There is no one global governing body for coaching, yet! And there are many people who call themselves coaches – it’s not a regulated designation.
- Education and Experience – what education have they had in the field of coaching? Was it with an accredited training facility? How long have they been coaching? What other training have then had both within the fields of personal development and outside of that field? What has been their work and life experience?
- Qualifications and Credentials – what qualifications or credentials do they have? Are they certified? If so, with what institution? Was the coach referred to you by someone you know?
- Beliefs and Approach – what is the coach’s approach to development? What models and tools do they use? What are their beliefs about human development and learning?
- Intuition or Gut-Feel – ensure your research satisfies your logical or analytical self (head) and also assess how you feel about the coach’s website, approach and initial contact with you (heart). If your head and heart agree then that’s a good sign about working with someone.
- Know your needs and gaps – if you need a coach to keep you accountable then pick one that emphasizes that in their materials or in the discussion with you. If you need someone attune to your feelings they choose accordingly. The best coach for you might be someone very different from yourself or very similar to you.
- Continual Improvement – what training and development has the coach done since their certification or initial education? Do they have a coach themselves? Have they had supervision?
- Previous Clients – what experience or success has the coach had with people like you or with coaching topics of interest to you?
- Success – how does the coach measure success? What are they willing to share with you in terms of an unsuccessful coaching experience?
