Questions to ask

Questions to ask when you’re choosing an Executive Coach

How can you decide which coach is best for you? Here are some questions to ask yourself (and any coaches who come knocking on your door).

How long has the coach been coaching?

There are no hard and fast rules here, but you need to feel assured that the coach has sufficient experience of coaching to be able to provide an expert service. The Association for Coaching, for example, expects five years’ experience before it will accredit a coach. Another thing to look out for is the consultant who has changed their title to “coach” to take advantage of the growth in the market. It’s always worth asking how much of your potential coach’s work is actually coaching and what other work they do. Ask how many hours of one-to-one coaching they have delivered.

How many individual coaching clients has the coach worked with?

Once again there isn’t a definitive “right” answer, but you would be surprised at how few clients some coaches have had!

What sort of clients has the coach worked with?

If the individual needing the coaching is a senior executive, employing a coach who has worked only with junior management or perhaps just life coaching (personal) clients may not be your best move!

What are the coach’s qualifications?

Coaching is an unregulated market and there is a plethora of qualifications, of widely varying quality. You should consider whether the qualification is from a commercial provider or an academic institution. What level is the qualification (certificate, diploma, masters degree or doctorate)? How much work did the individual put in to gain the qualification?

What professional memberships does the coach hold?

If you have decided to use a coach with knowledge of your industry you will probably be looking for professional membership of a relevant organisation, such as the SII. More importantly in the context of coaching is some assurance that the coach belongs to a professional body. Once again there is a variety of professional bodies, among the largest are the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching. As well as stringent requirements for accreditation (though rather less stringent for standard membership) you can be reassured that members of these bodies adhere to a professional code of ethics and practice.

Does the Coach hold Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Most professional coaches hold professional indemnity insurance of at least £1m.

Conclusion

The coaching world has been described as like the wild west and can look daunting to those outside. These simple pointers will at least set you in the right direction to find the right expert coach for you, with some assurances as to their quality.