As a profession, the personal and business coaching industry is still sorting out best practices and standards. Even professional coaching organizations do not agree on the core competencies of a coach. Coach certifications can come of any one of several organizations, and the requirements all vary.
This is particularly unfortunate for the person charged with finding good coaches for his or her organization. There are no standard criteria for judging a coach’s value or worth. Perhaps, the most reliable indication would be past performance with other clients and organizations.
The problem is confounded by the fact that coaching borrows methods from a diverse background of academics and industries ranging from psychology, business, organizational development, human resources, and even sports. Some excellent Ph.D. level professionals trained in psychology may be suitable for some clients. A retired CEO or entrepreneur-turned-coach may be more suitable for others.
Here are some FAQs with answers before you jump into a coaching relationship:
1. Who are these people?
There are an estimated 20,000 coaches around the globe. You can check out some personal and business coaching websites at the 1,300 member Coach to Coach Network. Although coaching certificates are good things to look for, the most important credential a coach needs is your trust to help you get to that place of self-awareness.
2. What kind of coach is right for me?
Executive coaches, who typically work with executives in large firms and business owners in small companies, are brought in as (mostly) agenda-free surrogate mentors. That's become especially important in this mobile age when it's rare to find a lifelong veteran available to offer support and guidance.
Life coaches, on the other hand, are brought in to help people reorder their life to get to where they want to be. Making hard choices about what's important and paying attention to your intentions requires being listened to by a supportive, brainstorming and independent viewpoint.
3. Who needs a coach?
People seek out coaches for an infinite variety of reasons, but there are two typical coachees: people navigating some significant transition in their life or career and those who have some inkling that their leadership style or personality is holding them back.
FORTUNE magazine reported that one reader said, "I went into the coaching experience kicking and screaming, at the insistence of my then-boss. And what an eye-opener it turned out to be. I won't even go into the grim details of bad management habits I had unthinkingly developed in my 14-year career up to that point--but I will say that since I was 'cured' by 12 weeks of pretty intense coaching, I've been promoted three times."
4. What does coaching cost?
Executive coaching engagements typically cost upward of $6,000 per person over a set period of time and include a few face-to-face meetings followed by email and telephone discussions. To help develop executives internally, rather than look for outsiders, companies are often more happy to foot the bill to fix dysfunctional leaders. It is important for organizations to understand the return on investment (ROI) of executive coaching.
Some enterprising fast-trackers can and do shell out for their own advancement.
5. What should you expect?
Coaching is not a substitute for therapy and it's not business strategy. The clients do the heavy lifting. The coach guides the person being coached by asking the right questions. The client has to figure out what behavior needs to change and how best to change it.
6. Does coaching work?
People seeking coaching are self-selecting, so the answer is yes. However, it is best to maintain a guarded edge during the coach selection process to make a good match between what you want out of the coaching experience and the person who can guide you throughout the coaching process. For why many small business owners resist being coached, click here.
Source: Are You Being Coached? FAST COMPANY, February 2005
Choosing a coach should not be left to intuition, but many times it is. The interview process should center on previous experience and results. No matter what the coach’s background, he or she should have a high degree of self-awareness and an ability to work well with different personality styles while keeping an eye on behavioral changes and business results. The process of designing an effective coaching program does not end with the selection of a qualified coach who is a good fit with the corporate culture.
Coaching is a three-way partnership between the organization hiring the coach, the executive to be coached and the coach.
