How to Choose an Executive Coach

Choosing a business coach is a significant commitment of time and money. Before you make that commitment, take some time to interview your prospective coach and find out whether he or she seems like a good fit for your needs. What is the coach's background? Does the coach have experience in situations similar to yours? What kinds of clients have they been coaching recently? Have those clients' objectives and challenges been similar to yours?

Ask your prospective coach what methodology he or she uses; e.g., 360-degree feedback; psychological assessments, in-depth interviews. That is, find out how they work, what they do and what they don't do. Get some idea of how your coaching sessions will be structured. However, while it's useful to know that your coach has a specific process, it's also important for your coach to be flexible. Every situation is unique and your coach needs to be adaptable in order to serve you most effectively.

Ask about what outcomes you can expect and how you will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your coaching relationship.

Find out whether your prospective coach is certified—but recognize that this is only one factor and probably not the most important. Numerous organizations certify coaches so unless you're familiar with the organization and its certification requirements you shouldn't place too much emphasis on this criterion alone.

Some things to beware of:

• coaches who spend too much time talking about themselves
• coaches that make unrealistic claims or promises
• overuse of jargon or namedropping

One of the best ways to choose a coach is to get a personal recommendation. If that's not easily obtainable, at least make sure to get a couple of references from the coach and check them.

In any consultant-client relationship it's important to find a good fit between the client's needs and the consultant's talents, skills, and experience-but it's even more so when choosing an executive coach. In a recent Harvard Business Review article Lauren Keller Johnson said, "Because coaching involves sharing private thoughts and personal information, the coach needs to be someone you will feel comfortable talking frankly with." Johnson points out that you want to think not only about the coach's qualifications but also about things like their age, gender, and cultural background if those things could have a bearing on how freely you might feel you could discuss sensitive or personal matters.

Finally, consider practical issues such as their fees, their availability and their location. Coaching by phone can work but many executives feel that in-person meetings are more effective.

Begin the process now by contacting Dave Kinnear; visit our Contact page.