Coaching is a relationship consisting of a structured, process-driven interaction between a professional trained in coaching methodologies and one or more individuals seeking positive behavioral change.  It is a multi-faceted discipline that focuses on a wide range of behavioral objectives relating to increased levels of performance leading to greater personal and professional success and happiness.  While the primary goal of coaching initiatives is to develop positive behavioral change, they can focus on a broad spectrum of different objectives, take many different forms and involve a wide range of approaches. Some of the elements of an effective coaching process may include identification of individual or organizational objectives,implementing performance assessments, examination of personal values and beliefs, setting realistic goals and establishing focused action plans.  Learn more about coaching methodology.

Business coaching is the practice of providing advice, feedback and support to an individual or a team within small and medium size organizations to help them improve organizational performance.  Business coaching is almost always competency-based.  Business coaches work in such areas as supervision, management, employee accountability, sales, customer loyalty, communication, developing teamwork and many others.  Business coaches often help businesses grow by helping them create and follow a structured, strategic plan to achieve agreed upon goals. The essential focus of business coaching is process improvement through people development in areas exhibiting sub-standard results. 

Business coaching is not the same as, mentoring.  Mentoring involves a developmental relationship between a more experienced "mentor" and a less experienced"protégé," and typically involves a deeper relationship than that of coaching.  However, a mentor can serve as a business coach and a business coach can act as a mentor provided that he or she has the necessary expertise and experience.  Business coaches can also focus on improving the effectiveness of specific individuals in key leadership roles such as in CEO coaching or leadership coaching by combining and integrating a variety of performance behavior improvement elements.  Coaching in this arena is often referred to as executive coaching

A good business coach must possess and be able to deliver expertise in the specific topic or discipline on which developmental attention has become focused e.g., selling skills, performance management, or communication skills in order to provide quality business coaching services. However, the business coach need not have extensive specific business expertise and experience in the same professional field as the person or persons receiving the coaching—engineering, law or insurance for example.

Symbiont Business Coaching initiatives focus on individuals and teams within small and medium sized organizations to help them improve organizational performance.  Business coaching programs help enhance and refine the effectiveness of key functions and activities that are central to achieving desired business results. Business coaching differs from training in that it focuses on improving the effectiveness of existing organizational roles and functions rather than on the creation and development of the basic foundational knowledge and skills and attitudes required in a specific area of expertise.  As with sports coaching, business coaching helps clients build on the basic knowledge and skills that are already in place by providing advise, feedback and support to elevate individual performance to higher levels resulting in enhanced overall organizational productivity. 

At Symbiont we begin by working with clients to identify and define desired competency levels and compare them with current levels of performance.  We then create customized programs to fill the gaps between current and desired organizational performance.  A key feature of our business coaching initiatives is that they are not designed to be one time learning events, but rather, include elements that make our programs self-sustaining, thereby generating continual incremental performance improvement.  Another major advantage of our business coaching programs is that they integrate organizational performance with individual needs and desires so that the end result includes increased personal self-leadership growth and development as well as is increased organizational productivity.  At Symbiont we believe the two go hand in hand, and this is why our programs include a component on personal goal setting and motivation along with a plan of action for personal success. 

Our business coaching may be delivered in a number of ways, including one-on-one interactions, group sessions or through large scale seminars and workshops. Business coaches are often called in when a business is perceived to be performing badly, however many businesses recognize the benefits of business coaching even when the organization is successful and maintain ongoing business coaching activities.  

Learn more about our Business Coaching offerings.

More about Self-leadership

More about the Dynamics of Goal-setting. 

More about the Dynamics of Personal Motivation.