- Coaching experience, number of individuals coached, years of experience, types of situations, why they chose to be a coach.
- Specific coach training, skills, experience, certifications, additional training and ongoing learning.
- Coaching specialties or type of clients they work with.
- General philosophy and style of coaching.
- The coach’s ability to listen to the underlying story and address in a variety of ways to meet your learning style.
- The manner is which they create a plan of action that will help you get to your desired outcome.
- Their coaching model, assessments they use and or process that will guide you through the process. Look for specific answers not vague generalities.
- Request coaching success stories, specific examples of individuals who have done well and examples of how they added value to their clients.=
- Assess their ability to listen and ask thought provoking questions that make you think and may even make you uncomfortable.
- Watch for the manner in which they hold congruency in their life. Do they walk their talk-how do they follow through, what is the “extra they provide”.
- Ask what professional resources and materials that they could include networking and research resources.
- Ask for references of other clients they worked with, listen to what others say regarding their reputation.
- Look for stylistic similarities and differences between the coach and you and how they might support your growth as an individual or the growth of your business.
- Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach’s specialty or the coach’s preferred way of working with an individual or team.
- Have a personal interview with one or more coaches to determine “what feels right” in terms of the chemistry.
- Find out what how the sessions are conducted, the frequency and cost.
- Talk with the coach about what to do if you ever feel things are not going well; make some agreements up front on how to handle questions or problems.
- Remember that coaching is a partnership; so be assertive about talking with the coach about anything that is of concern at any time.
