Is Coaching for me, and if so, what do I look for in a professional / leadership coach?

Succeeding in a leadership role requires more than just bringing your A-game with knowledge, experience, and confidence from your prior experiences that got you to where you are today. You also need a deeper understanding of your strengths and blind spots, innovative approaches and ideas, and trusted advisors to safely explore ideas and hypotheses to achieve breakthrough results. This becomes especially true as the challenges become more nuanced, the solutions more sophisticated, and the stakes more consequential.

Leaders at any level can benefit from working with a coach. Coaches can be uniquely effective with:

• High potential leaders feeling “stuck” in their current role, unsure of how to take their track record of success and translate that into leading broader functions and teams.
• New executives working to establish themselves in their new role while potentially missing organizational, political, team, and broader industry or economic dynamics that threaten their long-term success.
• Executive and Senior level leaders navigating notable change, driving far-reaching results, and managing through major organizational or even personal inflection points.

What do I look for?

A great coach is not going to tell you what to do… they are going to help you discern that for yourself by asking tough questions, challenging you to think differently and explore new strategies, and join you on the journey to become a more effective leader. Finding the right coach for you is an important part of the process. Here are a few criteria to help you recognize the best fit.

• Alignment – Coaching is most effective when clients and coaches are clear about intentions. A great coach will help you define and clarify your goals, which should include both business outcomes as well as leadership effectiveness. It is important not just to like your coach, but to find a coach who can relate to your experiences, challenge you to grow and evolve, and stand beside you on your leadership journey as a trusted partner.

• Chemistry – does this person “get me”? This connection might include shared lived experience, values alignment, industry experience, or other common threads. Often it is just that – “chemistry” – which can be hard to define or discern, but having a strong connection enables you to be psychologically vulnerable and get the most out of your coaching experience. This is also a terrific opportunity to test their style to confirm it resonates with you – are they organized, and process focused if you appreciate that? Are they willing to be direct with you? Will they provide an effective balance of support, insights, and challenge?

• Accountability – A powerful experience with the right coach for you is one that should not be too comfortable. They should also challenge your perspectives, empower you to nurture your strengths, help you identify blind spots to enhance your leadership effectiveness, and lead you to a new level of consciousness to complement your competencies and confidence as a leader.

• Experience – Evaluating credentials, degrees, and training can be helpful, but only tell part of the story. Has this person worked with others like you, and do they have a frame of reference for the situations you find myself navigating? Are they able to relate to the politics of your organization? You may also want advice, in addition to coaching, and find yourself looking for counsel on business issues, strategy, organizational team alignment, or tactical problem solving. If this is the case, incorporate this intention into your due diligence in finding the best solution for you.

• Confidence and Trust – A positive coaching environment is one built on trust and confidentiality. A coach may include important context through discussions or joint meetings with your leadership, HR partners, mentors, or others. But they should demonstrate ethical coaching standards, including a confidentiality policy in their contract, and be willing to discuss their practices regarding sensitive information to reassure you that you can engage with them in confidence and trust.

I am ready for a coach – what’s next?

Coaching is a notable investment in yourself! Sometimes coaches are hired by a leader’s organization and sometimes leaders hire a coach directly. In either case, you may need to justify the investment in coaching and wonder about the process to move forward with a coaching engagement.

• Justify the investment with a rich ROI – You can find additional resources on the ROI of Coaching here. Organizations often invest in coaching for high potential leadership as well as executive team members.
• Seek out great candidates – Ask colleagues, senior HR leaders, and your network who they have worked with and what coach attributes they found most effective.
• Interview 2-3 different potential coaches – Meet with a couple of potential coaches with the criteria above in mind. Ask about their process, timing, and what to expect during the coaching engagement. If they use specific leadership assessment tools, learn why they have selected the tool(s) they have and how they are used in your coaching engagement.
• Select your coach – Review their statement of work, contract, and request references, if desired.
• Begin your coaching journey!