FAQs

While it is possible that some coaches are “self taught” there are formal accreditation bodies within Europe and the US. The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) provides coaching and mentoring professional accreditation, as well as support and guidance to the coaching and mentoring profession and for its members.

To be successful, coaching asks certain things of the individual, all of which begin with intention. Starting a coaching journey will require telling the truth to one’s self and focusing on the tough questions, the hard truths and on success. Listening to one’s intuition, assumptions and judgments. Being self-disciplined in order to replace one’s behaviours, attitudes and ways of thinking with new and better ones that serve one’s goals in a good way. Investing on personal strengths and overcoming limitations. Being active, decisive but also compassionate while experimenting with new behavioural and experiential patterns. Not taking oneself too personally and having a positive attitude to overcoming difficult situations and potential disappointments. Preserving one’s composure and emotional control. Finally, courage to move forward and reach more than before while surpassing internal and external obstacles.

Coaching usually begins with a personal interview to assess the individual’s current opportunities and challenges, defining the scope of the relationship, identifying priorities for action, and establishing specific desired outcomes. More sessions may be done with each one lasting a previously agreed-upon length of time. Between sessions, the individual may be asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of one’s personally prioritized goals. The coach may provide additional resources such as relevant articles, checklists, assessments, or models, to support the individual’s activities. The duration of the coaching relationship varies depending on the individual’s personal needs and preferences.

The duration of such a partnership varies depending on factors like the individual’s or team’s needs and preferences, the types of goals, the ways individuals or teams like to work, the frequency of coaching meetings and financial resources available to support coaching, etc. The length of working with a coach for certain types of focused coaching could be anywhere from 3 to 6 months. For other types of coaching, people may find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period. Sometimes even just a 60 minutes session with a professional coach can be beneficial.  

Coaching is gaining popularity in business because it is one of the most cost effective ways of making people, and organisations more effective. It demonstrates the commitment of the business to their people and avoids costly recruitment and retraining.

It is growing popular generally because people now expect to be able to do more, and to fulfill their dreams and goals. A coach helps people to do that. A coach is someone committed to your advancement and well-being.

From Bill Gates to Eric Schmidt, leaders you’d think would already have it all, recommend coaching. What used to be accessible and affordable only to an elite group has become mainstream as more coaches have entered the market for non-executive coaching in other niche markets. The push for quality through organizations like the International Coach Federation (ICF), who certifies coaches that follow their rigorous standards further drives the increased trust in the coaching process.

A Checklist for Hiring an Executive Coach from Chief Executive  

• Not ‘one and done’: Interview at least three candidates. Chemistry matters, as does interpersonal style and the ability to listen and to discern what is really being said. Coaching quality varies widely, so give yourself the benefit of choice. 
• Use your network: Personal endorsements based on past direct experience are key. Many executives have some experience with coaching and are happy to talk about it.
• Check references: Ask the coach’s former clients what they did that was effective and whether they would re-engage with them. If a coach won’t offer at least three references, do not consider using him or her. 
• Understand their background: Ask more than cursory questions about training. One coach I met made sure everyone knew he had a Ph.D. degree. When I pressed him about what specialty he took his degree in, he said with a grin, “Art history, but I let people think I’m a psychologist.” 
• Begin with the end in sight: Have the coach walk you through a typical engagement. This should include some form of initial assessment, a goal- and milestone-setting process, a review process with other stakeholders, a schedule of progress review meetings, and a clear end date. 
• Anticipate the challenge: Be prepared to describe for the coaching candidate something you wish to get better at or a behavior you seek to understand more fully. Have them walk you through their approach. 
• Write it down: Make sure there is a one-page written coaching plan with goals and objectives. Review it monthly. Don’t go off-track or off on a tangent.
• Set an end date: Before you begin, know when the coaching will end. Don’t move the date unless it is well justified. Watch for signs of increasing dependency on the coach. Remind yourself – and the coach – that this, too, will end. 

Managing business has gotten more complex and is changing more rapidly. There simply is no longer the time to “learn while doing” or the margin of error to “learn by making mistakes.” A business coach can help to speed up the learning curve to guide a founder from his comfort zone towards business growth effectively. They have seen so many companies from the inside in their life, that they can help any coaching client to overcome their business and personal challenges.  

Coaching is the method of making people realize the heights they can achieve if only they kept persevering and putting proper effort. Mainly, coaching calls for a change of thinking and approach to a task. It’s about getting the person think positively about his chances of achieving his goal. It includes employee orientation towards the workplace politics, and to assist in removing the barriers to work performance.

A mentor is a senior person in the business who guides a junior person from their greater experience. A coach does not have to be a senior person in the client’s line of business. The client has to know the business, not the coach. 

Consultancy deals with the business system as a whole. A consultant’s recommendations affect individuals indirectly. Coaching affects individuals directly. Coaching will very often be part of a consultant’s recommendations for a business. 

The first lesson is how to solve your problems on your own as a business owner. The coach can be much more than a sparring partner or mentor. A coach can be one who motivates entrepreneurs to believe in themselves and in their ability and accountability to solve any problem they face. 

The second lesson for coachees is learning how networking works for them. How to start networking effectively and how to build a network of their own that fits their entrepreneur profile. 

The third lesson is acquiring a better and deeper insight into the entrepreneurial personality profile and what business skills and knowledge are necessary. 

Finally, the fourth lesson is about receiving assistance/support in improving company performance and business skills. 

To find out, start by outlining what you would expect to achieve in coaching. When someone has a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, a coaching partnership can be a useful tool for developing a strategy for how to achieve that outcome with greater ease. 

Since coaching is a partnership, also ask yourself if you find it valuable to collaborate, to have another viewpoint and to be asked to consider new perspectives. Also, ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes in your work or life. If the answer to these questions is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.