What questions should I think through before talking to a potential coach?

Embarking on the journey to find the right coach can often feel like navigating uncharted waters. Whether you’re proactively seeking a coach or serendipitously crossing paths with one, the choice you make can significantly impact your personal and professional growth.

In this rapidly evolving world, where virtual coaching has expanded our horizons, the decision holds even more weight. Here, I’ll guide you through key considerations for selecting a coach, tailored to your unique situation.

And if you’ve already made a choice, I’m here to offer insightful ‘second opinion’ questions to validate your decision. In the dynamic landscape of coaching, being well-informed is your first step towards a transformative experience.

TESTIMONIALS

Ask for some testimonials or reviews of the person’s coaching. You might be able to find a page on their website, or they may have something to email you. Given the rapid changes in the coaching field, prioritize seeking out the most recent testimonials, preferably from the last year. This will give you a clearer picture of the coach’s current methodologies and effectiveness. As you review these, consider:

1. Are the testimonials specific enough that you can see yourself in them?
2. Are they describing situations you can relate to?
3. Have others gotten results that you want for yourself?

DEMOGRAPHICS

Many people find it important to have a coach whose demographics are similar to their own because that is more comfortable, and if you are going to be opening up to the coaching process, comfort might be important to you. Some specifically want to work with a coach who is quite different so they can get a different perspective from their own, or a different perspective from the people they already spend most of their time with.

In today’s diverse corporate environment, it’s critical to understand and value diversity and inclusion. Consider how the coach’s approach to these issues might align with your needs and values, particularly in fostering an inclusive and respectful coaching relationship

1. Gender
2. Race / ethnic identity
3. Membership in or out of a specific cultural group (i.e. dominant culture, such as “white, male, cisgendered, heterosexual”)
4. Generations: Are they a member of your own generation, or do they seem to understand your generation and/or the generation you are most concerned with?

SOCIOGRAPHICS

You may be less swayed by demographics than by sociographics like personality and interests. Further, as coaching increasingly integrates technology, consider how a coach’s use of digital tools and platforms might align with your personal preferences and learning style. From AI-driven self-assessment tools to digital progress tracking, the right technological approach can enhance your coaching experience. With sociographics, comfort or discomfort is still your call.

1. Personality: Are you looking for someone who is warm and caring to put you at ease, or someone whose personality more closely matches a group you are trying to fit into?
2. Does the person have a sense of order, fun, openness, boundaries etc. that you are comfortable with? Just as individuals differ along these lines, so do coaches! 
3. How does the coach utilize AI in their practice? Some organizations like BetterUp will use AI to pair you with a coach and support your learning by connecting you with tools and resources ideally suited for your needs. Some private coaches may be using AI to help them in keeping accurate notes.

EXPERIENCE

Many people believe that experience is all about quantity, and that more is always better. However, this is still about your personal preferences. There is no one right answer.

In light of recent global changes, including the pandemic, assess how a coach has adapted their methods to address contemporary challenges such as remote working, stress management, and maintaining work-life balance.

One thing to look out for, however, is this paradox: Sometimes when someone has expertise in your field, they can be tempted to give you their answers to the questions that come up rather than helping you find your answers — which might be better answers than they would have on their own.

NOTE: When someone gives you their own answers to the challenges you’re seeking to resolve, that’s mentoring, not coaching. So, if you hire a coach who falls into telling you what they would do, thank them for their interest in mentoring you and ask them what a coaching approach might be.

1. Do you want to work with someone who is new to coaching or has already seen all the tricks?
2. Do you want to work with someone whose industry experience matches your own. (i.e. you work in logistics, and you want a coach who understands the world of logistics–perhaps because they have worked in an operational role there at some point in the past or because they have coached others who are in logistics)
3. Do you want to work with someone with a wide variety of industries in their experience? This may refer to leadership or operational experience across industries or experience coaching individuals from a wide variety of industries.
4. Does their experience suggest personality characteristics you admire?

SPECIALTIES/PASSION

Coaches can be generalists or have specialties, just like doctors have. If you have a specific growth area you want to focus on, you might want to work with a specialist coach who has particular expertise there. Consider if the coach specializes in emerging niches that have gained importance, such as digital wellness, virtual team leadership, or resilience in remote working environments. These specializations reflect a coach’s adaptability and awareness of current corporate challenges. Here are just a few potential specialty areas of coaches:

• Conversations and communication
• Career Growth
• Grieving
• Public speaking / presentations
• Wellbeing / Health
• Parenting
• Sleep
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Resilience and Stress Management, Anxiety

SPIRITUALITY

Spirituality can be a factor in your coaching process if it is important to you, for any reason. 

1. Do you want to work with someone whose current spiritual identity is similar to your own? (i.e. similar attitudes to religion, dogma, practice, etc)
2. Do you want to work with someone who can help you discern your own spiritual path?
3. Do you want a coach whose spiritual journey or perspective is one you can relate to?

CREDENTIALS

Credentials aren’t important to everyone, and they don’t have to be important to you. However, some credentials can be reassuring just because you know that the individual has put in some work to achieve the credential, and since coaching is not a regulated industry, there is nothing stopping anyone–including charlatans who are just great at sales and have no value to offer–from calling themselves a coach. So, while no credential is a guarantee of quality, many credentials offer evidence that the individual who holds them is not a flash-in-the-pan.

Further, with the coaching industry’s growth, many new and specialized credentials have emerged. Look for updated certifications that might be relevant to today’s coaching needs, such as those focusing on digital engagement or remote work dynamics. Also ensure ICF credentials are up-to-date.

1. What degrees does the individual hold? Masters or doctoral degrees in a field related to coaching can be beneficial.
2. What certifications does the individual hold? For coaching certifications, you can learn more online about what that coaching certification is about in order to understand more about the way the individual pursues coaching.
3. Is the individual credentialed by a professional body, such as the International Coaching Federation? The ICF offers three credentials to certified coaches:
   • ACC: Associate Certified Coaches have fewer than 500 hours of experience coaching and have completed an accredited coach training program. They have also passed a test, which included an observed coaching session.
   • PCC: Professional Certified Coaches have between 500 and 1200 hours of coaching experience as well as the training and testing that ACC coaches pass.
   • MCC: Master Certified Coaches have over 1200 coaching hours experience and have passed a master-level testing and review process.

I do hope you find these questions helpful, but remember: you really don’t have to thoroughly vet your choice. You can find yourself working with someone you would never have chosen on your own and still get tremendous value from the experience. There is no wrong choice as long as you respect each other and treat each other with dignity.

If you’d like to see how I shake out along these lines, you can read about me here.

See what others have said about me by reading testimonials here.

And if you’d like to talk about the possibility of working with me, check here for my contact info.