How to choose your Professional Coach ?

6 tips to make your choice.

This week, on the occasion of International Coaching Week (the Contest to "reimagine your future" is open) 2022, I'm talking to you about how to choose your coach.

That's it, you have understood that a Coach could effectively support you in your objectives for various reasons since, as we have seen in this article, "coaching can address many situations and objectives" and it "helps to move forward, capitalizing on your resources ”.

You have understood that alone, it seems to go (sometimes) faster. But that together we go further. I am personally convinced that everyone could gain by working with a coach (yes, it's natural to say that when you're a coach - but I've been coached a lot, I can tell you how much it changes the life precisely because I lived it - and I always have myself accompanied as well).

So now that you know that coaching can answer your "problem", the next question you are probably asking yourself is:

How am I going to choose the right Coach for me?

Excellent question! Let's try to answer it now. For your information, there are many resources on the subject, so you are welcome to complete this article with the perspective of other sources of course ;).

The recommandation or the "word of mouth"

Perhaps a friend, relative, or someone you trust has previously, or currently worked with a “good Coach” that they recommend to you. Great, why not explore this path!

In any case, do not hesitate to ask the question around you. Working with a coach has become more common - especially since the Covid crisis, where personal questions about your living environment, your pace of life, your place of life and your work have been greatly multiplied - maybe you also noticed on yourself or those around you. You are likely in any case to have a Coach, or several, who would be recommended to you via your network. If you receive several recommendations, do not hesitate to see the following points to confirm your final choice.

Is the Coach trained?

There are a number of Coaches on the market (more than 70000 Coaches in the world in 2019, according to ICF). Some self-proclaimed, some actually trained; coaching is not yet a regulated field.

Coaching should not be something that we “invent”; Coaching has a real impact on your professional and personal life. It is based on certain skills and an important code of ethics to carry out the Coaching experience, for the person who is being coached, as for the Coach, in the confidentiality that is its responsibility. By working with a Coach who has undergone professional coaching training, you are therefore choosing a first guarantee of quality.

Is the coach's training recognized by an official organization (ICF / EMCC...) ?

Has the training provided by the Coach School been recognized by an “authority”, a professional Coaching organization or "RNCP" certified if it is training in France?

There are several organizations that bring together coaching professionals and that allow us to see things a little more clearly. Among them, we find, on different scales - French, European, then international:

• SFCoach : “Founded in 1996, the Société Française de Coaching (SFCoach) is the first professional organization representing coaching created in France”
  

• EMCC : European Mentoring and Coaching Council
  

• ICF (International Coaching Federation) : The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the world's leading organization for coaches and coaching. ICF is dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high standards, providing independent certification and creating a global network of trained coaching professionals.

Each of these organizations therefore offers its code of ethics, its vision, and the Coaches decide to join one or other of these organizations to exchange on good practices between peers, continue to train, network, etc. Each of these organizations also offers its own Directory of Coaches, grouping the Coaches who are affiliated to them. Here is for example my member file on ICF France.

What additional accreditations does the Coach have?

In addition to a recognized school certification - either by the French State with an "RNCP" certification, or for international training, in particular by the ICF, the Coaches as they train and accumulate experience validate certain “levels” of professional coaching.

The ICF accredits Coaches with three levels based on their coaching skills in terms of experience and continuing education:

• "Associate Certified Coach" (ACC): 60 hours of training and more than 100 hours of coaching experience.

• "Professional Certified Coach" (PCC): 120 hours of training and more than 500 hours of coaching experience

• "Master Certified Coach" (MCC): more than 200 hours of training and more than 1,500 hours of coaching experience

Does the Coach offer support in line with the objectives you have set for yourself?

If you are considering Coaching, you have probably identified areas for improvement, axes, that you want to develop in your personal life, in your career, or all of that at the same time.

In this case, you can also take into account the specialization of the Coach. For example, if you are looking to grow in your career, a Career or Leadership Coach will probably be more relevant than a Love Coach.

So there are specializations, “niches” in coaching. Some Coaches position themselves more on "Executive Coaching", "Manager Coaching", "Team Coaching", "Coaching of Large Companies" or SMEs or associations, Coaching of young managers, "Coaching of Life", etc.

To go further, some coaches also have certifications to pass certain “tests” for example DISC, EQ-I, MBTI or even the “Energy Leadership Index” assessment as in my case.

Does the Coach inspire you with confidence?

Last but not least, the “fit”. Like on Tinder, it has to match ;). Do not hesitate to meet the Coach(s) you consider to accompany you. Most Coaches offer an initial consultation of around 30 minutes. This is the time for you to discuss your goals, meet the Coach and project yourself. Do you see yourself being accompanied by this person? Admittedly, we are talking about a particular area of ​​expertise, Coaching, with a particular confidentiality framework, but human fit remains very important in my opinion. You're still going to share a lot (of personal information, but potentially time too) with that person.

Do you feel comfortable with the Coach? Do you feel confident?

Yes ? Awesome, go for it! Coaching is going to be a transformative experience. Welcome the process with open arms, and keep your share of responsibility in mind.

The more you are invested in engaging with your Coach, the more results you will have. The results depend on you!

It will be up to you to do the work. The Coach will guide you, accompany you, but cannot do it for you.

You have everything you need to succeed! Trust your Coach, and trust yourself.

A few words about my accompaniment to close:

I am therefore a Life & Leadership Coach, ACC accredited by the ICF. I was trained in Coaching by IPEC, a top American international school. I specialize in supporting women in developing their self-confidence and leadership. I am committed to reconnecting them to their inner riches and I support them in building a more fulfilling and authentic life (professional and personal).

I am an “Energy Leadership Index” master practitioner which means that I have been certified to give you this test (Energy Leadership Index) and to debrief you in order to allow you to become aware of your energy levels and to engagement in work and life, and to be more intentional about how you want to engage in your relationships with others and yourself. I will talk about it soon in a future article.

I am also a workshop facilitator and speaker; I regularly speak with groups of students, entrepreneurs or companies on various topics around self-promotion, self-confidence, leadership and entrepreneurship in particular.

I also collaborate with companies on more tailor-made formats according to their needs to improve team dynamics or occasionally on Team building activities. You can contact me here if you want to discuss this.

Are you considering working with a Coach or would you like me to accompany you? Let's make an appointment to discuss your goals for 30 minutes and answer your questions.

I hope this article has given you some good insight to help you make your Coach choice! If there are still gray areas, do not hesitate to ask your questions in the comments.