Perspectives on business coaching
- People rarely change on their own. Some coaches say it is impossible for people to self-correct.
CoachFirm business coach Robert Scott said most people require an outside force, an accountability partner, to help them change and grow.
Society does a great job providing guidance and mentoring in early years, with the support of teachers, coaches and advisers, said Diana Scott of Fresh Mind Coaching in Scranton. In the professional world, mentoring is rare. Small businesses owners rarely have a outside third-party they can rely upon.
- Too much or too little. Large and small organization can often have the opposite problems. Larger organization tend to have too many meetings and excessive policies and procedures, said Dr. Alan Brumagim, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Scranton. Smaller operations often don't have policies and procedures at all. Small organizations don't meet often enough. Everyone does their own thing, getting together to solve a crisis then go their own ways.
A business coach can help larger operations streamline and smaller companies standardize and formalize, he said.
- Passion myth. The idea that a skill or passion will translate to successful business is "the most destructive myth" in small businesses, said Mr. Scott.
"No one thinks about how dark a business can get," he said. "I can show you people with passion for something that ended up divorced, bankrupt, in debt to family and friends."