All coaches are dedicated, passionate and good at helping others grow and thrive. It can be hard to pick one coach from the crowd. With executive coaching you need to be sure about your pick. Your executive’s time is precious, and you probably need things to develop into the right direction fast. Here are some pointers on what to look for:

1. Someone who is accredited with an international coaching body like the ICF to make sure that this person is well trained, enjoys continued coach education and adheres to the rules and ethics of professional coaching.
2. Someone who has international accreditation with more than one coaching tool or approach, for example ORSC, the Enneagram, mBIT, Thinking Partnerships, mBIT or NLP. A coach who has many different tools in her toolbox is able to adopt her technique to the preferred learning style of her client.
3. Someone who has at least 5 years’ experience as a full-time coach to make sure that your coach does not make beginner’s mistakes. The more experience a coach has the better she can accelerate her client’s development towards the desired goals.
4. Someone who specialises as an executive or leadership coach to make sure that your coach understands your environment and challenges.
5. In leadership coaching having an in-depth understanding for personality structures and types is crucial as strong leadership really depends on strong self-awareness. Leaning into a good personality tool like the Enneagram makes this so much easier. It saves time. It gives your coaching process an ideal start and constant, dependable reference points.
6. Client and coach need to have good chemistry between them. This is the most important factor. This is very much a gut decision for your executive. The better client and coach gel, the better they will work together. Here you might have to spend a little time on short consultations so your executive can choose her best match.