Many lifecoaches claim to be business coaches, however when using this term they normally refer to the lifecoaching of executives or managers. This is simply not business coaching, and with the formation of the International Business Coaching Federation a clear distinction can now be made.

Coaching a business is really a consulting engagement that involves numerous interventions such as the coaching of senior executives, teams and the facilitation of high level strategy , but which can also include profiling, communication audits, team and leadership development, recruitment strategies and many other interventions.

Ignite believe that whatever the intervention, the business coach must operate at the highest strategic level to be successful while always remembering the clear distinction between pure consulting and coaching - that a consultant is an expert providing a solution whereas in a coaching model the coach ultimately facilitates the client to arrive at their own solutions.

It is aparent therefore that to be credible as a business coach there is a requirement on the part of the coach to have a senior commercial background and a higher level of interpersonal strengths than would be required to simply conduct a 90-minute coaching session with a manager.

Unfortunately because coaching is as yet an unregulated industry and no official governing body exists anywhere in the world to set and validate standards, or to monitor consistency and quality, selecting the right business coach training programme can be problematic because there are many seemingly comparable courses on offer in Ireland and abroad. We offer a quick guide to help you with the selection process.