You've decided to get coached. Great, but there is no professional coaching license which regulates competency and identifies persons who are skilled and educated to coach you. A reference from someone you trust might be great, but you don't know anyone who has received coaching on your type of goals. So how do you pick your coach?
WHAT ABOUT COACH EDUCATION?
To understand coach education, consider the history of life coaching. Except in sports, being a 'coach' has not been widely recognized as a distinct occupation or job title. As a skill, however, 'life coaching' (commonly referred to as personal or business coaching) has been practiced for decades within certain professions. Many consider mentoring to be coaching---or at least a form of coaching.
The professional fields of business, mental health, education, and other career areas have commonly utilized coaching as a method to guide and support others toward goals and success in life. The knowledge and skills for masterful coaching have long been part of these graduate and undergraduate degree programs---but not necessarily labeled 'coaching'. As a result, professionals who offer effective 'coaching' are often found within the ranks of these professions and not exclusively among those who identify themselves specifically as 'coaches'.
Separate courses in coaching are also available. Practicing professionals who are already skilled and experienced in coaching enroll in those continuing education courses as interested without the unnecessary cost of expensive certificate based programs.
The availability of coaching certificates and certifications from coach training programs outside of academic credit settings has grown significantly. These organizations each promote their brand of approved coach training, which identifies and teaches what they identify as critical skills for the coaching process. At completion of the full program, that organization's certificate/certification is awarded to the trainee, who has paid (typically) thousands of training dollars to them or to their training partners.
A number of these non-degree training programs offer good information. The organizations strive to serve the needs of those without a coaching background/related degree or trainees who want to build coaching skills and add credentials through a certificate/certification.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
Working through the maze of coach choices makes 3 things clear:
- Anyone can call themselves a 'coach' and offer 'coaching'.
- Many who call themselves a 'coach' are neither skilled nor experienced and do not 'coach' effectively.
- Many who are skilled and experienced and do 'coach' effectively are not certified as 'coaches' nor do they call themselves 'coaches'.
Confusing?
This brings up additional questions for choosing your coach. Do you need or want a 'subject matter expert' (SME) who coaches? Or will a skilled and experienced coach (not necessarily a SME) work well with you because you have a 'fit'? Consider all the credentials before you decide. Either choice can be excellent depending on your needs.
If your coaching goals are more interpersonal, personal or relationship oriented, then a coach with a mental health background and degrees (marriage & family therapist, social worker, counselor, or psychologist) may be your most appropriate choice. A coach with a business background and degrees may serve your needs better if your goals are primarily business based. But backgrounds and coaching specialities also vary within the professions.
Certified educators and other professionals can have coaching skills and may be excellent choices depending on your coaching goals. Similarly, if you have weight loss, fitness, or nutrition goals, you may want a coach who is also a qualified health and wellness practitioner.
Be a knowledgeable consumer as you weigh the merit of coaching from someone with a 'coaching certificate' or a 'certified coach' credential with a capital letter acronym (Example:Jane Smith,CQC). Look behind the certificate and the letters to the source while also evaluating other credentials/experience. Here's why.
Nearly everyone who can afford to enroll and chooses to complete those non-academic certificate programs will end up with the coaching certificate or certification. And those non-credit coach training programs usually have no prerequisites for acceptance. Many are online.
Therefore, the coaching credential may not be a clear indicator of knowledge quality, experience, skill, or competence of the trainee. This applies even to the better known national and international organizations. The training certificate/certification has limited and uncertain value as a criteria for coach selection. Avoid selecting your coach mainly because he or she has a coaching certificate or certification. Check further before investing your time and money.
Be sure to research ANY coach FULLY before you choose.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY FOR A COACH?
Do not let your search for a coach be guided only by the price tag. Comparison shop. And remember, while the leaders and CEO's in the larger coaching businesses may be highly qualified, check to see if beginner coaches are doing the actual coaching when you look at the cost for services.
Whether the coaching fees sound too cheap, too expensive, or just about right for your budget, evaluate the cost like you do everything else--- weigh the expertise level of the coach with the fee charged. Compare at least 3 or 4 coaches. Look at experience and credentials of the specific coaches you have in mind to recognize when:
- You are paying less for less---cheap matched with few credentials/experience
- You are paying more for less--- too expensive for too few credentials/experience
- You are paying enough for more---a bargain for the highest credentials/experience within your budget
WHAT QUALITIES AND CREDENTIALS ARE IMPORTANT IN A COACH?
- Length and Nature of Experience
- Types of Degrees and Professional Certificates
- Professionalism: Maintains Professional Liability Insurance and is bound to a Code of Ethics by either a License or Professional Certificate/Membership
- Fees Charged Match Up with Experience and Education
- Experience and Education Relate to Your Goals
- The Coach's Self: You have a Gut Sense of ‘Fit’
Use the 6 criteria to select a coach to reach maximum coaching benefits and achieve your goals more quickly than you would on your own.
|