How do you choose an executive coach?
If you’re thinking of starting to work with a coach, it’s critical you choose the person who is the ‘best fit’ for you
Coaching is partnership – a professional relationship between two people. So all the important things you already know about people you respond well to, come into play when you are choosing your coach.
As a rule of thumb, if the role of a coach is to work with someone to help ‘maximise their own performance’ (Whitmore, 1992) then looking out for some agreed core qualities will be useful. Most notably the ability to:
· Listen, interpret and question
· Be silent, non-judgemental and patient
· Be confidential, empathetic and outcome focussed
· Be able to challenge you and your thinking
Coaches are just normal people – highly trained in specific skills, but they have their own personalities and characteristics too which are in addition to the qualities noted above. You know who you work well and less well with already so draw on that knowledge. You will also have some idea of what you want to get from the coaching relationship – something will be drawing you to look for a coach, and knowing this is useful for you too.
A confidential sounding board with a critical eye
For example, do you want a neutral confidential sounding board, someone to bounce your ideas off while they are still forming? If so, you might look for someone who demonstrates a critical eye – an ability to cut through and challenge your thinking in a way that you feel safe and OK with. You might look for a coach whose personality is very different from yours who offers you an alternative perspective you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
An objective listener
Or, might you be looking for someone who will listen to you completely and without judgement – who creates a space where you don’t have to be in charge, have all the answers or be in control for once? If so, then someone who gives you a sense of their ability to deeply listen, who in conversation makes you feel comfortable enough to open up to, will be important. You might look for a coach who has a slower pace about them, an ability to feel comfortable sitting in the moment and is patient with you and your thoughts as answers are found.
Give yourself a choice
We’d always recommend you meet with a few coaches to get a sense of their different ways of working – at least two, but three is often a good number to go with. Then you can compare and think about who you think is the best suited to help meet your needs.
Accreditation and qualification
‘Fit’ is often considered a more significant factor in a successful coaching relationship than anything else i.e. experience, specialisms etc. However, we’d also recommend you do your homework on your coach. They should hold a coaching qualification, and ideally be accredited with a reputable body (likely to be the ICF or Association for Coaching). I’d ask your coach if they have their own regular supervision, and what they are doing to attend to their own CPD. Most coaches will send you an initial Bio which has all this information outlined on it, and if it doesn’t, then ask them about it.
Draw upon your network
Our final suggestion is to reach out to your network too. You will have colleagues, peers and friends who have their own views of coaches they have worked with and these connections can prove invaluable.
As professional coaches, we only want people working in partnership with a coachee that is the right fit, as this enables the work we do to be of maximum impact.
Are we the right fit?