Business Coaching and Sports Coaching

Do you want to work as a business coach? If so, you have opted for a very potentially profitable career. With the struggling economy, many businesses are barely staying afloat financially. They need help from a professional and they need it now. That professional can be you.

When it comes to business coaching, you will find many similarities between sports coaching. In fact, if targeting the self-employed, home business owners and small business owners, you should use the analogy. Some know they need business help, but don’t actually know what a business coach is. Comparing business coaching with sports coaching is an easy way to make them understand.

As previously stated, business coaching and sports coaching are very similar. How?

Most sports are team sports. For example, there is football, baseball, basketball, and volleyball. One team member can have an amazing game, but overall the team can still lose. Everyone needs to work together to see success.

When coaching small to medium sized business owners, emphasize the importance of teamwork. Both offices and retail settings are in disarray when no one is on the same page. The workplace is likely hectic and unorganized. Poor teamwork also leads to troubling and disruptive workplace conflict. A good example is when two coworkers are working jointly on a project. One is pulling their weight and the other is slacking off. Conflict is likely.

As a business coach, do not just highlight the importance of teamwork. Show your clients teambuilding exercises, offer tips, and work hands on with the entire staff.

With basketball, the coaches call the plays. These plays have been gone over and practiced before. It isn’t the coach’s job to score a basket or stop the opposing team from scoring. It is up to the players to remember their training and practice drills. The same is true for business coaching.

When working with a client, don’t do all the work for them. This teaches them nothing. Show your clients how to do it themselves. For example, if your client has a poorly organized office, pickup a few items to show them how it is done. Then, make suggestions. Let them handle the rest. You gave your client a play, showed them how it was done, and let them score the point.

This leads to another similarity. Coaches not only watch their players score a basket. They analyze their actions and provide feedback. As a business coach, do the same. Use the above mentioned example of watching an office manager or owner organize their office. Once finished, point out what they did right, what they did wrong, and how they can make improvements, both now and in the long-term future.

With sports, coaches use practice and training to buildup strength and to practice play calls. You can and should do the same. With small to medium sized businesses, work with more than just the owner. Work with the entire team. Don’t just stand in front of the room and talk or handout reading material. You will lose their interest and quick. Instead, rely on fun exercises. To show peaceful ways to resolve conflict in the workplace, use role-playing and two volunteers.

As you can see, there are many similarities between business coaching and sport coaching. In fact, if you are new to the game and have yet to develop a business plan, look at sports. You can learn many successful tips on how to run a smooth, successful, and profitable coaching service.