Choosing your right coach

In 2010 when I became for the first time a coaching client, I had no idea what to expect about purchasing coaching services. Back then, coaching was even very new to my country. I participated in a national HR conference, and there I discovered several speakers, some now well known international executive coaches, presenting topics which I found not only of interest, but talking to me directly. 

I was aware I “had a problem”, I felt quite a big pain, and that needed to be fixed. So, I decided to employ a coach.

On that occasion I met several coaches and talked with several others within the next couple of months trying to understand how to buy coaching services. My prior professional experience as a purchaser infomed me I need to compare. 

But to compare what besides the price?

Knowing my own journey in finding and working with executive coaches during the period I was part of the C-level team, and becoming myself an executive coach, I realise it may be worthwhile sharing with you some elements I would use now to select my next executive coach if I were in your shoes.

I would split these elements as follows:

A. Professional Background,  Experience Level, Coaching Certification and Accreditation

In this area I would search to understand the coach’s experience level covering their  core expertise and credentials held. The range of fields one coach specialises in is today quite large, and coaches are usually transparent about it on LinkedIn or on their website.

I also can agree there are executive coaches who do not hold many formal credentials or certification, however they definitely are far away from being spring chicken, and their life experience, their own development and growth journey and their former professional expertise are imbattable assets they draw learning and understanding from, equivalent to and overpassing even any form of coaching education.

Therefore, I would look at their prior professional background. Is it rooted in business and management? Is it rooted in some other type of expertise I am specifically looking for (maybe project management, contract management, finance or accounting, etc)? Does it include transitions, including management transitions or key life moments similar to what I am going through? Do we share similar values and beliefs? Are we involved and support similar actions in society?

While it is not compulsory to share the same values (and a true professional coach will keep themselves neutral of imprinting any of their own values or beliefs onto their clients), it is important to see the person behind and understand how their experience and their life meaning can come in your support and if you can develop a trust rapport with them.

I would also search the coaches’ website or LinkedIn profile to find out more on their outlook on coaching: What does coaching mean to them and what is their approach to coaching? What is their preferred style and what kind of mindset do they present: do they operate from a coaching mindset, a solutioning mindset or a counselling mindset? In this blog article I talk about this distinction.

I would also do my best to find coaches with proven executive background who are actively manifesting some sort of thought leadership. Most probably coaches will explain or talk on their website about common concepts related to coaching, mindset, change and management you would also find elsewhere. It is however the approach they take in explaining you the parts, making the difference. Do you feel you gain something learning about the perspective they take in their articles? Is there an angle perhaps new or intriguing? Is there any freshness or freedom of thinking, being and acting you would like to adopt? Do you find there an ease that you can borrow when explaining or modelling the same things for your own team members, later? 

Holding an international accreditation by an international coaching association is an actual proof of the knowledge and ethics standard the coach abides to. Each of these associations (ICF, EMCC, IAC, etc) proposes a model of coaching competencies and a stepped journey of proficiency in demonstrating them. Moreover, each abides by a strict code of ethics regulating the activity of the member coaches who are responsible for operating according to the association’s values and ethics, to the point of a coach being excluded from the association in case of demonstrated failure of compliance.

At this point, in searching for my next coach I would narrow down the selected coaches into a list of up to 3 interesting profiles and I would try to understand their field of formal coaching education and how it can add value to me as a manager. 

For example there are coaches with various coaching methods: e.g. deep transformation or NLP or positive intelligence or emergent essence dynamics or coaching constellations, ETC. If so, I would make my own search to understand how these areas of expertise can contribute to my personal growth. Do I understand the jargon? Do I feel resonating with their approach? Are there practical live coaching demos available on the internet so that I can have a feeling of the coaching process?

B. Discovery Session

A discovery session is that first encounter face to face, mostly online, with a coach, usually offered for free. 

From the coach’s perspective this session is an investment in the relationship with the potential client in which the Coach - far away from trying to push the sales - will listen to the Client, will assess how coachable and ready to be coached is the Client, will understand if coaching is the right service responding to the need of the client and will provide the client with a sample of how a coaching session is like.

From the client’s perspective this is a huge chance to learn about the coach experience, about their coaching style, about the coach mindset, it is the moment to assess whether there is the right personality chemistry with the coach, and to address questions and expectations over the coaching process.

Although the discovery coach is a real coaching session in which you will receive the service, do not forget it is also your hiring interview to the coach. Therefore it is legitimate to ask your questions. What would you want to know:

• How did they become a coach?
• Talk about your professional experience?
• How would you describe your coaching style?
• What happens in a typical coaching session?
• How do you measure the impact of your coaching?
• What kind of clients do you have the most success with?

The more discovery calls you are going through, the better you know what to look for and ask. The discovery call is or should be with no obligation for the client of further purchase.

At the end of the discovery call, the client would need to have a rather clear picture of:

• The coach’s listening and coaching style
• The level of energy in the coaching session and how this feels
• The level of trust built in the session 
• The way it is felt the rapport created

In addition, the discovery call is the right moment for the client to understand the coaching process and, during the session, to develop a certain sense of clarity about it. It is important for the client to understand that in this process, the first step is always establishing the outcomes desired by the client from the session and the way these are going to be measured (by the client) at the end of the session.  

It goes without saying it is important for the client to see how the coach models implementation of confidentiality and the code of ethics both during the session and during the contracting phase.  It should not come as a surprise for the client that in dealing with a professional coach they would require the client to read and abide also the code of ethics.

The discovery session is even more important when the manager is not searching alone for the coach, but the coach is provided by their employer. This is a special relationship where the company acts as the sponsor and the coaching is received by one or more company managers or directors. But for this case I am going to write a separate blog article.

C. References and Contracting

If I were to choose my executive coach, once I would have the discovery call with each of the 3 narrowed down coaches, I may ask all those I decide to discuss further the contract, for testimonials and references, including direct access to former executive clients. 

In general, my clients of executive coaching have been supportive and gave me the acceptance to be put in direct contact with potential clients for sharing directly their coaching experience. Not all clients are open to it, even though their coaching process was extremely successful. This is fine and is understandable: confidentiality rules.

Nevertheless, when reading testimonials or having the chat with former executive coaching clients, you should pay attention to the following elements:

• Whether the client reached their objectives for coaching
• How these results impacted the professional and personal life of the client
• How did it go the interaction with the coach
• Were there difficult moments in the relationship with the coach
• How did they took the decision to work with the respective coach
• After the fact, how do they assess the price of the coaching package given the benefits received

In terms of contractual provisions, you should make sure that there is a written agreement in place before starting the first coaching session (which should not be mixed with the discovery session).

The following elements are to be considered and compared between the shortlisted coaches:

• Timing and scope of service
• Elements included or not 
• Expectations related to various boundaries between coach and client
• Cost of coaching
• Logistics to implement the coaching sessions

Once you reach this step, you are done. Now you have all the data to make your final decision. 

One final suggestion: once comparison is done and you have your answer, check it with your intuition. 

Do you have the same answer or two different answers? 

If you are the lucky one still balancing between the two different shortlisted options, I suggest you listen to your intuition. Your screening is already in place for you to lose nothing.

So, are you ready to take your discovery call with me?