Suddenly coaches are everywhere, from world famous musicians on The Voice to the bloke from your HR department who left last year to become a life coach. The efficacy of coaching as a profession is now beyond doubt, however choosing the right coach is about finding the right fit for you.
All but the largest of organisations share your need to find the right person; they too have limited resources and are looking for the most suitable relationships that will in turn get the best results.
Here are three areas I believe you should focus on.
- Experience
There are a lot of 20-something coaches, in a small number of cases this might be right for you. In a world where 22-year olds can become billionaires there is definitely much you can learn from millennials. If, however, you are working with a larger team including a mix of ages, genders, backgrounds and concerns; some life and relevant corporate experience is a must.
- Qualifications
The debate on qualifications rages on. At one end, the ‘naturals’, people with massive skills earned over a lifetime that can get fantastic results without a qualification to their name. At the other end, the big Universities and business schools that are muscling in on a lucrative field. Great coaches don’t need an MBA, Psychology degree or a certificate but they do need a commitment to learning, to being the best in their field and keeping up with the latest trends.
- Fit / likability
After two hard skills one soft: do you like your coach, and will they fit in your organisation? If not, then that’s a hard no (and should be on both sides). Any coach worth their salt will be more than happy to meet you, at least on Zoom. Whilst it might be possible to have a coach that has the attitude and personality you ultimately want in your organisation if they don’t understand the culture you have today – they can’t help. Your coach is not there to lead you, but to help you lead yourselves.
There is no doubt that the right coach will lift you, your team and your organisation to great heights but like any finding professional advisor invest the time to find the right one and it will pay off in the long term.