Picking a coach is important. It's possibly even more important now a lot of us are working more in the virtual world. But it can be tough to know what you should be looking for, especially if you have not worked with a coach before.
If you're thinking about working with a coach in the next few months, or as a New Year's resolution for personal development you might want to consider the following.
How do I make sure a coach will be the right fit for me?
Will they have the right background?
How can I ensure they will focus on the things that are important to me?
I'd recommend you include these 6 important questions in your research. They aim to help gauge how you feel the coach matches your situation and how they will stretch your capacity as an individual.
If you're thinking about working with a coach in the next few months, or as a New Year's resolution for personal development you might want to consider the following.
How do I make sure a coach will be the right fit for me?
Will they have the right background?
How can I ensure they will focus on the things that are important to me?
I'd recommend you include these 6 important questions in your research. They aim to help gauge how you feel the coach matches your situation and how they will stretch your capacity as an individual.
1. Background and work experience
One of the first things you should look for in a coach is the depth of your sector. You should understand how long have they been working as a coach, as well as how much experience they have working in your type of organisation.
2. Why did you become a coach?
In getting to know your potential coach, you are looking for the coach’s value statement with this question. What value does the coach feel they can bring to your success? What problems do they feel they are solving? How does that align with your needs?
3. What is your coaching experience?
Similar to work experience, the coach’s actual coaching experience is vitally important. You should seek to understand the variety in the experience of the coach. What experience has the coach had that is similar to your situation?
4. What is your coaching speciality or the areas with which you most often work?
Coaches typically specialise or work in certain areas consistently. Look for those areas the coach has worked in that you can relate too. Finding a coach that specialises in something that directly relates to you and your situation is very desirable.
5. What is your approach or philosophy about coaching?
What you want to look for here is the coach’s emphasis on capacity building; not problem solving. The coaches overall philosophy should revolve around building your capacity to achieve your goals and objectives.
6. What are some coaching success stories?
Ask for some specific examples of individuals who have done well. You are looking to see if your ideas of success match. Can you picture yourself as the next success story with this coach?
Adapted from alignleadership
Adapted from alignleadership
