Now, Who is a Business Coach?

A business coach or business coaching is a relatively new phenomenon that has started getting wide acceptance. However, to the public, and even to business coaches themselves, the role of a business coach is sometimes blurry due to the varied functions they perform. In general, a business coach may perform bits of the duties of a management coach, an executive coach, a proper business coach, or a life coach. But all of these service roles are seen differently by those who specialize in coaching.

Coaching has come a long way from being primarily a learning/development activity associated with acquisition of particular skills to an activity that seeks to implement behavioral change as its end result. In his excellent book, Psychological Dimensions of Executive Coaching (2006), Peter Bluckert deals with the dilemma of defining the phenomenon of coaching and says, “In the world of business, for coaching to be seen as relevant and a positive intervention, it must go beyond the facilitation of learning and development and directly translate into more effective action and improved performance.”

These are the promises upon which a business coach justifies his services, and succeeds by delivering upon those promises.

According to Bluckert, in business environments, coaches belong primarily to four types:

A management coach: A management coach is seen to be different from a business coach, which is a more generic term, and a management coach is expected to confine his activities to coaching line-managers.

A business coach: A business coach undertakes a greater array of activities, and is thus a more generic term. A business coach is not confined only to working with line managers, or executives, or business owners. The term “business coach” remains more malleable than others in the coaching industry, and stretches from internal HR coaching to leadership coaching. The focus of a business coach may also range from coaching the acquisition of particular skills, to leadership development, or bringing strategic focus in business planning. In a performance based organizational culture, a business coach may be employed in improving the system at any level, from decision-making boards to units of technicians.

An executive coach: In contrast to a business coach, an executive coach focuses his attention upon a particular executive or group of executives. They are not simple experts engaged in the learning and development process, but are behaviorally trained practitioners who work with well-defined methods.

A life coach: A life coach is a service role that is quite popular but little understood. In contrast to business coaches or executive coaches, life coaches are usually employed by individuals on their personal capacities to bring change or success in their lives. Life coaches focus on their individual clients; try to learn the motivations of their clients and try to align their desires and skills with practical earning situations or possibilities of self-actualization.