You're considering executive development. How do you know if a coach is right for you?

Jeremy landete als Jugendlicher im Gefängnis, er hatte eine unbehandelte ADHS und war ausser Kontrolle. Nach 5 Jahren im Gefängnis hat er mich angerufen und gefragt, ob ich ihm helfen kann, sein Leben in den Griff zu bekommen, damit er sein Potenzial ausschöpfen kann. Ich habe ihn unterstützt, er hat die Berufsmatura gemacht und dann an der Fachhochschule studiert. Menschen zu helfen, ihr Potenzial zu sehen, auszuschöpfen und zu vergrössern, so dass sie aufblühen und die Welt verändern – das ist ein gutes Coaching.

A coach is someone who helps you go faster, farther, and more effectively toward a specific goal, so make sure your problem is exactly what that coach solves for.

In my experience coaching is an opportunity to work with an individual or team to achieve success at a higher level. To push into the realm of possible through the noise by leveraging one’s intrinsic motivator(s).

For me, coaching is giving guidance and support to individuals so that they could reach their full potential, whether it's in academics or personal development. Me being a Lead Student Mentor, Course Representative and Student Ambassador at Nottingham Trent University, I am likely to play a vital role in providing guidance, assistance and motivation to fellow students to help them succeed in the academics as well as personal endeavours.

Coaching goes beyond just achieving goals or improving specific skills; it's about uncovering your blind spots and unlocking your full potential. While enhancing leadership skills and accomplishing goals are important, the real value of coaching lies in gaining profound self-awareness and insight into your thought patterns and behaviors. A coach serves as a mirror, reflecting back areas for growth and helping you navigate through obstacles with clarity and confidence. By delving into limiting beliefs and behaviors, coaching empowers you to break free from self-imposed limitations and step into your authentic leadership style.

“Need” is a strong word and generally identifies from a place of lack, so if someone needs a coach then someone doesn’t think they can do the job - or worse they lack the self confidence. So, why do you want a coach? How do you want to feel when you have a coach? What do you want at the end of coaching. It’s not work that is simply a means to an end, it’s transformational so I’d encourage you to understand your own why.

One needs a coach to discover, reinvent, rewire one's own blind spots, get those gentle nudges to push and go beyond boundaries, and more importantly to find solutions. One needs coach, when in doubt to recentre oneself, rediscover oneself with confidence

A coach is more like an experienced and knowledgeable Travel Guide, who can make your journey more fulfilling and successful. -Just like a guide helps you navigate new places, a couch can help you develop and refine skills. -Like a guide who make you stick to the schedule, a Coach can hold you accountable to the goals and committments so that you stay on track -Just as a travel guide helps you set realistic travel goals , coach assists you in setting meaningful goals and developing a roadmap to achieve them. -A travel guide provides feedback on your experiences, similarly a coach gives you constructive feedback to improve your approach A coach gives you Emotional support, celebrates You and inspires you to achieve your goals

Growth, in a word. Personal and professional. Sports teams need a coach. Sports leaders like quarterbacks have another, specialized coach. Coaches stretch your perspectives and understanding and accelerate your growth.

In my experience finding a coach begins with trust in the individual providing the feedback has your interests at heart and will tackle the hard questions/observations in a constructive manner while not backing down when challenged

Finding the right coach is like finding the most comfortable chair for significantly long working hours. There is no prescriptive formula to find one. Some coachees may try out a number of coaches at different stages of their lives till they settle for one or in some cases more than one. While there are no typical parameters to pick and choose a coach, it's extremely important to find a person who resonates with you, who is equally passionate in the same or related field, but has no conflict of interest. You must find someone who calls a spade a spade.

Finding a suitable coach can be a crucial step in personal or professional development. Here are some steps to help you find a coach: 1. Define Your Goals: 2. Research and Referrals: 3. Identify Coaching Specialization: 4. Interview Potential Coaches: 5. Check Credentials and Experience: 6. Trust and Rapport: 7. Establish Expectations:

Selecting a coach involves finding someone who shares your values and can serve as a reliable advisor on your journey to success. A coach essentially becomes an extension of yourself, offering guidance and support along the way.

Finding a coach is not an easy task as it needs a lot of clarity within yourself. One needs to understand what are they looking to solve and then find a coach who has the approach/strategy that can solve that issue. Understand the plan and the steps you’ll be taking to reach the final outcome. However there is a catch too don’t get into over understanding the process as too much of analysis leads to decision paralysis. Understand if the key steps will solve the issues and move forward with trust on the coach to help you achieve that.

A coaching relationship requires a commitment. It also requires honesty and the ability to view questions as curiosity, not criticism. Between sessions, you should also do the work. Reflect on the session. Implement any changes. Complete any "homework" and return with things to celebrate or things to investigate further.

Typically is that the coach and coachee meets for a single session or a defined number of sessions. In relation to the situation and topic, which the coachee wants to work with. A goal definition is relevant, what is it that the coachee wants to change or archive. In general a session has a duration between 45 and 90 minutes. A session is like a dialogue, where the coachee is in focus. It can be described like an interview, where the coach asks several questions about the coachee, the thoughts and reflections of the coachee. Based on the dialogue, the coachee will step by step create own clarification and to be successful write the next steps and to do‘s down. As a plan.

How you work with a coach may vary from coach to coach. Often my clients come to their sessions with their own agenda, but I have my own agenda for when they don't bring theirs. Each coach will be different in how they operate. Some, like me, may use assessments to help clarify where you might want to put some attention, but every coach should collaborate with you to help you create a development plan that suits you. Allow the coach to guide the engagement (but avoid coaches who don't spend time with you at the outset setting goals and a development plan to reach those goals), and voice any concerns along the way. The coaching relationship is co-created; you both have a responsibility to show up and give your best in each session.

1. Setting confidentiality rules 2. Being authentic 3. Being open and courageous 4. Taking ownership 5. Ensure you and your coach monitor progress 6. Be transparent with your coach what is working for you and what is not

Ironically, working with an executive coach may be a great way to decide that you *don't* want to move into executive leadership. By talking through the pros and cons and identifying the actions to take to move you through executive development, you may discover that it's not for you. Then you can recalibrate and course correct... and potentially find another path that suits you better. Sometimes, as they say, the best deals are the ones that never happen.

I’m not sure I like the term “evaluating a coach” itself. I would call it “how do you know that your coach is a match” Regardless, I would think is like finding your significant one: part of it is to feel the magical “chemistry” and a personal connection. The second part of it, is that you both build trust and you as a coachee find the space (and the silence) to open up and have a meaningful conversation that help you to grow, triggers “aha moments” like stepping stones of your journey of growth and realization.

Evaluating a coach is a multi pronged approach. I think the personal chemistry and connection you feel with the coach is vital. -A positive and comfortable relationship is essential for effective coaching. -Check out his coaching style, his credentials, testimonials. -A good coach should demonstrate empathy and emotional intelligence. They should be able to understand your perspective, validate your feelings, and provide support. -Consider whether the coach's values align with yours. -Assess the coach's flexibility and adaptability. A good coach should be able to tailor their approach to your unique needs and circumstances

Do a chemistry call. Talk with the potential coach and determine whether you would enjoy and trust working with this person. Trust your gut. In case of doubt, it is a “no”.

Testimonials is a good starting point . And most coaches offer a free chemistry / discovery / resonance call so that the client can see if a coach brings up trust and confidence in them.

Evaluating a coach is fairly straightforward. You can’t know if a coach is any good until you meet them. In that first meeting they either deliver value or they don’t. Then you know whether any further meetings are worthwhile. And so it continues throughout the relationship.

A coach is not your problem solver. For any one looking to develop their skills, build more awareness, reflect, plan, strategies, vent, explore different options, share honestly and openly, trust, and grow, a coach can help. Expecting a coach to solve your problems is like going on eBay to buy a perfect body 😅 A coach is your collaborative partner and it’s a two way street. The greatest moment during a coaching call is when there is new awareness, opportunity, realization, determination and motivation. I am unable to describe how these things happen, but to me to feels like magic. That’s why a coach chooses who to work with, just as a coachee does.

You need to think about what you would like to get out of coaching, what do you want to focus on? When finding and selecting a coach you should look for a chemistry call or meeting, an informal conversation to get to know each other and find out more about the coaching process, what the coach has in terms of experience, knowledge and skills, before you commit.

Trust your instincts and intuition when selecting a coach. Choose someone with whom you feel comfortable, respected, and understood. Schedule an initial consultation or discovery session to discuss your goals, expectations, and concerns and gauge your compatibility with the coach before committing to a coaching relationship. Additionally, establish clear expectations and agreements regarding confidentiality, communication frequency, and progress evaluation to ensure a productive and mutually beneficial coaching experience.

Because of the nature itself of a coaching exercise, there is no such thing of one coach fits all, it is a very sensitive topic but the truth is that you might have to try different ones before finding the best one for you and your needs. It might be also the case that you need different sessions with him/her to allow him/her to adapt the approach to your personality ( and viceversa ). Managing expectations on both sides is key and hence it is probably the first conversation to be had. Leaving the ego at the door is another key aspect to take the most of an interaction with a coach. Find more than one, give it a try,my first experience was at HBS which provides life-long coaching services to its Alumni, since then I regularly give and take.

Another important aspect to consider when choosing an executive coach is their ability to challenge and stretch you outside of your comfort zone. A great coach will push you to explore new perspectives, confront limiting beliefs, and take bold actions to achieve your goals. Look for a coach who demonstrates a balance of support and challenge, encouraging you to grow and develop in meaningful ways.