In today's fast-paced global economy, companies are finding they need to quickly locate the best person to step in and fix a situation. Someone who can start this week, stay until the problem is solved and operations are up and operating properly. So, who do they call?
Not consultants who give advise and walk away. Not recruiting firms who will spend months searching for the right person for the job. They call an outside business coach or contract interim manager who hits the ground running, works with local managers on the project and stays until the change is complete.
As a recovering management consultant, at some point it seemed to me that solutions for client problems seldom became a permanent fix---especially when local leadership blind spots prevented seeing why the problem arose in the first place.
So, I began doing more business coaching, helping executives and professionals grow and excel in their personal and professional lives. Yet, few clients seem to know what a business coach is and does; they continue to categorize me as a management consultant. And that's OK. The waters get muddy around the roles we play in changing times.
Today, clients want to turn to someone they know and trust, someone who has the experience and political savvy to mentor and coach their managers through their difficult challenges. The advantage of managers being guided to solve their own problems is: The business coaching learning experience prevents the problem from recurring.
John G. Agno, Certified Executive & Business Coach, www.MentoringandCoaching.com