Sharpen your Edge with a Coach - How to Choose the Right Coach for You

In virtually every domain of high performance - athletics, music, art, academics, and business -- the most accomplished achievers maintain and sharpen their edge with expert assistance. Working with a good coach who is the right match for you will help you become more fully what you are capable of being.

When you are fitted for the right tennis racquet your racquet supports and even boosts your proficiency. Right?  And so it is working with a coach. Choosing the right coach for you will support you in becoming more fully what you are capable of being. My client, Marilyn, VP of HR, reports that she feels as though she is achieving more with less effort.

How to Choose the Right Coach for You

1. Self-honesty – Begin with reflecting on your level of openness, willingness to be supported and receive feedback, courage to reveal your assumptions or letting go of your limiting beliefs. Check your motivation for positive change. Your coach can help you grow these capacities, but if you are not supportable, you will not be coachable.

1. Vision – Determine what you want to accomplish. What are your personal objectives? What are your business objectives? What changes do you expect, intend or desire? Will you choose coaching as an investment in yourself and the development of your business? Coaching is a process that takes place over time, not an event.

1. Prepare – Establish your criteria for screening and interviewing. What is important to you: Credentials? Education? Coaching experience? References? Testimonials? Referrals? Industry experience? Philosophy? Approach? Your ideal candidate will have formal coach certification, entrepreneurial coaching experience, and business acumen. Read books about coaching. My two favorites are Masterful Coaching, by Robert Hargrove and Leadership from the Inside Out, by Kevin Cashman.

Check on line for a list of proven candidates. An excellent source is the coach referral service at the International Coach Federation (ICF), www.coachfederation.org, or a local chapter of ICF. Search for coaches with Professional Certified Coach, PCC, and Master Certified Coach, MCC, accreditation.

1. Empower – Your candidate is a professional. S/he is committed to achieving the best match on both sides. Be candid. Share who you are and what you want. Describe your goals and ask for their approach to coaching your situation. Invite their success and failure stories. Ask questions about their coaching style, philosophy and process. What are their fees, terms and policies? Ask about their background. Ask for a complimentary session and bring a real current issue to the coaching. As an entrepreneurial coach, I also appreciate this opportunity to discern if this would be a good client match for me. Professional coaches will refer, if they don’t feel it’s a good match.

Here are some capacities and abilities to look for in a coach. Was the coach:

• Fully present, focused on your agenda, and listening deeply?
• Asking questions that provoked deep reflection, increasing clarity, and leading to effective action?
• Providing direct feedback and additional perspectives?
• Holding a safe, supportive environment, free from judgment?
• Challenging and championing you to take risks and grow your business and leadership competencies?

1. Rapport – Narrow your selection to 2-3 candidates. Examine your level of respect, trust, and rapport. Look for strengths that augment yours. Avoid hiring yourself. You want a coach who will provide deep listening and caring as well as ask you the tough questions, challenge you to risk and stretch, and give you straight feedback.

You are more likely to take on these occasionally uncomfortable growth steps if you have a positive, trusting relationship with your coach. You want to choose a coach who will help you discover and develop your very best self--to achieve your results to the level of your highest satisfaction.

1. Clarity – You have made your choice. Now it’s time to design your working alliance. You are engaging in a partnership relationship. Clarity of roles is key and your coach will honor confidentiality.

Clarify your roles and responsibilities as well as the logistics. Where? When? How often? What happens if you miss an appointment? Help your coach orient with other key players in your life and work.

Think of your coach as a valuable tool. Working with an entrepreneurial coach is like using a paddle for your canoe. If you are floating down a river you will eventually arrive downstream, unless you get caught on a rock, or pulled into an eddy. With a paddle, you can direct your course and speed more effectively and avoid many of those obstacles.