READY TO SCORE BUSINESS COACHES TAP INTO SPORTS METAPHORS TO HELP FIRMS GET AHEAD.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Beat your enemies, dig in your cleats for tough times ahead and don't give up until you score.

The phrases sound like the rantings of Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry, but this advice isn't coming on the gridiron in the heat of a football game. It's being offered in executive offices, courtesy of business coaches.

These consultants offer help to executives and business owners looking to streamline their operations by recommending new practices, counseling troubled employees and shaping new goals. Earning fees as high as $6,000 per day, the coaches are seen by some as invaluable tools to whip flagging businesses into shape.

``When we work with companies, it's our goal to help them become champions of their industry,'' said Richard Sherman, of Tarzana's Harris-Sherman Consulting Group. ``The idea is to get in there, improve outcomes, see some results and then leave.''

The movement began gaining steady popularity over the last five years, according to Agnes Mura, a founding director of the Professional Coaches and Mentors Association's Los Angeles chapter. PCMA boasts 300 coaches on the West Coast alone, and other groups, such as the International Coach Federation span the globe in membership. Its members offer their services as far away as Singapore and South Africa, as well as a sizable contingent stateside.

Though the phenomenon is relatively new, the principle has existed for centuries, Mura said.

``Court jesters were probably the coaches of the kings,'' she said. ``Corporate and political leaders have used coaches for as long as there's been history. They might have called them something else, but they would have used someone to show them their blind spots and keep them real.''

The common image of one such adviser is one using sports metaphors to reach their clients. To encourage them to perform better, coaches instruct their charges to hit a home run in spring sales or to keep a full court press on their competitors. Sports metaphors are indeed a part of the coaching business, but approaches vary depending on the target audience.

``We use whatever positive construct that will inspire the company to be the best,'' Sherman said, offering an analogy. ``If the Lakers can do it, your organization can too.''

This, however, is far from the only approach. According to Steve Zuback, a Valencia-based consultant, the frame of reference can range from sports, to movies, to art - whatever the client prefers.

``Any coach will attempt to use the language of their client,'' Zuback said. ``So if a client speaks in those terms, then the coaches use them too.''

These techniques are usually picked up after considerable experience, Mura said.

``Coaches usually come either from a psychology or behavioral science background or they are very seasoned executives who've learned the behavioral side and want to pass on a legacy,'' Mura said.

She took the latter route after leaving a career as an international banker to found her own coaching firm, as did Zuback, a 30-year veteran of the corporate human resources office. Sherman, on the other hand, is a practicing psychologist.

Just like the backgrounds of those offering the coaching, counseling strategies vary, as well. They can range from a few monthly phone calls to intense one-on-one sessions, complete with lengthy follow-ups throughout the year. Robert Pino, author of ``Corporate Aikido'' and the recently released ``Absolute Victory'' arranges personal sessions for his clients designed to maximize their comfort as they learn how to fix up their businesses.

``The person who would like to be coached gives us their favorite place - at home, at the work, anywhere in the world,'' he said. ``The program is completely custom made. They get peace of mind, more knowledge how to manage their life, they get their life to max speed and potential.''

Before meeting with a client to discuss their goals, Pino and his associates interview their friends, family members and colleagues to evaluate the complete life, prior to focusing on business. In this lengthy process, they sometimes turn up character strengths that the professional didn't even know about, Pino said.

With ritzy packages like this, coaches could become the new private jet or retreat in the Bahamas for executives, said Jim McMartin, a California State University, Northridge, psychology professor.

``Maybe it's a status symbol,'' he said. ``Instead of buying a Lexus, it might be cheaper to hire a personal coach.''

McMartin cited a wide variety of other factors for enlisting a coach, ranging from desire to improve operations to fear of falling behind competitors who have also signed up a coach. Some executives, he suggested, may hire a coach merely to tell them what they want to hear.

``It's called the P.T. Barnum effect,'' he said. ``If you tell someone You look like a very sensitive person, they think that they are. Presumably these guys are getting paid good money, so they have to be offering some sort of service, even if it's just an ego boost.''

Mura recommended that professionals looking into signing one up shop around for a personality that suits theirs. Though the process may take some time, it's well worth it in the end, she said.

``Don't hesitate to test drive a coach,'' she said. ``A good one will add value in the very first hour.''

CAPTION(S):

drawing

Drawing: (color) no caption (Business coach)

Jorge Irribarren/Staff Artist