7 tips to choosing an executive business coach

Jeff Lomey is an executive business coach

Business coaches can cost anything between R500 and R5000 per hour and this can quickly add up to be quite a lot of money for a small, medium or large size enterprise.

Here are a few tips to help you choose a business coach.

1. A free coaching session should be used more to evaluate the coach than to solve business problems and get advice.

2. The number one factor is chemistry. Can the coachee and prospective coach quickly build a great rapport? Rapport can be measured by eye contact and open body language. A great coach will also have the ability to actively and quickly reflect what the coachee says both in thoughts, feelings and needs.

3. Does the prospective coach have decent industry knowledge?

   Coaching clients should not be expected to pay the learning fees for the coach to understand the industry. Obviously each client will have certain specific dynamics and those can be shared.

4. Another interesting thing to look out for is the way the new coach is able to ask insightful and meaningful questions. These are questions that focus the coachee to think more deeply about the challenges faced.

5. References are key. Do not be afraid to ask the prospective coach for names of people that they have worked with before. This is not a guarantee of success but will give some idea of the impact that the coach has had with other clients.

6. The prospective coach should have a good set of tools including items such as mental models, innovative activities, process steps and goal setting and measurement methods.

7. Storytelling is an art that any great coach practices. Any competent coach should be able to give advice in the form of well-told stories. The message of the story should be a relevant lesson for the business owner or department head being coached.
   

In summary, use these tips to prepare for an interview with two or three coaches. Draw up a set of questions specific to your business to test the coach. Check if the coach can answer them. Spend some time after reflection on the session and mutual chemistry. Then make a decision.