneficial, business coaching experts get this label for a reason! They are not afraid to get their hands dirty, continually learn and develop their skills, and encourage their clients to do the same.

They push you out of your comfort zone

Speaking of encouraging you to make changes, the number one trait that any business coach should have is the ability to push you out of your comfort zone as a business owner. Whatever this looks like to you, it’s impossible for your business to reach its full potential unless you do it! But, a good coach knows how hard it is to do on your own. So, they will be armed with all the techniques and tactics to help get there.

Business coaching experts are happy to work to your requirements

Of course, it’s important to find a business coach who works in a way that suits you. For example, if you often work on the weekends, but choose a coach that likes to only work Monday – Friday, you are unlikely to have too much success. Having said that, a good coaching expert will be willing to come up with a flexible schedule and coaching programme that works for you, the client. If they are too caught up in only working 9-5, and never being contactable outside of those hours, they are unlikely to be a true expert who is dedicated to their coaching, and you may find that it takes quite a long time for any positive changes to be made!

They must hold you accountable

Many business owners decide to hire a coach because they’re struggling to meet their goals on their own. Often, life just gets in the way, or there’s always something else to do before you can get to certain tasks. But, business coaching experts will be great at keeping you accountable for the tasks that will help you to improve your business. Truly, this trait is just an amalgamation of some of the other traits, as it takes honesty, dedication, and action on their part to do. but, it’s really key for any business coach to be comfortable with and able to hold you accountable so that you, the client, can actually make the most of their services.

Great communication skills

In business coaching, communication is key. Your coach needs to be able to communicate with you in a way that is clear, concise, and works for you. The best coaches will have developed excellent communication skills over time, as it’s not something that just develops overnight! From a client’s perspective, your coach’s ideas should be easy for you to understand and the steps that you need to take to achieve your goals should be clearly set out. No matter which forms the communication takes (face-to-face, over the phone or video call, via email, etc.), any expert coach will have communication strategies that work for everyone involved down to a T.

An excellent attitude

Finally, perhaps one of the most important traits that business coaching experts will have is the right attitude. This encapsulates all of the others traits on this list into one. A coach should be passionate about the businesses that they’re working with, willing to share their knowledge, patient with those who don’t know as much as them, and totally determined to help them meet their business goals. You won’t meet a coaching expert that puts in a half-hearted effort or is easily willing to give up on clients if things aren’t going their way 100% of the time. The right attitude truly marks the difference between a business coach who is so-so, and one who is an expert in their field. So, if you’re on the hunt for a business coach, make sure you’re choosing wisely!

Here at Chrysalis Partners South, I pride myself on working with clients to bring about real changes in their businesses. I know that the overall goal of any business owner is to make more money! And I can help you do this, alongside any other goals you may have, using proven methods that really work for you. Contact me today at graham@grahamgarman.com or complete the contact form here and I’ll get back to your shortly to discuss your individual requirements.