What to look for in a Leadership Coach

It’s always interesting when my clients tell me about their experience finding a coach. Recently, I’ve heard some disheartening stories about experiences with coaches who aren’t positive representations of the profession. If you’re looking for a coach, I don’t want you to go in blind. Whether you’re an individual or organization looking to hire an Executive Leadership Coach, here are some things to look for: 

 

Being ICF (International Coaching Federation) credentialed generally means two things to you: #1) the coach has proven their ability to coach using the ICF’s methodology for making real, proven impact with clients and they are experienced coaches; #2) the coach adheres to the ICF Code of Ethics and there is an Ethics Assist Line to report any compliance-related concerns. This is important to note because while it’s an unregulated industry that is becoming more legitimized, many Fortune 500 companies and government contracts require Executive Coaches to hold ICF certification. 

 

A coach who believes in the power of coaching and invests in their own professional development this way is a strong representation of the profession. 

 

Are they flexible or do they force clients into rigid programs? Examine their scheduling and cancellation policies.  Do they treat clients like adults and respect individual needs? For instance, if a client is having a bad day and isn’t in the headspace for a coaching session, what is the coach’s policy around the person cancelling the same day? It’s my personal philosophy that I don’t want a client to feel forced into a coaching session when they aren’t in the right headspace to do it. A coach should be putting your needs and development first. 

 

A good coach genuinely believes in your potential and assumes positive intent. They believe you are wholly capable and resourceful. 

 

When I was a leader, I was very much a “lead by example” leader. Now that I’m a coach, role modeling highly-effective behavior that I coach on is still very important to me. Here are some different ways I model highly-effective behavior: I have my own coach, I’m continuously learning and developing myself, I exhibit vulnerability and humility, I’m genuine and sincere, I don’t shy away from giving constructive feedback and having difficult conversations, I set boundaries, and I take responsibility and admit to mistakes. When interviewing coaches, ask them how they lead by example. 

 

Coaches should be able to describe their temperament, demeanor, and disposition to you. They should also use it as an opportunity to describe their coaching style. Are they more laid-back? Are they more direct and assertive? Are they thoughtful and sensitive? Do they actively listen to you and are they seeking to understand or are they consistently pushing their own agenda onto you?  How do they use their temperament in coaching and giving feedback? For example, I describe myself as “warm and collaborative” and am always looking for the opportunity in things. Honesty is my number one VIA strength, so I don’t shy away from chances to provide constructive feedback, but I also do it in a very conversational way. 

 

Coaching is about increasing our own understanding and approaching things with a growth mindset. I’m a firm believer that coaches should always be learning and refining their skills – about the current state of the workplace, the internal and external challenges facing leaders right now, and coaching practices and methodologies. Being a lifelong learner is a natural tendency of mine. I’m regularly reading industry publications and attending webinars and coaching programming. I jump at any chance I can get to learn more about what people are experiencing in the workplace. 

 

When I go into an engagement, I like to understand how the person feels they learn best and try to tailor accordingly. In addition to one-on-one coaching sessions and Hogan assessments, I also provide options to do shadowing – live or by reviewing recorded meetings and/or email review where my client blind copies me on emails that they send. These are impactful opportunities for more comprehensive development. In sessions, I use different exercises and techniques such as case studies, role playing, visualizing, and more. 

 

One last thing – working with a coach is now seen as a very positive thing (by most open-minded people). It shows that you are role modeling growth behavior for team members and it normalizes learning and development. Professional sports players utilize mindset / mental performance coaches regularly. In the past, Oprah and other celebrities have recommended coaching as a necessity for success. The Financial Times published an article within the last few years titled “Having a coach was once a sign of weakness in business. But now it is like an athlete using a trainer.”