How to find a coach

Having experienced coaching myself, I know the benefits in working with a coach, be it for personal development, a change of career or success in business or the workplace. I encourage many friends to work with one and so comes the question “who would you recommend?”.  I know many coaches, and always think hard about chemistry and how the relationship could work when looking to recommend one.

All coaches work differently, dependent on training, their own style and personality and simply put, different coaches suit different people.  I always encourage friends to meet them (face to face or online) to ensure they feel the fit is right before they engage them.

Before this initial meeting, I would recommend thinking carefully about the following points:

• Why do you want coaching? What would be a good outcome?
• How will you know they are the right coach for you?
• Remember not to make instant decisions. Sometimes someone who you normally wouldn’t choose as a friend can work well, as they will be impartial and perhaps ask questions you won’t have thought of. It’s not necessarily about have a friendly and fun chat – sometimes there will be conversations that are challenging.
• Coach training – it’s possible to set up as a coach without any training and I would think carefully about this. I would only work with coaches who are well trained and keep up with their learning and development as I think this creates a better coaching experience.
• What sort of timescale do you want to work within? Are you looking for a short period of time to work something out or come to a decision, or would you prefer less frequent sessions that could go on for longer to maintain the mindset you want to achieve (just as an athlete might work with a coach to improve their performance). Be honest and discuss this with the coach.
• How much will you pay? There is a huge range of coaches charging different prices. “You pay for what you get” isn’t always the case, but often, more experienced coaches who have worked with more senior people or within organisations, will charge more.
• Costs of coaching – it’s important to remember that you’re paying not only for the face to face coaching, but for any support in between ( I always encourage coaching clients to send updates on how they’re getting on) and there is a lot of preparation and record keeping involved too.

Word of mouth can be a good way of finding a coach – ask friends and colleagues. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to others about this, do some research online. Reading a coach’s website will give you a good feel for how they work and think. Their blogs will give you some feel for them too. Also take a look at who else they’ve worked with (although this information can often be confidential so may not be published on their site).

Industry experience isn’t always a good thing

Check our their Linkedin profile. Then set up an informal coaching chat. Remember that specific industry experience isn’t always necessary as that can lead to more of a mentoring relationship. This is a decision for you to make. It can be that someone with business start up of growth experience can work if you’re looking for a combination of coaching and mentoring to set up your business, but if you’re a senior leader in an organisation, someone with little knowledge of your actually field can be useful as questions may be more probing.

Get in touch if you’d like to discuss coaching.