1. Check your coach's credentials: accreditation, training and qualifications
The coaching industry is currently unregulated. However, as the industry has grown, so has the number of organisations seeking to establish standards and accreditation, although no officially recognised accreditation is yet in place. There are already a number of accrediting bodies in existence, the most well-known of these being:
The Association for Coaching
The Coaching Psychology Forum
The European Mentoring and Coaching Council
The International Coach Federation
This list is by no means comprehensive. While these bodies can offer guidance about finding a coach, many reputable coaches are not accredited by them. Reputation, good training and experience count for a lot, and many coaches, though not necessarily endorsed by one of these organisations, may well be part of a network that has created its own standards and code of conduct. In addition, an increasing number of university departments are running coaching programmes which they seek to accredit.
2. Look at your coach's background and approach: does it match your needs?
To find a coach with specific knowledge of the creative and cultural sector, you could choose one who has experience of coaching on a formal programme such as The Clore Leadership Programme or the Professional Development (Cultural Leadership) MA at London’s City University (see External Links for more information).
A number of coaches also have backgrounds in certain industries, such as theatre and film, and their services are geared towards people working in those fields. Their inside knowledge of the business is their unique selling point, and assuming that he or she at least possesses a relevant coaching qualification, an endorsement from industry could be considered of more value than accreditation by a conventional coaching body.
However, many people seeking a coach may find the experience of an individual from outside their sector of particular value, not least in offering a different perspective and challenge to ways of seeing the world.
Other factors to consider:
Wide use of tools, techniques and models
Good coaches will use models and frameworks from a wide range of theoretical backgrounds – though they may favour one or two, they should be flexible enough to adopt whichever technique is most suitable for the client.
References
Word-of-mouth recommendations should not be underestimated. Getting the feedback of previous clients is an excellent way to assess the effectiveness of a coach.
Personal qualities
There are certain skills and personal characteristics that are essential for successful coaching. These include:
- Self-awareness and self-knowledge
- Effective communication skills
- Relationship-building skills
- Questioning and listening skills
- Flexibility of approach
- Ability to inspire and motivate
- Ability to challenge and give feedback
More information is available from The Chartered Institute of Professional Development's (CIPD) guide to coaching and buying coaching services, which is available to download from their website.
3. Interview your coach
Remember when you are looking for a coach to ask them about what is most important to you. This may include questions such as:
- How would you describe your style?
- Do I set the agenda?
- What development do you undertake to keep your coaching practice up-to-date?
- How would your clients describe you?
- Do you have a code of conduct that you observe, for example, about confidentiality?
A good coach will be happy to answer these questions and any others you may have before you commit to coaching sessions with them.
