How do you find the right coach for you?
Considering that you have:
- identified the type of challenge you are trying to solve,
- determined that you are ready for outside input, change, and forward movement,
- narrowed the field to professionally trained coaches – Start here
Now it is about fit. Here are some things you will want to consider.
Is it important that the coach have experience in your field or industry?
There is not a right or wrong answer to this question, however keep in mind why you are hiring a coach. It is for a partner that can bring out the best in you. You are hiring a coach, not a consultant. Make sure you have correctly identified the challenge you are trying to solve (point 1) and the type of service best suited to support you. This article highlights the differences between consulting, therapy and coaching.
A coach with experience in your field or industry, whether coaching others in it or having actually worked in the area themselves, can bring an added depth of understanding to your circumstances and environment. They may also be able to share (without identifying information) stories and insights from other clients in similar situations.
My recommendation is to not limit yourself to just coaches with experience in your field or industry. Rather consider that if a coach meets all other relevant criteria (see below), that field or industry experience is a bonus.
How do you want to be coached?
In-person or via telephone or video call. There is no right answer here, there is only your preference and geographical limitations.
Thousands of top executives are coached virtually and may never meet their coach face-to-face. What matters is the ability of the coach and client to connect, in the same room or hundreds of miles apart.
You can expand your search by being open to telephone or video call coaching.
You can narrow your search by working only with a coach you have the opportunity to meet in person at least once.
What other resources does the coach offer?
The hiring of a coach may be just the beginning of the process for you. As a business owner or manager, you may need a coach that can not only support you but also offers support to those around you. Team workshops, group coaching and online or virtual offerings enhance the value a coach can provide. The partnership can move from just one-on-one to helping your entire team or organization become greater.
How do I feel with this person?
While you may enter a coaching relationship with a focus on your business or career, you cannot separate who you are as a person from what you are working on or who you are working to become. You will need to trust your coach to create a safe space for you to share things you may have never thought you would share with another person. Growth and change occur when we can be vulnerable with ourselves and with another person sharing, among other things, what scares you most and what excites you beyond compare.
Much like dating or hiring any other professional, you need to feel a level of comfort and trust, a rapport. Yes, a coach can be the one to challenge you and kick you in the pants, yet they can only serve you effectively if there is a true partnership. The definition of coaching is a co-creative relationship between a client and a coach that serves to transition you – the client – from where you are to where you want to be. Let coaching be the catalyst for you to soar to higher heights!
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