One thing I get asked all the time is what background works best for coaching or consulting…

First up, experience matters. Aim for around a decade in business—whether you’ve run your own show or played a pivotal role in someone else’s venture. It’s all about fluency in the language of business: sales, marketing, margins, productivity, planning.

But what about style? Well, there are four distinct types to consider: decisive, creative, supportive, and objective.

Decisive types are all about making quick, confident decisions. They’re the ones who lay down the law and lead their clients forward.

On the flip side, creatives thrive on presenting a plethora of well-thought-out options. They’re the idea machines, always brainstorming and offering choices.

Then there are the supportives. They excel at offering encouragement and motivation, minus the cheerleading. They’re there to unpack doubts and build their clients’ confidence, step by step.

And last but not least, we have the objectives. They’re the masters of simplification, cutting through the noise to offer crystal-clear explanations. They’re not here to hold hands; they’re here to make things make sense.