How to find a business coach using 8 incisive questions
You’ve just won a big promotion and now you want to know how to find a business coach to be ready to step into the role and get up to speed quickly. You’re concerned that your company’s culture has suffered from three years in cyberspace and you want to revitalize it. Or you’re dealing with a colleague who is talented but difficult to work with.
These are three of the many good reasons to engage a coach. But how do you find the one that’s right for you? You know that coaching is a completely unregulated profession, so how can you determine whether a coach can really help you to achieve your goals?
Lucky for you, two colleagues of mine, Julie Hess and Laura Daley, have just published a book that provides help for this challenge. “Do Your Best Coaching” is written to help coaches, but it includes a very useful list of interview questions for clients to ask when they want to hire a business coach:
What’s your coaching philosophy? I’m not crazy about this one. Many excellent coaches don’t have a clearly articulated philosophy. And even if they do, that philosophy probably won’t tell you very much about how they’re actually going to work with you or their strengths and weaknesses.
Have you worked with clients in my industry/function/situation before? This is a good question. While coaches may be helpful even if they haven’t worked with someone similar to you, when they have this background, they are likely to understand you, ask the right questions, and offer guidance more quickly.
Can you give me examples of working with someone in my role? Another good question. Full disclosure — sometimes professionals exaggerate their experience because they want the gig. Asking for specific examples can help you determine whether the coach really knows your landscape or not.
Tell me about a coaching engagement that went well. Great question. You’ll learn how this coach defines success and what tactics they employed to help the client get there.
Tell me about a coaching engagement that didn’t go well. Another great question. If the coach claims not to have any examples of failure or refuses to offer one, you’re probably dealing with someone who is overselling their expertise. A confident and experienced coach can talk openly about an engagement that failed. I once landed a job at a medical center because I presented a case study of a client with whom I had failed.
What makes for a successful coaching engagement? This is a question about tactics. How does this coach help the client to succeed? Do they prescribe homework? Do they talk with your boss? Are they available between sessions? I’m not suggesting that these are all requirements, but you and the coach should be on the same page about how you’re going to achieve your goals.
How do you measure success? I would listen for whether the coach focuses on vague, hard-to-measure outcomes, or whether they use clear, measurable metrics. Business leadership coaching is not just about feeling better. It’s about getting things done.
How much of my time will coaching take? Another good question. Most business leaders are busy. Being clear about expectations and scheduling will facilitate a productive coaching relationship.
There are many other good questions you may want to ask. Ask them! I’m shocked at how often prospective clients ask me very few questions.
Of course, chemistry is very important for a successful coaching relationship. It is critical that you trust your coach to have your back, you feel a sense of connection, and you see them as smart and knowledgeable. Working with the wrong coach can be unpleasant, wasteful and even destructive. Working with the right one can be transformative.
Looking for a good coach? You can check out the fit by contacting me at ggolden@gailgoldenconsulting.com.
