Congratulations! You know you have a development situation that would benefit from coaching. You have a brief that captures the outcomes you are looking for. You even have some ideas about the sort of coach you would work well with. All solid preparation, but believe it or not you are still only half way there! Damn it, you still have to select a coach and this is where many leaders drop the ball.
It is advisable that you meet and interview two to three coaches before making a choice and take up references. These chemistry meetings are the only opportunity for both parties to assess whether they would work well together in person and they are on your wavelength. Like most things in business and life, fit is a very personal thing and not something you can ask your Chief of Staff or HR to do on your behalf.
What you ask in these informal interviews is central to determining fit and flush out any barriers to you working well together. The following ten questions have been crafted to help you uncover the information you need to decide on the right coach.
In summary, if you are serious about executive coaching it need not be a jungle out there. Being clear about whether coaching is right for you and what you want to work on, thinking about what sort of coach would be the best fit and then using these interview questions to make a smart selection, means you will get the most of your coaching investment.
Kate Lye is a partner with KLI Consulting. She specialises in leadership development and has been coaching executives worldwide for over 15 years.