Business Coaching -- Not Just For Startups

BusinessWeek takes a look at the importance of business coaching....or mentoring. Here's a few key items:

• "For a startup, a business mentor with a seasoned eye for pitfalls and opportunities can mean the difference between success and failure."

• "Today's small-business owners -- whether amateurs or seasoned veterans -- are realizing that bouncing ideas off someone who has been there, done that, saves time, increases efficiency, and may even reduce stress and stave off depression."

• His (the business coach's) assistance proved so valuable that even now, seven years later, Celeslie says they still consult with him on major decisions. "This isn't someone that you hire one time and never talk to again," she says. "A business coach is somebody that you build a relationship with."

• "If the relationship works and it's beneficial to everyone involved, it can go on forever," Knox says. "It doesn't have to stop when the mentoring stops."

BOTTOMLINE: Of the four essential elements that enable small and mid-sized businesses to achieve lasting excellence -- it is the coach that makes it all happen. Six Disciplines Leadership Centers build long-term relationships with top-performing organizations by offering coaching on the Six Disciplines program, strategic advisory services and value-added services to help them achieve -- and sustain -- lasting business excellence.