how to find a Life/personal COACH?

To me, there are a few important characteristics that make coaching coaching:

• Agenda comes from a client
• Coach and coachee are equal
• Coach should not tell you what to do and should not provide unsolicited advice
• Client does most of the talking (80% to 20% ratio, can slightly differ per session)
• Coaching is not a therapy, it is not mentoring or consulting

 
International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”, which nicely encompasses its most crucial elements.
 
Coaching, unfortunately, is still a bit of a “wild west” field with no centralized body that controls who can call herself/himself a coach. You have probably seen plenty of ads of life, relationship, wellness or executive coaches. So how do you look for a perfect match?

How to find a (great, solid, good,...) coach?

Research has proven that it is mainly a trustworthy relationship between the coach and client that makes it a successful coaching trajectory[1]. Some of you may have the resources and time to do some “coaches speed dating”. However, it can be a draining process to explain yourself AGAIN and AGAIN to a new person, so it might be a good idea to do some research in advance. What is essential to look out for prior to booking a coaching session?

• experience
• certifications/courses*
• recommendations: ask your friends/colleagues if they can suggest someone
• testimonials (though still I would ask around first, some testimonials on coaches' sites are unfortunately not legit, but have been created for marketing purposes)
  

 
Remember that the first coaching meeting should always be free anyway. It is usually called a “chemistry”/ “look-see” session. Don't be tricked by coaches making it their selling point.
 
*ICF accreditation indicates a high quality of coaching. However, interestingly, there is no empirical evidence that the coach’s competencies approved by ICF actually work[2].

[1] Lai, Y-L. & McDowall, A. (2014). A systematic review (SR) of coaching psychology: Focusing on the attributes of effective coaching psychologists. International Coaching Psychology Review. 9. 120-136.
 
[2] Boyatzis, R., Smith, M. L. & Van Oosten, E. (2019). Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth. Boston: Harvard Press Review.
 

Leave a Reply.