So, there are life, wellness, and intimacy coaches … but business coaching? That’s a totally different beast.
In the business world, the stakes are skyscraper-high, and the challenges? Well, they’re even more complicated. We’re talking about setting goals that involve navigating volatile markets, undergoing mergers and acquisitions, grappling with rapid tech advancements, and, let’s not even get started on crisis management. Corporate scandals, anyone?
As a business coach, you deal with clients with complex, multi-faceted problems requiring even more complex goals. This means your coaching toolbox will need a few more assessments to service CEOs and larger organizations.
This article breaks down the top assessments used to help business coaching clients achieve their business goals.
Seven Assessments for Business Coaching Clients
If you’re considering entering the business coaching arena, you’ll need a potent set of tools and techniques to guide your clients toward success.
Below are six tools and resources to help your business coaching clients reach their goals. These are the game-changers that turn a good coach into a great one who’s actually moving the needle for their clients.
1. Motivation Code
Never underestimate the power of understanding your client’s motivation. Motivation Code is an assessment that reveals what drives clients to act, think, and make decisions the way they do.
Learning a client’s motivation helps you tailor a business coaching plan that resonates with who they are. This inner motivation makes the goal setting process easier and brings much-needed clarity.
Imagine you’re working with a startup founder who seems to be constantly chasing after every shiny new idea, but can’t seem to focus on taking the business to the next level. You deploy the MCode assessment and find out their primary motivator is to realize a vision. Knowing this, you could tailor your coaching plan to allow for this need for realizing a vision while also setting boundaries to keep them on track.
2. The 5 Voices
Do you ever wonder why some people can’t seem to get along with others in business? It’s usually due to a disconnect in communication.
The 5 Voices assessment helps decode these languages to highlight how your clients communicate and what they need to feel valued. This is key for team dynamics. Using this assessment, you can guide your client to manage their team more effectively, resolve conflicts, and improve overall productivity.
Let’s say there’s friction between your client, the CEO, and their COO. You decide to use the 5 Voices assessment and discover the CEO is a Connector while the COO is a Guardian. Once both understand their communication styles, they collaborate more effectively. Conflicts are easier to resolve, and productivity shoots up.
3. 360-Degree Feedback Assessment
360-Degree Feedback is a comprehensive evaluation tool that captures perspectives from all angles: peers, subordinates, supervisors, and self-assessment. This is a cornerstone in leadership development and especially benefits executives and managers. The assessment provides a holistic view of a person’s performance and pinpoints areas of strengths and weaknesses.
This assessment could be used with a mid-level manager who feels they’re ready for an executive role. The feedback reveals they struggle with delegation, a crucial skill at higher levels. This insight becomes a focal point for your coaching sessions.
4. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Assessments
Emotional intelligence assessments, like the Emotional Capital Report, measure a client’s emotional intelligence, a vital factor in leadership success. These assessments measure a range of competencies, such as self-awareness, empathy, and stress tolerance. A higher EQ often translates to better interpersonal relations, which is an asset in any business setting.
The Emotional Intelligence assessment could be used with a high-performing salesperson who just can’t seem to work well with the team. Low scores in empathy and social skills indicate why. The targeted coaching that follows helps your client become not just a better worker, but a better leader.
5. The Caliper Profile
The Caliper Profile is a psychological assessment that measures an individual’s personality traits and how they correlate with job performance. It provides insights into intrinsic and learned aspects of a client’s personality, focusing on how these traits impact their ability to succeed in various roles and work environments. The assessment usually involves a series of questions and problem-solving exercises that evaluate key attributes like leadership potential, interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and motivation levels, among others.
This tool is particularly beneficial for executive clients or those in managerial roles looking to refine their leadership skills, improve team dynamics, and achieve better organizational results.
6. DISC Profile
DISC Profile is a behavioral assessment based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Moulton Marston. The assessment categorizes people into four behavioral types — dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. Each type has unique characteristics, including ways of approaching tasks, interacting with people, and responding to challenges.
This tool is helpful for clients who are working on interpersonal skills, team dynamics, and leadership development. By understanding their DISC profile, clients gain valuable insights into their behavioral tendencies and those of others. This knowledge can be transformative for managers and team leaders looking to improve communication, build stronger teams, and foster a more productive work environment.
7. Clifton Strengths Assessment for Organizations
This assessment provides a detailed report ranking 34 different strengths, empowering people to focus on leveraging their natural abilities. This can result in higher employee engagement, productivity, and overall well-being in an organizational context.
The Clifton Strengths Assessment works for clients in leadership positions or those aspiring to such roles. By understanding their own strengths and those of their team members, leaders can better allocate tasks, improve team dynamics, and drive performance. It’s also useful for entrepreneurs seeking to understand their natural talents so they can focus on those areas in building their businesses.
Choose the Best Assessment for Your Clients
Your clients aren’t just running businesses … they’re leaders shaping their industries. By blending the insights from these assessments, you’re giving them a complete view of their business terrain.
Download and the free Coach Factory Business Coaching Assessment Comparison Chart to help you decide which assessment is best for your business coaching clients.
