Coaching
Guide to Hiring a Coach
Mary knew it was time to make some big
changes in her life. Her catering business
was becoming much more popular, yet she
wasn’t seeing the profit she wanted. She
was working 60-hour weeks and her husband
complained he never saw her. On top of
that, she felt guilty about not giving
her children more attention. The dream
of having a business that would enhance
her life was become a ball and chain that
was consuming every aspect of her life.
She'd heard of the value of working with
a coach and decided it was worth giving
it a try. The results couldn't have been
more rewarding! Through coaching she quickly
learned to change her self-sacrificing
ways and take time to replenish herself
so that she could focus on the important
things in her life. She realized it was
time to raise her fees and to hire an
assistant. Through evaluation of her business
needs she was able to streamline much
of her operations as well. This freed
her up to focus on steering the business
in the direction that would serve her
life best. She spends a lot more time
with her family now and even has time
for friends. And, of yes, she's making
more money than ever before.
People often pursue coaching because
they want to have a more fulfilling family
life, meaningful success, and a sense
of purpose. Or perhaps they have a specific
goal such as: improving professional skills,
increasing sales, streamlining business,
finding their soul mate, or increasing
confidence. There are coaches who specialize
in all these areas and many more.
Obviously, all coaches are not the same.
We’ll go over the three-step process to
find the coach who’s right for you:
- Develop a list of good potential candidates.
- Ask questions that satisfy all your
concerns.
- Hire from your heart.
1. Develop a list of good potential
candidates.
Ask for names from satisfied friends
and colleagues. Considering the fact that
coaching is still new in this area, you
may have difficulty finding people who’ve
actually been in coaching for any length
of time. But believe me, you are only
a few steps away from people who know
coaches. Ask everyone you know for names.
Ask what they really think of that particular
coach. Is she or he someone they would
trust to help them make important decisions?
What is their gut feeling about the person?
Is the person trustworthy and knowledgeable?
Take the very good to glowing reports
and add them to your list. You can also
gather names from the International Coaching
Federation, or from Coach University’s
referral system
Believe it or not, it's not always necessary,
and sometimes its not even wise, to hire
a coach who has direct experience with
your business. Most of us have access
to industry specific information; what
you're probably lacking in is objective
guidance. An objective perspective may
prove to be extremely valuable.
For example, I've had a few financial
consultants as clients, but have no experience
in the field and really do not see myself
as financially savvy in the least. Yet
these people hired me to help them become
more successful in general, not as a consultant
for their business. I did help them improve
their businesses as well, but not with
my financial expertise (of course, I’m
quite clear about what I do and do not
know). Yet, a man I was helping through
the coach hiring process (someone too
close for me to coach), was very specific
about his needs for business expertise
and hired someone who had an extensive
business background in his area. He knew
he did not understand the industry he
wanted to pursue and needed guidance.
When lacking advanced knowledge in your
field and pursuing promotion in that field,
it would probably be best to procure a
coach with that specific expertise. In
any event, be clear about what it is you
want from this coach. And keep in mind,
most people come to coaching seeking business
help and then find it far too valuable
in terms in personal fulfillment to just
focus on the business piece. Frankly,
my personal bias is that one cannot separate
the two. Isn't your business supposed
to be serving your life? And aren't you
much more effective when you love what
you do and enjoy your personal life as
well?
Though not always a requirement, it's
a good idea to be sure the coach has had
formal coach training. The two most prominent
coach training programs are Coach University
and Coach Training Institute. After graduation,
coaches can go on to earn certification
through their alma mater and/or the ICF
(remember International Coaching Federation).
There are also a number of specialized
certification programs, which may be of
interest for your particular requirements.
For example, some coaches have special
training to work with Attention Deficit
Disorder, singles, couples, young people,
corporate types, etc. If the person has
not had specific coach training, I'd be
skeptical, but not necessarily rule the
person out. I personally utilized the
services of one coach for almost two years
who was not formally trained, but had
such impressive experiences in related
areas and was so helpful to me it was
well worth it. There are a very few people
who fall into that category, but be especially
careful and be sure to compare these to
formally trained coaches as well. You
could be missing a delightful treat in
working with someone who really knows
what they are doing. With the right coach,
you may even experience a sort of magic
at being really heard and acknowledged.
This is one of the true benefits. The
comparison step should not cost you anything
as most coaches are willing to offer a
complimentary session. Take advantage
of that.
There is a distinction between coaches
and consultants and its important for
you to understand what that is. There
are many consultants who use the term
coach to describe themselves and yet what
they offer is consulting. Consulting is
valuable and usually offered by someone
who has had extensive experience in a
specialized field. That person can be
extremely valuable for your specific needs.
But that is not coaching. Coaching creates
an atmosphere in which one can make personal
improvements, which lead to gains in the
business arena as well. Coaching elicits
growth in people, consulting transfers
information. Coaches can offer information
as well, but it is not the primary method.
The gains in coaching can be felt in many
areas from a reduction in stress, improved
performance, and improved relationships.
It even reverberates to co-workers, subordinates
and supervisors. I once worked with a
dynamic individual who was Vice President
of Sales at a very dysfunctional company.
Over time, with the help of the skills
she gained through coaching, she was able
to help affect a major change in the culture
of the entire company!
2. Ask questions that satisfy
all your concerns.
Before doing the complimentary coaching
session, ask yourself what it is you hope
to accomplish through coaching so that
you can be clearer during this discovery
phase. As noted above, most coaches will
offer a complimentary session. You'll
want to take advantage of this to test
out the process, which is not the same
as the questioning phase. Be sure to do
both. Choose your questions to reflect
your own needs. Here are some sample questions:
- What background do you have?
- What direct experience do you have
regarding what I need to accomplish
or resolve?
- Who else have you coached in a similar
situation, and what happened with them?
- If I were a client, what suggestions
or strategies would you offer?
- What is your general philosophy about
coaching?
- What is your personal style? Aggressive
or passive? Patient or driven?
- What is your biggest strength, and
why? How will it help me?
- Would you want to work with me? Why?
How do you know?
- What question should I have asked
you that I did not?
- How much advance notice for canceling
an appointment do you require?
- If I feel that I need more than once-a-week
coaching, how much extra does that cost?
- May I speak to a few of your former
or current clients?
3. Hire from your heart
The most important factor in hiring
a coach is whether you feel this person
connects with you. Did they understand
you? Do you feel this person will be able
to help you with your goals and has the
ability to support you in achieving them?
The most credentialed coach does not get
every client. And this is the most important
aspect for you in coaching and the piece
that will forward you the most. You must
feel the coach gets you. Emphasis here
is deliberate. The coach needs to get
who you are and what you want. If they
don't, walk away. I once did a session
with a very prominent, highly credentialed
coach, which was not helpful. I know this
man has been of great value to many people.
He just wasn't right for me. Your gut
is most relevant at this stage. Do you
feel this person can help you ALOT? Did
you feel there was a sort of magic in
talking to this person? Are you ready
for some big improvements in your life?
Do you feel you'll more easily accomplish
these improvements because of your partnership
with this person? Are you excited (or
perhaps scared) of working with this person?
If so, it's an excellent bet this coach
will help you make your dreams come true.
Gerri Ratigan, Professional and Personal
Coach, can be reached at 518 279-4283
or gerri@coachgerri.com
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