Entrepreneurial Tightrope: Time for you to hire a coach?

— -- Hi Gladys, I have had several friends suggest that my business and personal life would benefit if I hired a coach. I have always assumed that a coach and a mentor was the same thing. So, what should I expect from a coach? — Marcy

Several months ago, my friend Marta asked me to go with her to an expensive clothing boutique to purchase an outfit for a special occasion she had coming up. While Marta tried on several outfits, I took several sale items to the dressing room for her to try on.

As it turned out, a dress from the sale rack fit her perfectly and would work well for the occasion. As Marta was stepping back into her faded jeans, she said she wished she had dressed better before coming to this exclusive store. While coming out of the dressing room she said she should at least buy a scarf at the regular price.

I asked her why she thought she needed to buy something that wasn't on sale. She said that she didn't want to look like some kind of "wannabe" who could only afford to buy something from the sale rack.

After the sales clerk had processed Marta's credit card she started folding the dress to put it into a bag. I asked her if she could put the dress on a hanger and cover it with a garment bag. Then Marta blurted out that a bag was OK and that hangers and garment bags should be reserved for special people. Without hesitation I said, "Yes, Marta, you are right, and today you are that special person."

Marta felt the need to explain my statement so she jokingly told the clerk that I was her life coach. The clerk nodded with understanding and put the dress on a hanger and covered it with a garment bag.

Of course, I am not Marta's life coach. However, reminding you that you are special and valuable is one example of the many roles a coach could play.

We live with at least two sides to ourselves. One side wants to advance in life and move forward. The other side is the part that makes us doubt and have second thoughts about ourselves. A coach helps you to bring forth that "go-getter" side of you. Marta typically displays assertiveness and self-assurance, but for some reason that expensive store brought out her doubting side.

A professional and or life coach cold help Marta get in touch with her more positive side and spend more time there. Unlike the mentor, the coach usually cannot provide you with the technical details of handling accounts receivable, hiring or marketing. But a coach can help you get to a space in your life where you can handle what needs to be handled with minimal stress and optimal effectiveness.

In other words, a coach's basic responsibility is to get you out of a rut and get you moving in the right direction. A buddy of mine, who has used a professional coach for several years, calls her coach a "human motivational tape."

I asked her what she found most beneficial about having a coach and she most important is that her coach does not judge or label her. "My coach listens to what to accomplish in my business and private life and then coaches me into changing my behavior in order to meet those goals."