What To Look For When Finding A Coach

Before picking a coach who may or may not be effective, let’s look at a few things you’ll want to make sure they can offer.
searching online for a coach

What To Look For When Finding A Coach

If you’ve decided to find yourself a coach, you may be searching online with words like “coach near me,” “business coaching help” or “executive coaching class,” and finding that the results are… underwhelming. Not only are you not sure if the coaches you’re finding online are qualified, but you’re also not sure what makes a coach qualified in the first place.

Is it life experience? Is it a roster of famous clients? Is it a swanky website?

The answer, as you might’ve guessed, is no. Finding a coach who is reputable and effective does require knowing a little bit about executive coaching—so before signing up for a course that may or may not be helpful, let’s look at a few things you’ll want to make sure your coach can offer. 

What to look for when finding a coach

The most important aspect of a coaching relationship is trust. Without it, it’s impossible to achieve any real progress together. But how do you establish trust with your coach? Here’s what to look for in coaching programs that foster trust. 

1. High frequency of contact

In order for a coaching program to be truly effective, there needs to be a high frequency of contact between you and your coach. This ensures you’re constantly exploring goals, tackling problems and making measurable progress.

Most importantly, without a high frequency of contact, you and your coach won’t reach a deeper level of trust. You need to talk frequently with your coach so that they understand your specific challenges and help you move past them. 

What does frequent contact look like in practice? A great coaching program should offer more than just weekly calls with a coach. The best coaching programs offer frequent calls AND some form of additional contact, such as a messaging app, a journaling platform, or another way to keep in touch. 

2. Depth of contact

Not only should you be in touch with your coach frequently, but you also want a coach who is willing to encourage a deeper level of contact. That means you’ll need to feel comfortable sharing elements of both your personal and professional life with your coach, and your coach should create an environment where you feel okay doing so. 

If your coach feels too restrained, distant, antagonistic or disengaged, then you’re not going to create the kind of relationship that fosters your success. 

3. Less updates, more explorations

“So what have you been up to lately?” 

That’s the LAST thing you want your coach to ask when you’re on a call. In a great coaching program, your coach should already know what you’ve been up to. That way, you don’t have to waste time filling them in on the details of your life, and you can instead use your precious time together to explore new ideas. 

If your coach always seems disconnected from your life story during your sessions, then it’s time to find a new one.

4. Quick results

“You won’t see results right away.” Yeah, okay—that may apply to therapy, where you’re untangling lots of thorny past experiences. But when it comes to coaching, you should feel rapid and remarkable results in how you live your life. 

The best coaching programs are front-loaded, which means they’re intense right from the start. Instead of a two-year long course with once-monthly calls, look for a 10 week course with weekly calls and daily support. These are the kinds of courses that will have the greatest impact on your life, career and goals. 

5. Fresh perspectives

The best coaches don’t just make you act differently… they help you think differently. When in a truly effective executive coaching program, you’ll find yourself thinking new thoughts, and those thoughts will lead to the behaviors and outcomes you really want. 

Questions to ask when finding a coach 

To get the kind of coaching described above, you’ll want to ask the following questions of any potential executive coach you encounter. Here are some questions to ask when finding a life coach:

  • How long is your executive coaching program?
  • How often will I be in touch with my coach?
  • Will I be in touch with my coach over phone, email, text or another medium?
  • Will I have additional ways to get in touch with my coach?
  • Is there a journaling component to your coaching program?
  • How quickly do clients see results from your coaching program?
  • What does an average coaching call consist of?
  • Will my coach focus on my past, or will they explore uncharted territory with me?

The best way to get these questions answered is to book a free call with a coaching service you trust. Get in touch with us today to learn about the way we run our executive coaching program.

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