If you’re an avid golfer, you know that the world’s best golfers use combinations of coaches to continuously improve their performance. Heck, swing coaches like Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, and David Leadbetter, short game coach Dave Pelz, and mental gurus like Bob Rotella, Richard Coop and Jim Fannon are becoming household names. And Michelle Wie has taken it one step further and retains a dress/image coach, which is why she is always dressed so well.

In today’s world, coaching has gone beyond the sidelines and into the business world. The new breed of coaches are working with CEOs, small business owners, sales professionals, lawyers, architects, and even accountants. Coaching is a professional and personal development technique that helps you set and attain goals. Coaching can be short-term, project specific or long-term and on-going. In a nutshell, coaching is a cross between mentoring and consulting.

The typical coaching relationship is close and personal, provides instant support and feedback, and normally provided by telephone and email. Although each coaching session is normally brief (usually less than 30 minutes), sessions are routine.

Coaching engagements can be narrow or broad, but normally tailored to the needs of the accountant. Most coaching engagements focus on addressing issues such as interpersonal skills/communication, practice management, marketing and rain making.

Top athletes in every sport have all kinds of coaches to improve performance covering strength training, nutrition, and specific aspects of their sport. Like top athletes, accountants are working with coaches to accomplish goals and improve their performance.

It’s much easier to achieve your goals with a coach by your side advising, challenging, and supporting you along the way. If it works for the world’s best athletes, why shouldn’t you take a lesson from Tiger’s playbook?