How do you choose the coach that's right for you?
When you’re looking for a coach, referrals from friends and colleagues are a common way to start. It can be helpful, as you get some insight into the experience. Before you commit, it’s worth considering a few other factors too, as everyone's needs and preferences will vary. We’ll explore some of the factors to consider, as well as getting insights into key elements to look for, from renowned coach and coach trainer, Charity Becker.
Base image (without text) by Scott Webb
What do you need?
Are you clear on what you need from a coach? It could be one or many of these…
Specific guidance: someone who’s been there before; more of a mentor
An understanding of your values: someone who understands why you prioritise certain things over others. You don’t need your values to align but they do need to understand and respect your values. Where they do align, it may be easier for them to deduce meaning, e.g. someone who understands your religion, cultural background or spirituality will have a deeper understanding of many aspects. On the other hand a different background may be able to help you see other perspectives more clearly
Communication style. It doesn’t have to be similar but it does need to be compatible. Are they patient enough (or fast enough) for you? Will they read your cues appropriately?
Connection
"This is less about choosing someone who you would want to be friends with, and more like choosing a personal trainer.”
Charity Becker, Head of Coaching and Leader Development at IECL, has worked as a coach for over 15 years in financial services, education and in her own business, Becker Consulting. Charity highlights the importance of "a connection that can hold challenge. One to One coaching, by virtue of the fact it is a learning intervention entirely focussed on you, and your needs, has to be able to hold the space for trust and challenge to ensure learning is occurring. The risk of choosing a coach who doesn’t challenge you enough is that you won't get the results you are looking for. This is less about choosing someone who you would want to be friends with, and more like choosing a personal trainer.”
Why are you looking for change? And what do you need to do that? It may not be someone who is similar to you – perhaps you need a different approach to make significant progress towards your goal.
Factors to consider
If you prefer to consider this in a more detailed way, some of the factors to consider include:
Communication style: direct, factual / spiritual, emotive
Accountability: intense, follows up / laissez faire
Professional experience: deep or broad; specific or not related to your area
Professional education: industry related / broad
Network: related to your area / diverse
Structure: defined programs / self-directed
Coaching training: Formalised, recognised / self-taught, experience
Training, Methodology and Supervision
Charity recommends asking about 3 specific elements to get the right fit:
Training: It’s important that your coach either holds a current credential in the specific type of coaching you require or has been trained by a reputable coach training provider. As coaching is an unregulated industry globally, anyone can (and often does!) call themselves a coach.
Methodology: If you are working with an organisational coach (as opposed to a life coach) it is also important to understand how their methodology applies in an organisational context. What is their approach based on?
Supervision: In addition to training and methodology, ask your potential coach for evidence of formal, paid regular coaching supervision. Coaching supervision is a key element of continuous coaching education and helps to ensure you are working with someone who acts as an ethical, professional provider of coaching. This coaching supervision should be delivered by a trained coaching supervisor.
Book an intro call before you commit
Many coaches will offer a short, initial conversation to help you get a sense of each other. This might be an "intro call" or a "discovery call". It’s worth taking up the opportunity with a few different coaches before you commit. It's likely they will also outline a coaching contract, like the one below used for Coach Cafe sessions, to create shared expectations about the sessions.
As Charity highlighted, the success of your coaching sessions will depend significantly on the connection you develop with your coach – and the potential connection is not so simple to describe! If you know which factors are most important to you, this will help you make the most of that initial chat.
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