Coaching has exploded in the last decade.  If you are thinking about retaining a coach for you or your team, make sure you hire one with training and experience.  Anyone can call themself a coach; there is no license or experience required.  There are many coaches in the marketplace who provide coaching for a wide variety of niches.  There are executive/leadership coaches who work with executives, like I do.  There are also coaches who provide career coaching, life coaching, even nutritional and parental coaching.

Coaching is a unique process.  Be aware that many professionals are providing coaching services when they may not, in fact, be trained as a coach.  You will often hear, “I have been a coach for years, long before it was a job title or profession.”  True, many of us have coach-like qualities – real curiosity about what motivates individuals and the love of supporting an individual to succeed.  However, the skills taught in accredited coaching programs shape and refine a coach’s technique that helps clients deepen their own learning with greater self-awareness, while increasing their ability to contribute to their organizations.  Most importantly, coaches do not advise or tell the clients “how” to do it.  The coaching process allows the client to bring his or her own unique answer forward and “own” the insights, behavior shifts and rewards from their individual coaching process.

Coaching is a development process for the client.  An experienced coach understands where a client is, meets him there and supports and challenges him to achieve his goals.  The outcome of the coaching work often moves the client to another level in his leadership development.

Often different assessment tools and informal interviews are used to support clients.  The insights from these tools and interviews are big eye openers for clients on how they use their strengths, areas that need development and the impact they have on others within their organizations.   After reviewing confidential feedback from a 360° tool, a client said, “I knew I needed to be a better boss to my people, but I had no idea how much my leadership style was getting in the way of my direct report’s development.”  The feedback has completely changed how he is managing his team.

Coaching is an amazing process, and in many cases it can be life changing to the coachee.  It is a confidential, individualized process between a coach and client with the goal of supporting the client’s development, his ability to contribute to his organization while leveraging his strengths, and increasing his energy levels and fulfillment of the work.

Find a well-trained coach who understands you and your needs and enjoy the process.