ASK JUDY THE COACH Part 4:
What evidence should I look for to determine a Coach’s effectiveness?
Previously, in Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this 5-part series exploring the 5 questions I get asked most often about coaching, we explored: ‘What IS Coaching?’; ‘What qualifications should I look for in a Coach?’; and ‘What is a Coach’s unique offering (a Coach’s niche) & is it right for me?’
Today, in Part 4, we will explore the question:
What evidence should I look for to determine a Coach’s effectiveness?
Given the very personal nature of coaching — the one-on-one, intimate, deep-dive aspects that characterize the nature of the relationship between Coach and client over a period of time as they work together on the client’s development, behavior change, and action goals — there can be no guarantees of a Coach’s effectiveness with every potential client. Meaning: a highly effective coach may not be effective with you if the ‘fit’ is not right.
So, to give yourself the best chance in determining a Coach’s effectiveness with you, you should examine:
a) reports of her/his effectiveness with current or previous clients and
b) your direct experience with that Coach in a strategy session call or sample coaching session.
Whether through:
** recommendations offered by a Coach’s former clients on their social media sites like LinkedIn or company Facebook pages;
** testimonials/success stories of current or previous clients shared on the Coach’s own website; and/or
** direct contact with a former client who has agreed to talk with you about their experience with that Coach,
there are many ways to learn about how effective a Coach has been with her/his clients.
To determine if the reports of a Coach’s effectiveness are representative of what might be a good fit for you, consider what people are reporting/saying about their experience with that Coach and how that resonates with you and the kind of work you’re looking to accomplish in support of your development, change, and/or transformation goals.
Also, consider what people report regarding their specific successes; the actual goals they accomplished; and how working with that particular Coach advanced them along their development journeys. If what is reported resonates with the kind of results you’re looking for in working with a Coach, you can use that as a gauge to help determine a Coach’s fit for you.
In addition, having direct contact with a potential Coach — scheduling a sample coaching call or strategy session — is essential in giving you a more complete picture that will help you determine not only a Coach’s potential effectiveness with you, but also if that Coach, as effective as s/he may be, would be a good ‘fit’ for you.
First hand experience through direct contact with a potential Coach, through a strategy session or sample coaching call, will allow you to feel what it would be like for you to work with that Coach and the resonance (or lack thereof) you feel during that direct contact can deeply inform your understanding not only of the Coach’s effectiveness with you but also how well the two of you will ‘fit’ together for the coach-client journey.
REMEMBER: In determining a Coach’s potential effectiveness, find out from those s/he has worked with (directly or through online reviews) what their experience was, the specific things they accomplished as a result, and compare those findings with the kind of work you’re seeking to engage with a Coach on and the kind of results you’re looking to accomplish. In addition, be sure to to directly engage with a potential Coach through a sample coaching session or strategy session call to have a more complete picture of the possible fit between you and the Coach you’re seeking to work with.
In PART 5 of this series, the final installment, I will offer my thoughts on the question:
After all my research, how will I know if this coach is the right coach for me?