Why hire a business coach? 10 Powerful Questions And Reasons Why!

by | Oct 7, 2014

Why hire a business coach is one of the most common questions I get. The dialog and relationship you will establish with a skilled coach will help you answer questions and arrive at solutions that you may not never know if you tried to do so on your own. The confidence you can get from having a coach on your side can give you a tremendous boost!

The framework of Bloom’s Taxonomy was created to help teachers encourage higher-level thinking in their students. It is also applicable to and useful for coaches to explore fresh ideas with a client.

As a coach, my objective is to ask questions that require clients to examine their needs more deeply and to discover new and empowering answers. Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, well-designed questions tap into application, analysis, and evaluation, and facilitate an in-depth exploration of a client’s current situation, challenges, and opportunities for growth.

Through the coaching process, individuals are able to tackle difficult questions and gain greater insights into their goals and aspirations. Here are 10 powerful, thought-provoking, and action-inducing questions that I’ve employed in my coaching:

1. “What do you want?”

I like opening my conversations with this question, which is a prime example of a “direct inquiry” in Bloom’s Taxonomy. It pulls no punches and can lead to a bold and candid dialogue. With all of the noise and distraction of running a business and handling a life, it is easy to overlook this fundamental inquiry into one’s basic needs: “What do I want from my work, my life, and my relationships?”

2. “What will achieving what you want do for you?”

This application question prompts my coaching client to examine how achieving what he/she wants will affect their life (e.g., grow a business, take on a new leadership role, land a new customer, or restructure their organization). What will change? Which aspects of their business or life will improve? How will it affect things? What challenges may show up?

3. “How will you know when you have it?”

Simply put, this question helps my coaching client visualize their ideal future. Holding such a vision as a goal is a powerful way to focus on arriving at the vision of their ideal future according to their own definition. Being able to articulate this vision is especially important to the outcome for a businessperson.

4. “How will others know when you have it?”

This query advances the conversation and encourages my coaching client to consider and identify the external signs that indicate the completion of the goal or desired state. How will others recognize that this person attained a goal or tangible shift for a business? How will those people react to the change? What might they say about this new status?

5. “Where, when, and with whom do you want it?”

A significant step in realizing a goal is to make it real, envisioned in our mind’s eye and unmistakable in its composure. Where is my coaching client when they achieve this goal? What is life like for them at this time? With whom are they in relations at this stage of their business career? Who is supporting and working with them? Who is celebrating and enjoying this success with them?

6. “What stops you from having it?”

At this point, my client and I begin to peel back the onion and get to the heart of what’s getting in the way. By now, the questions you may have had about: ” Why hire a business coach?” will be a distant memory for you. If a specific outcome is desired, what has prevented it thus far? Is it fear? Could it be a reluctance to hold oneself accountable? As human beings, we tend to avoid the burden of our own convictions. It becomes apparent if my client is willing to own the tripwire or place blame elsewhere, such as on other people or situations. When an individual takes ownership of the block(s), significant progress in overcoming them becomes possible.

7. “How will your desired outcome affect other areas of your life?”

I ask my client to examine how their current life is affected by a given situation in order to bring them to a place of discovery. Thinking about their current situation and how they would like it to change can lead them to uncover what they really want. Recognizing the changes that will occur in life as a result of shifting a belief system or achieving a goal is a powerful way of anticipating those change and being secure in what lies ahead.

8. “What resources do you already have that will contribute to getting your outcome?”

This thought-provoking question requires my client to take stock of what resources may already be available to them (e.g., money, emotional support, courage, or connections), which will enable traction to advance their desired outcome. Reconsidering the value of their current resources can lead to the realization that the goal is within reach, and it may not be as difficult to reach as was previously thought.

9. “What additional resources do you need in order to get your outcome?”

My client begins to focus on the gaps between the current situation and their goal. What resources will they need to acquire? Is money an issue? Do they have the skill sets? Will training personnel help? How will reaching out to their network help? What is needed to reach the desired result? How can these resources be acquired?

10. “How are you going to get there?”

This moves my coaching client from abstract thinking to practical action. What strategies and tactics are required to move forward? Taking the first step is critical because we have cleared the pathway that leads to the intended goal. Action steps taken now are important to reinforce the belief that this goal is attainable. My objective is to always keep the goal and momentum front and center.

The Coach’s Contribution: Objectivity

People certainly benefit from keeping these 10 questions present in their lives. Working through this process with a coach enables a level of objectivity that is difficult to achieve when having solo conversations with oneself. Our minds have a way of fooling us because the conversations we have with ourselves tend to result in responses and ideas we have already heard. As a coach, I encourage my clients to look at things differently and discover fresh answers.

If you still have a question about “why hire a business coach” speak to a coach. The first conversations give you a chance to explore this for free. The value of engaging in a coaching process is to discover new ideas—not “get” answers.This group of questions will help a person think more deeply about their lives, their work, and the things they wish to change. Hopefully, the questions will uncover a path that leads to greater achievement in their lives.

Start your path with a free discovery coaching session. Contact Michael Today.

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