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This article is by Beth Scheer at Homebrew Ventures. Read the original here.

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Many startup founders are turning to executive or business coaches for help as they build and scale companies. A good coach is a "performance optimizer" who can help a CEO/Founder perform her best. What exactly does a coach do, how do I find a coach and when is the best time to get a coach?

The Homebrew Guide to Executive Coaching will explore these topics and we look forward to your feedback at [email protected].

What does a startup coach do?

The role of a startup coach is to help the client's leadership, management performance and

development. In a day to day session this can include:

• Managing relationships/working styles
• Managing stress/work life balance
• Prioritizing/managing expectations
• Facing fears/ imposter syndrome
• Delivering difficult feedback
• Resolving interpersonal conflict
• Creating team alignment
• Making tough decisions
• Building a strong company culture

In the past, coaches were brought in for executives who showed signs of bad behavior. This is not the case anymore. Some executives are hired with coaching as part of their onboarding process it's seen as a benefit of being part of the management team.

What doesn't a startup coach do?

A coach doesn't make business decisions for you. You aren't hiring this person to tell you what to do. You are hiring this person to help bring out your strengths and address your weaknesses. You can talk through specific scenarios and how you might handle them but this person is not there to solve your problems. On the other hand, this person isn't a punching bag either -- someone for you to unleash all your anger, frustrations or complaints on.

How is an executive coach different than a life coach?