I quite often have conversations with individuals who are interested in being coached but who don’t quite know how to start finding the person who will be the right match for them. And it can definitely feel overwhelming.
I’ve pulled together some thoughts and guidelines from my experience of talking to others to help think this through
All coaches I have worked with, regardless of their training and background, offer free consultations/introductory conversations as a way to gauge match. My recommendation is always to find a couple of people and to have the conversation with them. Which can be daunting in itself, particularly when life is busy. But I have found that it is really through the conversation that people get a sense of the coach and what being coached by them might feel like. When I look at coaching websites (mine included!) they tend to be full of buzz words and jargon and it can be hard to really differentiate between different people.
There are all sorts of ways to find coaches – often organizations we work with have a roster or shortlist of coaches that they work with as a starting point. If you are looking for a coach individually, word of mouth or referrals are also good as you come in knowing that someone is recommending this person. If you are bravely navigating the internet, the International Coaching Federation allows you to search and filter. Most coaching programs (e.g. if you know you want a particular type of coaching) also allow you to search.
Here are a few questions that may also help you narrow your search.
1. Do you have a clear sense of what you are looking for in coaching? Are you looking for immediate help with problem-solving or long term development work? Sometimes clients come in with a very clear set of problems. At others it is more a desire for, as yet, undefined support. Many coaches will work to support you in some combination of both short and long term needs, but it can be helpful to get a sense of what their focus is and how that matches with your needs.
2. Do you want someone with direct experience (e.g. of management or senior leadership or a particular type of work) or is that not important to you?
3. Are you looking for someone ‘like you’ or different. If similar, across which dimensions – race, background, gender, stage of life? From my experience there are advantages to working with someone who has a shared understanding of things that are important to me (e.g. living in a country that is different to the one they are born in). But there are also advantages to someone who has no assumptions because they don’t claim or imagine they have had a similar experience – they may well ask the obvious questions that no one else thinks to ask.
4. Is it important to be able to see them in person at least sometimes or does zoom/phone work well for you? To my surprise I have found that coaching is one of the few things that clients often prefer to be virtual – it allows them to do it in a space that is personal and private to them rather than somewhere public or at work. I still love coaching in person but I also enjoy the connection it is possible to create through zoom.
In a chemistry call the coach may have ideas on how to structure but here are some additional questions that might help could include:
1. How do you approach coaching?
2. What makes a coaching partnership successful from your perspective?
3. Can you give an example of how a typical coaching conversation might flow?
4. How does this work logistically – how often do you like to meet with clients and typically how long for? How does your pricing model work?
5. What information do you share back with my organization (if the coach is connected to your work)?
Also think through whether there are things that you would like to know about the coach to help you understand whether you would feel comfortable working with them?
And finally, depending on how important this is to you, you may want to check their background and understand where and how they trained and who they are certified with if this is important to you. Many coaching programs have a certification program (with ongoing education commitments) and also are registered with one of the international umbrella organizations such as the International Coaching Federation. Take a quick look at where they trained – does it intrigue you? There are also coaches who coach based on their own professional and lived experience – and this may also be what you are looking for. But the field is still relatively unregulated, you don’t need a certification to set up as a coach. So think about what is important to you.
Note: I’ve tried to write this post in a neutral way, not trying to influence towards any particular type of coaching or coach. And clearly I will have my own biases based on my experience. I’d love to hear from others the things that have helped them find the right coach so I can expand on this article.
