Put me in, coach: 9 tips for finding a great biz adviser

Hiring a business coach can go a long way toward helping you recognize the gaps in your business strategy and solve workplace issues.

That said, finding a coach you can trust who clicks with your personality, fosters a working partnership, has expertise in your specific needs and is effective in helping you reach your goals can be a challenge. That’s partly because the term “business coach” is so broad you must often conduct research just to find a pool of viable candidates.

“The market is flooded with self-purported ‘business coaches,’ notes Tina Nicholson on FastCompany.com. “It isn’t necessarily that we’re awash in scam artists (though there sure are some), it’s that many of the best-intentioned coaches are genuinely convinced they can help any business owner, in any industry, with any problem. In reality, that’s far from true.”

As such, you might consider the following suggestions during your search:

1. Know what you need. You’re unlikely to find the right professional if you can’t drill down to exactly which tasks or issues need addressing.

2. Ask friends, family, co-workers and colleagues for references, or search online for consultants online, vetting their customer reviews. You could also contact trade group the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches or the nonprofit SCORE, which offers free consulting (often from retired execs) out of nearly 400 chapter offices across the country.

3. During your interviews, ask multiple questions to ensure you’re finding the right person and the right ROI. Judiciously check references.

4. Look for someone you can talk to freely, expressing all problems and concerns. Look elsewhere if the chemistry, mutual trust, confidentiality and genuine interest aren’t there.

5. Seek signs your coach will tailor suggestions specific to your company and situation. Anyone can throw around management catch phrases or prevailing wisdom on best practices; you need someone who can zero in on what’s missing here and now. Your candidate should be asking multiple questions that drill down into the nuts and bolts of your organization.

6. Look for leadership qualities and proactiveness. Your coach should take the helm in demonstrating how to tackle your project, not look to you for direction at every juncture.

7. Prioritize honesty. The coach shouldn’t be so concerned about keeping business that he can’t be blunt when identifying problems — or in revealing how he’s overcome challenges in his own career.

8. Seek strengths you don’t already have. Make sure you’re not wasting your money by hiring someone with the same talents and abilities inherent within your organization.

9. Look for someone who will enlist you in a partnership to overcome problems, not bulldoze over your ideas.

Finally, before getting started, ensure you both understand your roles in the process.

“An effective business coach helps you build your own capacities and resources to respond more consciously, skillfully and appropriately to your leadership and management challenges,” advises an article on AllBusiness.com. “He or she then guides you to execute your decisions with precision.”

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