Keep Calm & Hire a Coach

Recently I was working on increasing traffic on my website and as a result, I was examining keywords that potential clients use when searching for a Coach.  Although I wasn’t surprised, I did become more aware that coaching comes by many names.  I can empathize with a potential client - it must be hard to know what exactly you need or what kind of coach will be the best fit for your presenting issue or concern. 

From my lens as an Executive and Life Coach, I see this confusion as being one of the primary reasons it takes some clients so long to make the decision to send that email inquiry or to make that first call to a coach.

When researching coaches, you may ask yourself, what am I looking for?
Do I want/need a:

• Life Coach
• Career Coach
• Executive Coach
• Leadership Coach
• Communication Coach
• Personal Coach
• Business Coach
• Spiritual Coach                 
• Inspiration Coach
• Accountability Coach
• Elite Coach
• Prosperity Coach
• Power Coach 
• Professional Coach
• Relationship Coach

The list goes on and on. No wonder it can be difficult to figure out who to contact, as there is no consistent guideline for what each description means.   If you are looking for a real estate lawyer for example, you probably have a good idea that you do not need a family lawyer, corporate lawyer or criminal lawyer. 

I have also found there can be stigma around the term “Life” Coach.  Professionals tend to steer clear of life coaches and seek out coaches with business-related pronouns.  Even the term “professional” is unclear.  You can ask 20 people what a “professional” is and get 20 different responses.  However, connecting with a “life” coach is for some reason embarrassing, not cool or fluffy.  It’s as though seeking help with your “life” is somehow less important than your career – yet in my experience, every client with career challenges, also raises concerns related to their life.  And why not?  Isn’t work a huge part of our lives??!!

That’s why I’m okay with whatever term someone wants to use when working with me.  The goal of the Coach however, is to ensure the client understands the fundamentals of coaching so that the Coach can provide the space and clarity the client is seeking through conscious questioning.

I consider myself a well-rounded coach.  I am as comfortable working with an entrepreneur, as with an engineer or stay-at-home dad.  I’ve worked with young adults struggling with school and big life questions, and adults approaching retirement looking for help on how to wind down their careers and figure out what they will do with their impending spare time.

When searching for a coach – by whatever name you choose, just be sure you relate well to them.  A coach doesn’t need to know how to code to coach a software engineer any more than they need to have gone through a divorce to be a relationship coach. 
Ask yourself, is the prospective coach:

• Easy to talk to
• Respectful
• Trustworthy
• Asking thought provoking questions
• Honouring your opinions
• Doing far less talking than you are
• Non-judgmental
• Curious

The prospective coach should do a really deep dive into your presenting issue – that is, the reason you are seeking a coach in the first place or what it is you are looking for from coaching.  After an initial call, you can’t expect your issue to be resolved, but you should feel somewhat lighter, having unpacked some of your burden and having been guided, ever so slightly, into a mind set of motivation, hope and/or a feeling of satisfaction that you have made the right call.

Bottom line: do your research.  Spend time really trying to clarify what you are looking for and then plan to spend time basically interviewing your prospective coach.  Testimonials are also a great source of info in terms of the coach’s approach.  One size doesn’t fit all and before you sign any contract or commit to any upfront fees, make sure they are the best fit for you.
Keep calm and find yourself a great coach!
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Christine Padaric, Executive | Life Coach
inquiries@waterloocoachingclinic.ca