How to Choose a Coach
It seems like these days coaches are popping up everywhere. I guess I would be one to notice because I just became one too. I have also had a few coaches over the past ten years or so.
When I assumed the presidency of a nonprofit, I hired a coach to help me navigate the transition. He was a consultant and a coach who helped me improve my effectiveness as a leader and manager, and also supported my work to refine my strategic plan and realign roles on my team.
I hired a financial coach to help me develop some new disciplines and systems around money management, which was different from the role of a financial advisor. And I currently have a business coach who helps me with range of issues like clarifying my target audiences and developing products.
Here is what I have learned along the way about choosing a coach:
Define Your Goal—the more you know what specific goals you want to pursue with a coach, the more successful the engagement will be. It doesn’t have to be an external objective like a new job; it can be simply that you want to feel a certain way. If you’re not clear on your goals, it is helpful to at least know what area of your life you want to work on first like health and wellness, finance, career, relationships, etc.
Do Your Research—look online, ask your friends and start discovering who is out there who might meet your needs. Do you need a business coach? A mindset coach? A leadership or executive coach? Try to drill down into what they do, keeping in mind what qualifications including life/work experience, certifications, education and other credentials matter to you.
Interview your coach—most coaches provide a consultation or free discovery call to help you get to know them. Show up prepared with your questions, concerns and preferences and use your time to ask away. Ask them about themselves, their philosophy and coaching style. Pay attention to their responses and also how interacting with them makes you feel.
Experiment—You may not actually nail the fit at first. You may need to give your coach feedback to see if you can improve the relationship and make your sessions more productive. If they are not receptive or it still isn’t a good fit, you may have to move on. That’s okay. Coaching is a partnership and it may take some time to find the right one. The worst thing you can do is continue if you are paying your money and not getting what you need. If you sever the relationship, take some time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t and use that information to help you find a new coach. Talking about your relationship with your former coach can be helpful when interviewing a new coach.
More and more people are finding the support they need from an unbiased, nonjudgmental coach who supports them unconditionally. Taking the time to choose one carefully is worth it.
Looking for coach to help you develop as a leader, transition careers or achieve more work life balance? Let’s talk and see if I might be the right coach for you.
