Do You Need a Coach? Many need a sounding board, someone with a lot of experience that can talk through one’s challenges, and who had helped other companies. As a company owner, you are a walking, talking billboard. You communicate your character and trustworthiness through your presentation, and venture capitalists typically base part of their funding decisions on whether they have faith in the CEOs in front of them and inspired by their founding stories. The best communication coaches combine strategy, content, and delivery. In other words, its not just what you say; its how you say it. Some executive coaches focus on C-suite occupants at big corporations. Others, who may also call themselves business coaches, help smaller company bosses and owners examine their firms’ value drivers: finances, management team, operations. They also help clients see how personal issues can hinder success.
Although books are an excellent source of general information, they simply don’t contain the strategies to address the level of specificity inherent in given conflicts negotiation situations, or transactions. Hiring a coach with negotiation expertise to get you through critical, complicated deals is essential for the modern world. For example, a CEO facing a negotiation with his biggest client fears that pushing too hard will alienate the other side, but also knows that a good outcome can transform the company’s opportunities. That’s when a professional and experienced coach can help the client get to the core of these and other issues, and to develop the skills.
