10 Steps to Finding your Ideal Coach

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Penny August, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

There are thousands of coaches out there. You can find a coach to help you organize your closet and you can find a coach to help you organize your life. There are coaches to help you improve your singing voice and there are coaches to help you improve the voice inside your head. Some coaches specialize in teaching you how to bring in more money, and there are other coaches who will gladly take yours for not much in return.

So, how to choose a coach for your particular needs?

1 . Identify your exact needs. Do you want a personal coach to help you with your self-esteem and/or relationship problems, or do you want a career coach to help you figure out what to do with your life or how to get that promotion? Do you want someone who will help with spiritual or weight-loss issues, or do you want someone to help you get to the Four-Hour Work Week*? Do you need help with written communication or do you need help with public speaking? Do you want someone to help you map out a plan of action and keep you accountable or do you just want someone to help you get out of bed to face the day every morning? Figure out exactly what it is that you need help with first. The more specific you can be with conveying your needs, the better chance you will be able to find the perfect coach for you and the better chance you’ll get the results you want. Most coaches readily admit their own expertise and specialties, and will not take on a client with an issue which they do not feel capable of handling.

2 . Make sure it’s a coach, and not a Psychologist or an M.D. that you want. That may seem like an absurd statement, but many people confuse the need for counseling with the need for guidelines. Most coaches are not Psychologists, and are not equipped (nor legally allowed) to help clients with mental health issues, nor do they want that responsibility. A coach will help you map out a plan for your goals and act as a cheerleader, not a therapist. Make sure that it’s a coach that you need.

3. Determine your preferred coaching style. Some people are only comfortable with face-to-face meetings where they can get better acquainted with their coach. That usually means finding a coach somewhat close to where you live. Others like the convenience and relative anonymity of Skype or phone coaches, meaning that either party can live or travel anywhere without canceling the coaching appointment, and changing appointment times when necessary may be a bit easier. Decide whether you want weekly appointments or more, or is once every other week or once a month enough for you? Knowing these answers will be a huge help in your first consultation.

You also need to consider the personality of your coach. Do you like someone who is all business and who strictly concentrates only on the goals you have specified, or do you prefer someone who becomes a friend and who will notice other areas in which he or she may offer suggestions?

4. Choose a gender. Maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but some people are more comfortable with same-sex coaches; others with opposite sex coaches. Without reading into any reasons, it really doesn’t matter, as long as you find a coach with whom you are comfortable.

5. Macro or micro? This is an important issue to discuss with prospective coaches. Some coaches like to help you organize every area of your life, every hour of the day. Others have a more laissez-faire approach, and prefer to give simple guidelines for their clients to follow as they choose. With what kind of relationship are you most comfortable?

6. Experience. There are, of course, benefits to hiring a coach with lots of experience. Most likely, they will have worked with a client in the past whose needs were similar to yours, and will have noted which suggestions worked best. They will be aware of their own shortcomings, and therefore most likely will not tackle a problem for which they don’t feel capable. They may even be able to offer testimonials of their effectiveness. However, more experience doesn’t necessarily translate into better coaching. Of course, you want advice from someone who has worked with others before you, and testimonials are certainly helpful, but probably the most important factor to consider is how comfortable you feel in your initial consultation. Are the vibes right? Does this person make me feel comfortable? Do I feel confident in their ability to help me? Would I want to take their advice?

7. Age may or may not be aligned with effectiveness. You may find a young coach who is just beginning his or her career with whom you feel extremely comfortable, or you may find an older coach whose experience with clients is just beginning but with whose knowledge of how the world works you feel comfortable and trust. Or you may only feel comfortable with someone who has been working as a coach for several years. Know which type of experience will work best for you. In the long run, it’s your results that count.

8. Contract. Some coaches will want you to sign a six-month or even one-year contract. Make sure there is an exit clause. You don’t want to be stuck if your expectations aren’t being met. Others will meet session-by-session, and others will want a one-month commitment. As long as you aren’t committing to a long-term relationship with no outs, you should be fine. A good coach will not want you to continue with him or her if you aren’t happy.

9. Price. Before you begin your coaching relationship, make sure you’re comfortable with the cost of your coaching plan. If the price is too steep and you proceed anyway, you might soon find yourself having to give up without having had a chance to get the help you need in the first place. You want to be able to continue with your coach until you have achieved your goals. Otherwise, both your time and your money were wasted.

10. Finally, listen to your gut. You know, that little voice inside that says, “Yes! This person gets me! I want to work with him/her!” or “No! This person is on a different channel from me; I could never feel comfortable with him/her as a coach.” Most of us know instinctively from the beginning whether or not a relationship will work. If you don’t feel this person is right for you, they probably aren’t. Go with your instinct. If you’re wrong, you can always go back to the beginning and re-evaluate your needs.
Really, listen to your gut! It’s almost always right.

A coaching experience should be a good one. Knowing your own needs and exactly the type of coach you are looking for in advance will go a long way towards making certain that it is.

• Best-selling book by Timothy Ferriss about living “the good life”.

Penny August is a Personal, Career and Life Coach living in the Denver area. She has a B.S. in Theatre Acting and is a Certified Pyschiatric Art Therapist. She has worn many hats, but the one that fits most comfortably is that of coach. She has been married forever to her best friend and has two grown sons and a miniature Schnauzer named Max. For coaching, please contact her: penny@pennyaugust.com