Seven years ago, when Val Sharp was contemplating leaving the corporate world to start her own interior design company, she decided she needed extra help making the big leap. So she hired a coach.
"I was still holding on to my old skill set," says the Victoria-based former director of corporate communications for resort operator Intrawest ULC. "I had already quit my job, and I had the option of doing corporate communications work or starting my own company."
Ms. Sharp's coach challenged her to fully commit to her new business for three months and ignore the pull of the safe, predictable corporate world.
"He basically forced me to make a decision and take a huge leap," says the owner of Sharp ReDesigns, an interior design and home-staging business. "I never looked back."
Today, she says, she's working 30 per cent less time and making 20 per cent more than she did at her old job. Ms. Sharp now also trains others in home redesign.
Along the way, she has continued with coaching, and most recently she has been working with Steve Mitten, an executive coach based in Vancouver, to help her decide on her next career move.
Like many coaches, Mr. Mitten works with most of his clients by telephone. He charges from $650 a month for three sessions that run 35 to 45 minutes each, up to $1,000 a month for more frequent, longer sessions.
"People get in small business and they can plateau in their income and they run out of time," he explains. "They have a sense that 'I know I could be doing better here.'
"Most small-business people get absorbed in the details of their business," he adds. "They get overrun with the urgent, reactive activities that are part of running any business. They don't, on a regular basis, reserve enough time to think strategically."
Through homework assignments, or "challenges," a coach can help a small-business owner to clarify goals, develop strengths and implement strategies, Mr. Mitten says. Clients might be asked to "actively listen" to employees, read a particular book or cold-call 30 potential customers.
Coaches also talk in general about business and life, and though family members and friends can help on those subjects, the difference is that a coach will assign homework, check in with clients and hold them accountable. Ms. Sharp says she and Mr. Mitten recently discussed her personal values, and she was given an assignment to probe them further and prioritize them in writing.
"Typically at the end of each coaching call, the client has to decide what they're going to be doing and focusing on [for the next few days]," Mr. Mitten says. "You might end the call by saying, 'I want to give you some homework. Will you accept a homework challenge?' "
Susan Cavanagh, president of Edmonton-based Cavanagh Executive Coaching, says her small-business clients learn to be better leaders, and then they essentially become coaches to their employees.
One client increased his team's productivity by 50 per cent over four months of coaching, she says, thanks to his improved communication, listening and delegating skills, which led to better morale in the office.
"When all the individuals in a company know their talents and strengths, along with each other's, they can maximize individual and team performance," she says.
Another of Ms. Cavanagh's clients is Sean Mooney, a partner in Major Projects Group, a construction-management firm based in Edmonton. The company has tripled its revenue since its inception in 2003, says Mr. Mooney, thanks in part to coaching.
"We were recently in negotiation of a deal where I put all of my learning into practice. Specifically, listening skills, removing and letting go of my own personal agenda, not being attached to the outcome, and believing in myself with a new level of self-confidence," he says. "We landed a project valued at over $30-million."
Above all, says Mr. Mooney, coaching has helped him achieve a more balanced life. "I was one of those people who was climbing the career ladder and aggressive and not friendly in any way. I went from that to being in the circle of trust where I don't alienate people," he says. "I'm a better friend, brother and son."
Of course, coaching has its price. Executive coaches can charge anywhere from $100 to $600 an hour, so for those contemplating hiring one, it's important to find the right one. Prospective clients should find out whether a coach is certified by the International Coach Federation and trained by an accredited institution. They should also ask for references and interview potential coaches to make sure they click.
In addition, Mr. Mitten says, beware of opportunists. "Stay away from coaches who try to sign you up for six months and pay in advance," he warns. "You should be able to talk to someone, check credentials and feel it's a good fit. And at any time if you're not getting value, you should be free to quit."
In addition, a coach should have a privacy policy and offer a signed confidentiality agreement. After all, clients will be sharing information about their businesses -- as well as their private lives -- with a stranger on the other end of the phone.
In Mr. Mooney's experience, however, coaching has been less about the intricacies of his business decisions than about his personal growth. And while he had initial concerns about how he would be perceived by colleagues, he says those were quickly replaced by enthusiasm for what he was learning.
"Once I started working with Sue [Cavanagh], the 'Aha!' moments started happening," he says. "I was telling everybody about what I was learning and the assignments I was getting. I never felt so strong."
