April 13, 2016
How to Choose a Great Coach Summary: The selection of coaches often still lacks a robust, structured process; here is a three-stage approach that can help. By: Paul Laughlin
The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) published a report titled ?Coaching for Success: The key ingredients for coaching delivery and coach recruitment.?Stage 1: Long-list to Short-list What experience of coaching does the coach have? (I could evidence my number of coaching hours and cite previous mentoring experience within a large corporation) Can the coach demonstrate an understanding of the leadership challenges in your industry? (I?ve found some clients value my experience in customer insight leadership or within the insurance industry) What training do they have? (I could evidence my ILM Level 7 qualification in Executive Coaching and Mentoring) What ethical standards do they work to? (I share with clients a copy of the AfC code of ethics and explain that I abide by that) What supervision does the coach have in place? (I use AfC/University of South Wales cocoaching forums) Stage 2: Getting down to the last few What coaching methodologies does the coach use, when and why? (my primary tools are active listening, Socratic questioning, goal-oriented models and, where relevant, positive psychology tools like Strength Finders) What price do they charge? (average fees can vary around the country, but between £100-250 per hour is typical; I normally charge £150 per hour) Stage 3: Final selection What does the coach he can achieve for the individual coachee/client? (this is where a free introductory meeting can help me clarify where I may be able to help or if another
intervention other than coaching might help more) What do they believe they can achieve for the organization? (it?s always worth doing your homework on an organization and discussing context with a client, before you can offer a view on this) Will the coach and the coachee/client get on? (at the end of the day, a lot comes down to personal chemistry, so I will meet up for a chat over a coffee and let us both assess if we feel it can work) I hope you find that helpful, especially if you are facing this challenge. The ILM also suggests that competency frameworks from leading global coaching bodies can help, but I like the clear simplicity of the above list. Has anyone found another approach to selecting a coach worked for them? Please share your experience. Paul Laughlin
[email protected] Paul Laughlin is the founder of Laughlin Consultancy, which helps companies generate sustainable value from their customer insight. This includes growing their bottom line, improving customer retention and demonstrating to regulators that they treat customers fairly.
