Getting the most out of coaching – top 10 tips

Choosing a coach isn’t always easy, even when you have a recommendation from a trusted source.  What’s right for one person isn’t necessarily right for another, even if you have done your homework and taken up references. 

 Here are our top ten tips to help you make the right decision

1. Above all else, choose someone who you can get on with. Coaching is a relationship and at least half of what makes it work is the quality of that bond. Find a coach who has some warmth and who welcomes you for who you are.
2. Ask about evaluation. Good coaches measure the impact of what they do.
3. Find a coach who looks like they care. They don’t have to be overflowing with it but you will soon tire of meeting someone who seems to have little compassion.
4. Don’t try and use coaching as stigma-free therapy unless you know that your coach is also a trained counselor or psychotherapist. If you want a therapeutic style of coaching and your coach can genuinely offer this, then ask for it.
5. Find someone who you can explore your emotions with. If you couldn’t face the thought of being angry or crying in front of that person, they probably aren’t the right coach for you. It’s not that strong emotions always surface in coaching but they often do.
6. Work with someone is willing to say sorry if they get it wrong. We all make mistakes and coaches are no exception. If you get the impression that you would-be coach will blame every failure on you not fully engaging with their process, beware.
7. If you like to be challenged, find a coach who will challenge you.
8. Find out if your coach has perspectives beyond the world of coaching, if these are things that are important to you. It could be their knowledge of wellbeing, their politics or even their faith. Sometimes these matter.
9. If you want in the moment feedback from your coach, find one who will provide this. Not getting feedback if you want it can be really frustrating.
10. Pick someone who embodies the values that matter to you. Try and find someone who conveys hope and positivity.

If you would like more advice about choosing a coach or you would like to book a coaching session, contact us.

Article Info:
Published: Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 at 11:00
Category: Coaching, Development