With the new year upon us, you’re probably seeing a lot of offers for coaching and mentoring programs. You may be feeling a little overwhelmed trying to decide who is the right mentor for you.
I’m personally never without a business coach. I’ve invested tens of thousands of dollars in mentoring and have always received a great return on my investment. I can attribute that to two things. 1) I knew how to pick the right person based on what I needed at the time, 2) I followed through on what I learned and took action!
No matter how great a coach you have, you won’t get results if you don’t implement what you learn. That’s a given.
But how do you decide who is the right coach or mentor for you?
Here are the criteria I personally use when selecting a business coach.
1. They care about your success
You can tell when someone cares more about making themselves look good, than helping you succeed. I don’t have room in my life for big egos, and would rather work with someone who is driven by my success, not theirs.
2. They have achieved what you want to achieve
Choose a coach who has already achieved what you want to achieve. If you want to create a business that involves creating passive income and you choose a coach who has never done so, then they aren’t the best fit for you.
3. They “get” you
Your coach has to be able to relate to you well on a personal level. They understand your definition of success, share similar values, and can relate well to you on a personal level. It’s not that they have to be your best friend but they have to understand what makes you tick.
4. Their skills complement yours
You want your coach to have skills that complement your own. If you’re extremely analytical but have trouble with the strategic, then find someone who understands analytical types, but is a great strategist. If you’re a great big picture thinker but have trouble breaking things down into step-by-step plans, then find someone who can help you do so.
5. They’re insightful
Look for a coach who can listen well and pluck out the golden nuggets amid your collection of rocks. You want someone who uses their analytical skills as well as their intuition to grab onto the gems you bring to the table, and hold them up for you to clearly see.
6. They inspire you
You want to work with someone who believes in you and inspires you to take action and get results. Your coach should be your #1 cheerleader. I’m not talking about rah-rah stuff, just deep-seated belief in you and what you can create.
7. They lead by example
Look for a coach who walks their talk. If they want you to send weekly emails to your list and they don’t do it themselves, they aren’t leading by example.
8. They help you stay accountable
You want your coach to give you clear steps to follow and homework to do in between sessions. You know that when you go to that session your coach will check in with you to see what you’ve accomplished. Of course, it’s completely up to you to do the work, but it’s good to have that little kick-in-the-butt to keep you moving forward.
9. They’re generous with their resources
You want your coach to freely share templates, tools and resources they use in their own business. I’ve given my clients my webinar scripts, strategy session templates, launch emails and more. I want my clients to be able to model what I do and adapt it to their own style and business, without having to reinvent the wheel.
10. They’ve helped others succeed
Look for a coach who has a track record of success. Look at their testimonials page and make sure there are some good successes to report. Look at what people have to say in their testimonials. Don’t just look at the outcomes but the relationship between the coach and client.
Here are a few snippets taken from my testimonials page as an example of what to look for (and yes, I’m taking the opportunity to brag a little. I really struggle taking compliments so this is a stretch for me)
“I love her approach, it’s not often that a coach is willing to be so transparent with clients and serve them at the highest level of integrity”
“Cindy is very caring; this is evident in every conversation and email exchange that I have with her. She is very giving with her resources. Cindy has an amazing talent of taking my ideas and simplifying them into manageable action steps.”
“Her generous nature and strategic approach has brought great success in my practice”
“Cindy is unfailingly generous with sharing her resources and her time. I especially value her direct style of communicating, which is right on target and keeps me moving forward in the right direction.”
” Cindy is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure her clients are happy and successful in what they do”
“She has an amazing balance between the creative and the strategic. She will help you think outside of the box and then break things down into actionable steps so you get results.”
Above all, remember this. No one knows you as well as you do. Take what you learn from your coach but don’t forget to trust your own intuition to make the right decisions for you. A great coach will not only appreciate you doing this, but encourage you to do so.
If you would like to learn more about how I can support you with your business, just go to TalkWithCindy.com. We’ll arrange a time to connect so I can learn more about you and explore how I can best support you. In addition to one-on-one coaching, there are lots of other ways I can help you. Together we’ll find the best fit for you.
warm wishes,
I have always had a mentor and I think that is what makes me successful. Choosing the right mentor at the right time plays a major part in how quickly you develop. Cindy Schulson is the right coach for me and will be for you because she is so hands on and determined to see you succeed . I have learned so much from having you as my coach/mentor and I have signed a few more coaching clients because of what you have taught me..Thanks Cindy
Thank you so much Wendy. That really means a lot to me. You’re such a pleasure to work with – you’re completely open to feedback and ideas, and best of all you really take action. And I know that you come from a place of wanting to help others, which is what makes you such a great mentor to your own clients. Thank you and happy New Year!
Such a great article. I have always thought about mentoring, it is so important. I think we all do it without really knowing too.
Great info, thanks.
So true Peter! And when I stop to think about it, we mentor many different people in our lives, especially our children. Thanks for sharing!
Great points for having a mentor. Having a mentor makes you accountable which is what I need. Thanks for the great post.
Hi Arleen – thank you for sharing. Yes, accountability is definitely key. There’s nothing like making an investment to give you a good kick in the pants!
Wonderful post Cindy! You are so supportive and I Liked your fan page and following you on Twitter! Happy New Year!
Thank you Vickie! Happy new year to you as well. I look forward to getting to know you through the Ultimate Blog Challenge!
Thanks for putting into words what I’ve been doing intuitively. Validates my process in finding my own coach.
Thanks Ruby. I realize we all have our own criteria but I think it’s helpful to put it down in writing so we can really reflect and make wise decisions.
warm wishes,
Cindy
I think it is important that your coach have knowledge in an area that you may not, or has more knowledge than you?
I agree Joanne. I want to work with someone who has done what I want to do. Having said that, they don’t have to be an expert in exactly what we do but they should be able to relate well to what we do. For instance, one of my clients is an autism family coach. While I’ve never had a child with autism, I have in-depth knowledge of the coaching industry, I’m a parent and I have a vast appreciation for the work that she does. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent criteria, Cindy! Too often people jump into programs without really taking time to figure out if the program and the coach or mentor is a good fit for where they’re at and exactly what they need next.
So true Michelle. It can be challenging to choose the right coach sometimes. There are some great coaches and programs out there, but ultimately it comes down to making the right choice for where you are in your business right now. Thanks for stopping by!
I hadn’t read this before I signed my first coach in November, but I apparently chose the right one, judging by the list above. I went with Amethyst Mahoney, first and foremost because she’s likeable, knowledgeable, and we have common interests and similarities in spirituality. But also because I like her sense of humor, and that she was able to offer something I could afford (by stretching my credit card a bit). I’m currently on my second month with her, and I’m loving it. She’s dug up my core message in my mountains of writings, and we’re developing it further. I hope to start earning money soon, so I can keep paying for a coach.
Congratulations Linda!
Thanks 🙂 (got my driver’s license today, so I’m celebrating that too)
Lots of great points here for people to consider when looking for a mentor. I too believe it is important to have a mentor otherwise you may be trying to reinvent the wheel.
So true Kim! My first year in business I didn’t work with a personal mentor. My second year I did and my business increased by over 100%. There is a lot of power in that!