Selecting A Professional Coach
For coaching to provide the greatest opportunity for learning and development you need to recruit the right coach, and agree a clear contract with goals that support successful business performance.
Before recruiting a coach, consider:
- Specific coaching goals:
- What, or how, would the coachee like to be different in their working lives ?
- What performance improvements are desired ?
- Does the individual understand why they might be offered coaching ?
- What is your budget ?
- How many coaching sessions might be ideal ?
- How will you measure success, and value for money ?
When selecting a Coach, consider whether they demonstrate evidence of the following:
Understanding Change and Organisations
- understanding business processes, and able to talk about the Coachee’s business issues
- understanding organisational change, including the social, economic and political reality, systems, and culture of the organisations they work with
Coaching Qualifications and an Understanding of Coaching Theories
- working with a wide variety of ideas, theories, and models that seem to be appropriate to particular individuals
- understanding and a broad knowledge of coaching theories including different approaches based on sound psychological theories and proven methods from the fields of coaching, counselling, psychotherapy, and organisational change
- being able to explain theoretical concepts underpinning coaching models
- qualifying to British Psychological Society level B, and working experience with several personality profiling tools, having completed specific qualification based training for each one
- appropriate training for each 360 degree feedback instrument they use
- keeping full client case notes
- reflecting on their own coaching processes and style
- attending coaching supervision (at least quarterly), in order to develop skills; learn from others; establish and reinforce best practice; and gain support through difficult issues
- investing in relevant training and Continuing Professional Development
Negotiating Clear Contracts
- analysing and assessing situations and issues accurately
- negotiating contracts with clear, realistic goals, and clarifying the number and duration of sessions, and fees
- ensuring confidentiality any reporting arrangements are clearly understood
- agreeing goals for each coaching meeting
Developing and Maintaining Effective Coaching Relationships
- building genuine relationships of equals working together to break old habits and produce creative solutions
- respecting diversity and promoting equal opportunities
- being capable of concentrated, effective listening for extended periods of time
- demonstrating empathy
Managing Professional Boundaries
- knowing when not to take on a client, for example if they’re personally close to the client
- recognising when a client’s issue is beyond the Coach’s competence (for example when the client requires referral to a specialist counsellor or technical expert)
Maintaining Confidentiality
- only disclosing a Coachee’s personal information where explicitly agreed with the Coachee and Sponsor, unless the Coach believes they could cause danger to themselves or others
Being Effective
- ensuring the duration of the coaching contract is only as long as is necessary for the Coachee/Sponsor
- operating according to a recognised Code of Ethics and Practice for Coaches (see EMCC)
- monitoring the effect of coaching on their clients
- helping the Coachee to achieve their goals, but not taking away personal responsibility for achieving the solution or outcome
- terminating coaching when the Coachee has received the help they sought, or when it’s apparent that coaching is no longer helping
- leaving Coachees feeling more accountable for their work and more able to learn, more powerful and more confident in their work.
These guidelines were informed by CIPD articles and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council Code of Practice.
| Download pdf questionnaire: | Professional Coach Selection |  |
| Get PDF Reader |  |
|