Choosing the right coach for you
You may remember that I offer a 30-minute Complimentary Clarity Call to potential clients who think they may want to work with me.
In that call, my job is to truly listen and to give the human in front of me an opportunity to be heard.
It’s also crucial for me to be fully who I am, coach how I coach, and to clearly articulate what I offer and what I don’t.
In my program, I include a career transition framework with a series of tools that help people find their answers and create a plan to go after what they want.
The clients who want to work with me often say, “I LOVE the structure. It helps me understand what concrete things we can accomplish together.”
And then there are those who hear all about my offering. We have a lovely conversation and when I follow up they say, “Your program has TOO much structure for me.”
Completely valid. And good that they know what they need.
The exciting news is that there are MANY skilled and inspiring coaches out there. They are my colleagues, my community and I refer them often.
What’s important for you, as the client, is to think about WHAT you need and WHO you need to help you.
Three things I recommend considering when you choose a coach are…
1. Style
What kind of person tends to motivate you the most? Who do you respond best to in a challenging or vulnerable moment? I would call my style compassionate tough love with space for both tears and laughter. Some people need a bit more of a tougher edge than I provide and still others are looking for more time to talk about feelings and where they’re stuck. I recommend you trust your intuition on whether or not you feel chemistry with your coach.
2. Specific expertise
Where do you want to focus your energy in this coaching engagement? What are your goals? I focus on Career Transition Coaching and no longer offer Leadership or Executive Coaching. Some of my colleagues are Business Coaches and Public Speaking Coaches. You can probably name a type of coach you’re looking for these days and find someone.
3. Unique gifts and offerings
Are there nice-to-haves that would sweeten the deal for you? Would it be nice if someone came from a specific industry prior to coaching? I love connecting people so I’m often creating a community in my Office Hours, pairing up clients for accountability or introducing clients to my own network for conversations. It’s one of the things that my clients don’t necessarily expect from their coach, but love that they get this as a bonus.
As with job searching, finding the right coach is truly about fit. If you can’t decide among all of the coaches you’ve spoken with – my guess is you don’t currently have the bandwidth or desire for coaching OR you haven’t met the right one.
If you think you’re ready and we may be a fit, feel free to schedule a Clarity Call with me at the end of August when I return from vacation.