| 1. Do You Offer a Free Preliminary Coaching | | | | what it intends to measure. Reliability does not |
| Session? | | | | guarantee validity. To illustrate, a broken car |
| Even before you buy a shirt or pair of pants you | | | | speedometer is reliable (it always reads 0 miles |
| get a chance to try them on and see how they | | | | per hour), but it is not a valid measure of your |
| feel on you. Executive coaching is a process, not | | | | actual speed. Even reliable and valid assessments |
| an event. Coaching requires a long-term | | | | are only as good as the people using them. All |
| commitment. You must be able to establish a | | | | measures are composed of the true measure |
| comfortable rapport so that you can honestly | | | | plus error and no computer printout can capture |
| discuss your most challenging leadership issues. An | | | | all the unique qualities you posses as an individual. |
| experienced coach should be happy to meet with | | | | Good coaching assessments and tools are a way |
| you for a free 60 minute consultation. Clients | | | | to help deliver solid client information that allows |
| need to get a feel for a coach's style. Is it a | | | | for coaches to target areas in need of |
| highly structured process or is it customized for | | | | professional development. |
| each client? Many times clients mistakenly expect | | | | |
| a coach to have expert business knowledge | | | | 4. What Are Your Core Areas of Professional |
| about their own industry or profession. These | | | | Expertise? |
| clients are actually looking for a consultant, not a | | | | A good coach should be able to tell you how they |
| coach. The vast majority of executive coaches | | | | plan on helping you develop in a clear and easy to |
| are not content experts, they are development | | | | understand way. For example, I inform my clients |
| experts. Coaching is not the same as training, | | | | that I am an expert in human behavior and |
| consulting, or mentoring. Coaching is a unique | | | | emotional intelligence. I am not a content expert, |
| partnership where the coach, the client, and the | | | | such as an accountant or a chemist. My job is to |
| organization must all work together to mutually | | | | help clients develop the people skills they need to |
| define goals for the coaching engagement and the | | | | succeed. I help clients learn how to build and |
| benchmarks that will be used to show success. | | | | maintain solid relationships based on trust and how |
| | | | to deal with the conflict and problems inevitable |
| 2. How do you Coach Your Clients? | | | | with normal human interaction. I help clients |
| Some coaches have highly structured approaches | | | | develop methods that allow my clients to gain |
| and may only work with a client on a single issue | | | | more influence with others, establish credibility, |
| for a fixed length of time. For example, I know a | | | | and engage in honest and constructive conflict. |
| coach who only works on conflict management | | | | |
| and he meets with his clients for one hour per | | | | 5. Do you Use an Executive Coach Yourself? |
| week for 12 consecutive weeks. He is | | | | Professionals should practice what they preach. If |
| laser-focused and his approach is prescriptive. He | | | | an executive coach thinks coaching is an excellent |
| teaches the client how to use his own conflict | | | | tool for your professional development, then |
| method to solve all conflicts they face. Other | | | | shouldn't they be using it themselves? It amazes |
| coaches are totally unstructured and use a | | | | me how many coaches have never been coached |
| broadly focused conversational approach where | | | | themselves, but feel perfectly competent to |
| they constantly switch focus to match the client's | | | | coach others. This is always a red flag. Being on |
| current issues. This type of coaching may work | | | | the receiving end of coaching relationships is |
| quite well with clients who have a high degree of | | | | essential to help coaches learn how to more |
| emotional intelligence and are able to clearly | | | | effectively empathize with their clients and deliver |
| verbalize their own development needs. | | | | feedback in a way that is constructive, but |
| Most coaching engagements consist of three core | | | | always supportive. |
| elements. First an interview with the client and | | | | |
| organization to decide where coaching is needed, | | | | 6. Do you Have a List of Past Clients I Can |
| Second, assessments to determine where the | | | | Contact? |
| client is doing well and where they have areas in | | | | Executive coaches respect a client's confidentiality. |
| need of professional development. Assessments | | | | But, in the business world, all professionals |
| also answer the question that most clients want | | | | understand that referrals are an important part of |
| to know, "How am I doing compared to most | | | | attracting new business. I ask my former and |
| other executives at my level?" Many coaches also | | | | current clients if I can have their permission to |
| use 360 degree assessment instruments that | | | | have prospective clients call them to talk about |
| provide multi-rater feedback so that a client can | | | | their experience with the coaching process and |
| see how their leadership skills are rated by their | | | | how I work with them as a coach. If a coach is |
| boss, peers, and direct reports. Multi-rater | | | | unwilling to give you a list of references, it may |
| feedback helps clearly define self-assessed skill | | | | be that they have just started coaching or they |
| gaps and often reveals a client's "blind spots." | | | | have not yet built up a solid reputation that has |
| Finally, a development plan must be created to | | | | given them a robust list of references and |
| build a bridge between where the client is now | | | | testimonials. If a coach is honest and tell you that |
| and where they need to develop professionally. | | | | they are new to the profession and you feel that |
| | | | you have a good fit with them, then maybe you |
| 3. Do you Use Reliable and Valid Professional | | | | should go ahead and give them a try. Remember, |
| Assessments? | | | | everyone has to start someplace. But if you get |
| Many coaches use assessments that require no | | | | the feel that they are trying to come off as |
| special training or qualifications. Often these | | | | something they are not, trust your gut and |
| "internet" assessments are poorly researched and | | | | interview a different coach. |
| offer no real value to the client, but they do allow | | | | 7. Do you Offer a Trial Coaching Period? |
| the coach to charge assessment additional fees. | | | | Let's face it, it takes a few meetings to know if |
| Reliability refers to whether an assessment | | | | you and your coach have a good fit and are going |
| produces repeated and consistent results when | | | | to be able to work well together. An executive |
| used with similar types of people. No assessment | | | | coach with experience and competence should be |
| is 100% reliable, but coaches should be able to | | | | willing to allow you a money-back trial period. Most |
| communicate this clearly and in a way that you | | | | coaches will offer their clients a trial coaching |
| can understand. For example the Myers-Briggs | | | | period. However, it is not reasonable to expect |
| Type Indicator is reliable, even though about 25% | | | | coaches to refund expenses (travel, parking, |
| of the people who take it twice will change their | | | | books) or the cost of any professional |
| type after the 2nd administration. Validity refers | | | | assessments that they may have already |
| to whether an assessment is truly measuring | | | | administered, scored, and interpreted. |