Ask These 3 Questions Before Hiring a Coach

Hiring a great coach can be overwhelming, because there are so many to choose from.

So how do you know if a coach is great? This question can be tricky to answer.I'm going to be perfectly honest with you: Coaching is not  regulated industry. Let me say that again: Coaching is NOT a regulated industry. Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, Law, etc. are all regulated under professional bodies and industry regulations. Coaching is not.

• ANYONE can say they're a coach—no certification required. There are a lot of coaching school and certification programs that train and certify coaches along best practices under the International Coaching Federation (ICF)—it's sort of like the ‘United Nations of Coaching”—it doesn't have any actual authority over anyone, but attempts to put best practices around coaching. I graduated from the top coaching school that complies strictly with ICF best practices, because I value becoming an expert in anything that I undertake.
  
  
• BUT let me say that just because you get certified or accredited, doesn't mean you are a great coach. And it certainly doesn't mean you're a better coach than someone who isn't certified. This is where things get tricky.
  
  
• There are amazing coaches who did not go to coaching school or programsTony Robbins is one of these people, and he's arguably the original master of life coaching and personal development. And there are people who got certified as a coach and yet they aren't effective coaches. There is no bright line rule on this one.
  
  
• I would say that if you are someone who values accreditations, look for someone certified who has a good reputation for getting their clients results. If you are someone who doesn’t care whether your coach is certified/not certified and you just want the best person to get you the results—look for how the person resonates with you.

What do I mean by that? Ask these 3 Questions:

1. What is the coach's expertise? Example: If you're looking for guidance on wealth management, you aren't likely to find it from a coach specializing in women's weight loss!
   
   
2. Does the coach offer a FREE initial phone call to discuss what you're looking for and what they offer? If so, take advantage of it! As a lawyer, my old law firms always did free consultations with potential clients. As a coach, I always offer a free initial coaching call to give you a true taste of coaching and to see whether it is a good fit. It's an opportunity for BOTH sides to chat and decide whether it's a good fit to move forward with a relationship.
3. Does the coach speak your "language"?  You can usually tell this right away from their website copy, their social media, or from an initial consultation call.

Example: If you are a corporate type A person, it's unlikely spiritual language will be your language--words like "purpose" "higher self" "manifesting" and "self-help" may not speak to you the way words like "target", "goal",  "high performance" "achieving" and "leadership" do.

Example: I have a friend who loves doing yoga for the workout aspect but can't stand the spiritual aspect of it—she hates the end when you just rest. And so she chooses classes where that isn't a big part of the class--she knows herself and what speaks to her and what she wants out of a yoga class. It’s the same with coaching.

You want to work with someone you can connect with and understand. It's GOOD if they speak in a different style from what you're used to to some extent—that can take you out of your comfort zone. But you need to understand where they're coming from. For instance, the style of coaching that I do is designed to alway speak to the client’s learning style, because I have a system in place designed to do that.

Schedule a free coaching call to see if coaching is for you.