What do you do if you want to identify a great executive coach from a good one during an interview?

Great coaches will build a rapport quickly. They will listen to understand and will ask lots of questions They will not hesitate to show you different perspectives They will build a genuine relationship and will have positive vibes and will be very interested in your growth

Most importantly, trust your intuition. When you connect with a coach, do you feel a genuine rapport and sense of trust? Can you see them as a true partner in your growth and transformation? That energetic alignment is just as vital as their qualifications.

Be clear on the difference between coaching experience and credentials and business experience and credentials. While business experience and credentials can be helpful in certain circumstances, the coaching process does not rely on these. Someone who has business experience, but no coaching credentials may be more of an advisor, mentor or strategist. There is a big difference from this to a coach. So also know what you actually need.

Assuming all credentials are comparable, the biggest question is - do you trust them instinctively? The same Coach could be great for one client and not as great for another because the relationship is so critical to the success of the coaching engagement. Coaching, in fact, is a relationship. A great EC knows that, and knows how to build the relationship needed for the engagement to be successful. You will sense this as soon as your intro session: Do they focus on you and your agenda or on "selling" themselves? Do they track what you're saying and can provide some initial insights by connecting the dots? Do you feel heard and understood? Do you feel respected and valued? What did the coach do that contributed to that?

You should look at the body of work of the coach. There are very low barriers to entry to the coaching field. A credential may not be the right bar. Again, look at the body of work of the coach. Books? Articles? Presence on LinkedIn?

Can you laugh together? Coaching can be deep work, and it’s important to be able to laugh and have fun together, too, along the way.

And of course, professionalism and integrity are non-negotiable. Your confidentiality must be protected, your boundaries respected, and any potential conflicts or ethical dilemmas handled with the utmost care. You need to feel that this is a sacred, judgment-free space where you can be your full, authentic self.

A coach will naturally ask you lots of questions, dig into what you are hoping to achieve from coaching. And while listening, empathy and curiosity are very important, they can make you feel like you have rapport and trust with a coach without them. But do you trust how well they can coach you? Rather than just interviewing your coach, see if they will do some actual coaching with you. When I have a discovery call with a potential client, we spend about 30 minutes getting to know each other, the client's challenges and what they are hoping to achieve, my style and approach more broadly. But then we spend 30 minutes doing actual coaching. There's nothing better than live coaching to know you can trust a coach can support you.

Coaching is a relationship between the coach and the coachee. You are not looking for the best executive coach, you are looking for the best executive coach for you. During an initial conversation you will know if there is a connection, if the conversations will flow and if you get a sense that you can trust them and they will be able to help you. It might look biased to based your decision on how quickly you can establish rapport and trust in an initial conversation, but it is known that first impressions stick. If your relationship with your coach doesn't start fluidly, you will spend a lot of time building that relationship instead of working towards your goals.

Based of my experience their are people who are good at this and are not great coaches just really good at creating relationships, so it's better not to use only this to judge.

Your coach should be a trusted guide, a thought partner, and a champion for your highest vision. With the right fit, the sky's the limit regarding the breakthroughs and transformations you can unlock together.

I think the questions that you would ask when looking to find the best executive coach for you would be. Do they understand me? Do they get me? And Can they help me? For me, the best way to get clarity around this is through coaching session. If you can have a coaching session - the experience of which is no different than if you were a paying client - with them prior to making any commitment, you will get a good understanding as to whether they can help you, and also whether you felt understood during the conversation. They (the coach) will also get a good sense as to whether they can best support you in terms of what you are looking for to get out of the coaching.

Some coaches will lead more heavily towards business acumen and expertise - strategy, finance, people leadership etc. Where as some coaches might focus more on more personal or internal aspects of leadership - things like personal productivity, confidence, work-life balance, purpose. Some will sit somewhere in between. Think of it as a spectrum. What do you need? Where would you love your coach to sit on that spectrum? You can ask them about this and see how they answer to know whether they'll be a good fit.

Fit and alignment are critical for a successful coaching partnership. This goes beyond rapport, encompassing shared values, understanding of goals, and agreement on the coaching process. A good fit means the coach's expertise and approach align with your specific developmental needs and aspirations. Alignment ensures that both parties are working towards the same objectives with a clear strategy. Evaluate a potential coach's understanding of your industry, challenges, and what you hope to achieve through coaching. The right fit and alignment optimize the coaching experience, ensuring tailored support that directly contributes to your personal and professional growth.

Assess the fit and alignment of the executive coach with your organisational culture, values, and goals. Discuss their approach to coaching and inquire about their understanding of your specific industry and challenges. Look for alignment in communication style, priorities, and desired outcomes to ensure a productive coaching partnership.

Because the journey to the top is never a smooth, linear path. There will be obstacles, setbacks, and moments of self-doubt. It's about finding your untapped potential, not just affirming what you already know.

This is another reason why it's great to do some real coaching before you commit to a coach. How do you know if they can do these things if you don't have any actual coaching time with them? Another way to test this is to ask a scenario based question and ask them how they might coach you on it. EG. Imagine a scenario where I keep repeating the same pattern on something. We keep working on it in our sessions, but I don't seem to be making progress. What would your approach be?

Evaluate the executive coach's ability to provide both challenge and support to clients. Inquire about their approach to balancing encouragement with constructive criticism and their strategies for helping clients navigate personal and professional growth effectively. Look for evidence of their ability to push clients beyond their comfort zones while providing necessary guidance and encouragement.

A great executive coach masterfully balances challenging you and providing support. They push you out of your comfort zone to confront limiting beliefs and behaviors, fostering growth and development. This challenge is coupled with unwavering support, offering encouragement, resources, and guidance as you navigate through changes and work towards your goals. This dual approach ensures you're not only held accountable but also feel supported throughout your journey, enabling you to tackle obstacles more confidently and achieve greater success. The right mix of challenge and support from a coach catalyzes profound personal and professional transformation.

As a coach, I firmly believe a great executive coach is someone who knows the fine art of balancing a challenging push with a supportive embrace. They are the kind who will ask you the tough, thought-provoking questions, the kind that echo in your mind and spark real change. They’re there to hold you to your promises, ensuring you stay true to your path, but also to cheer wildly from the sidelines, celebrating every win and recognizing the potential you carry within. They meet you where you are, focusing solely on your growth. They stand as your guide, your challenger, your biggest fan, keeping you accountable and helping you become the leader you're meant to be. It's a partnership with one goal: your success.

During a chemistry session, a great coach will establish a rapport and learn more about the client. I ask questions to understand how I can be most effective in helping the client achieve their goals. For example, I ask about their preferred learning style and what methods work best for them to grow. I also ask about feedback preferences and for an example of when they received feedback that helped them reflect, not resist. I solicit their previous successful experiences with change and what steps they took to enable their success. I inquire if they previously worked with a coach and what the experience was like. Finally, I ask clients about their commitment level to engaging in deliberate practice outside of our regular sessions.

A great coach facilitates growth and learning by encouraging exploration, reflection, and experimentation. They guide you to uncover insights, acquire new skills, and adopt effective strategies, ensuring continuous personal and professional development. This process involves setting challenging yet achievable goals, providing feedback, and navigating changes constructively. Growth and learning through coaching are not just about enhancing performance but also about expanding perspectives and resilience, preparing you for future challenges and opportunities. The journey with a coach is a transformative experience, leading to lasting change and achievement.

Ask your coach how long they’ve had a coach. Don’t trust a coach who hasn’t invested in their own development— putting their time and money into growing and learning from other coaches. I’ve met dozens of want-to-be coaches who have never been coached (except in training). It’s like saying you want to be a yoga teacher, but you’ve never been to a professional yoga class. I’ve had a coach by my side for nearly 15 years. I’ve experienced what adds value, impact and what good looks like.

People can tell you all they want about what kind of coach they are. There are really only three ways you can tell if they are a 'good coach' or not. 1. They coach you on the call and you experience their coaching first-hand. 2. You pay them to have one-off session and experience their coaching first hand. 3. You get a solid recommendation from someone you know and trust. And they can tell you why the coach was good. 4. You can somehow observe a coaching session (This is pretty rare, but some coaches have things like videos of them coaching people. Make sure your coach has permission to share this type of thing, otherwise it's a breach of confidentiality).

As an executive coach, one of the biggest goals is to help the person being coached believe they can take on more than they thought they ever could, to accomplish tasks that they had believed were beyond their realms. If we as coaches are able to help those we see this greatness in themselves, then they truly are more than just a good coach. If a coach cannot help others see their greatness, they then do not have that greatness within. We cannot give what we do not have to others. You will never get grape juice from an orange and you will never get greatness from average.

Be aware that somebody with a lot of experience as an executive might not be a good coach. They might make for great mentors who can share their experience and knowledge, but because of their experience, they might try to push their style on you. If you are trying to replicate what they did, it might work for you, but most likely you want to build your career based on your values, vision and strengths. Your coach should help you discover those and remind you to alight your actions with them.

Ask the coach if they are being coached. I have found that when a coach is being coached regularly, they are more humble and ask clients more thought provoking questions.