The 4 Questions You Must Ask When Hiring a Coach

What do you look for when choosing a coach?

In the last article we discussed two kinds of coaches:  1) there are life coaches, who have taken classes and are certified in coaching techniques, and 2) there are recognized experts (ranging from “gurus,” to Internet Marketers, to Professional Speakers) in their respective fields. The latter group tend to be more straight business consultants, rather than true coaches, and there is a difference.

The thing about coaching is that you connect with different people differently. Certain people are better at some things than they are at others. Some people are better writers than they are speakers. (And on the flip side of that, I know some popular radio show hosts who never should’ve written books!). People who are professional speakers are not necessarily good coaches, and they are not necessarily specialized in any given area! So if you think about all of the people who represent themselves as a                  “Speaker/Author/Coach” there are actually very few who are good at all of those things!

The coaching label is very popular these days, but not all clients and coaches are a good fit! Some people who claim to be “coaches” have very poor interpersonal skills and do not relate well to others. Even if they might be an “expert” in a given area, is this someone you want to work with? Do they respect you? One of my clients had a bad experience with a known “guru” who spouted off at the mouth – you can read about it here.

Then there is the even rarer hybrid of coaches who may have business or other experience from a previous career (who aren’t necessarily online marketers), who have also been through “coach school” and who are trained in coaching techniques. These coaches possess the soft skills – the actual coaching skills –to help people sort through any underlying emotional issues (including fear, paralysis, doubt, self-esteem, and limiting beliefs, etc.) that may come up during a coaching session in a loving caring way. How many “gurus” or “experts” are actually life coaches, or have the patience to deal with those issues?

There are also different levels of and niches of coaches – there are life coaches, there are business coaches, there are executive coaches, etc. So when picking a coach, ideally what you want is someone who has done what you are trying to do, and/or who specializes in a certain area and who coaches clients in that area on a daily basis. Most business consultants, experts, speakers, and people who do other things are not focused on being a coach in this way.

So here are four (4) questions you should ask yourself when thinking about hiring a coach:

1)      Do they have heart and integrity? In other words, do they genuinely care about you and want to help you, or do they just see you as a walking dollar sign?

2)      Have they done what you want to do? Or, if they’re a new (or newer) coach, do they have previous experience in that area (ie. running a business if you are looking for a business coach)?

3)      Are they committed to their clients? Do they share your vision?

4)      Can they teach? Many people are very capable, but can’t necessarily teach what they do or a process to others!

5) Now I ask you – is there anything to add to this list? What do you look for when hiring a coach?