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How to Find the Right Executive Coach


A majority of large organisations now routinely use executive coaching for their leadership development plan.


Choosing the best executive coach is a critical step in the executive’s success. The process of selecting an executive coach is usually initiated by the Human Resources (HR) department with top management’s consent. It is quite similar to an interview process to hire a candidate. HR will line up a few prospective leadership coaches as candidates and set up the interviews with the leader to be coached.

Sometimes, executives jump into selecting a coach based on referrals, first impressions, or HR recommendations. 


As a consumer of coaching, it is always a good idea for the leader to know the entire process and know the criteria to select the right executive coach. Rushing this step or not knowing what to look for in a coach can result in a waste of time, money, and reputation for both the leader and the sponsors (HR or top management)

During the first meeting with prospective coaches, it is the leader’s job to assess the leadership coach’s ability to select the best execute leadership coach’s ability to coach to improve their leadership skills.

Here are some criteria to find the best executive coach

Is the coach supportive?

Executives are paid and rewarded for being decisive, precise, and confident. By the nature of the leadership position, it is difficult for executives to admit flaws or ask for help. However, for leadership growth to occur, these are precisely the things an executive needs to do! 

A coach who listens, understands, is non-judgmental, and supports will provide a safe environment for the leader to open up and address their fears, uncertainties, concerns, and improvement areas. After speaking with the executive coach, the leader should feel that the coach “gets them.” The leader should think that it is OK to open up with the coach, discuss issues, and take actions to improve.

Can the coach challenge you?

While it is good for the coach to make the leader comfortable, it is also essential that the coach challenges the leader to examine unhelpful beliefs and behaviours in a polite but firm manner. A coach who is a cheerleader will have little chance of nudging the leader out of their habitual behaviours and comfort zone.

The executive coach must be able to probe and uncover unproductive or unhelpful assumptions and confront the leader in a calm, polite, and non-judgmental way. A good executive coach is an expert in “tough love” and striking the right balance between supporting and challenging the executive.

Can the coach collect and deliver honest feedback about you from your team members?

Executives hold a lot of power due to their senior position in the organisation. Generally, team members are reluctant to provide any critical feedback to a senior leader. The team members may fear the consequences of making the leader unhappy or maybe uncomfortable, giving crucial feedback to the leader’s face. As a result, executives end up getting anywhere from plain flattery to only positive feedback.

A skilled coach should collect honest feedback from the team members while ensuring their anonymity and respecting their boundaries.  This step is essential at the beginning of the coaching engagement. The executive coach has to sensitise the team members of the benefit of candid feedback for the leader, team, and the organisation. When the leader improves in certain areas, it also benefits the team members. When the team members see the benefits and are aware that their identity for individual feedback will not be revealed, they get comfortable and provide accurate and honest feedback.

The coach will collect this feedback through multi-rater (or 360-degree assessments) and behavioural interviews with each team member.

Once the feedback is collected, the coach has to deliver the sometimes unpleasant feedback to the leader in a non-judgmental way that does not elicit a defensive response from the leader. The coach also makes the leader understand the benefits of accepting feedback and improving.

Can the coach provide a structured and tried and tested process for the leader’s development?

Changing the behaviour of an adult is one of the most challenging tasks. Changing the behaviour of a successful leader usually is an even more challenging task. A good coach should have a tried and tested, a well-structured process for the coaching engagement that they should be able to share with you. It is essential to find the best executive coach. Too many coaches and coaching engagements are unstructured. Structure helps, especially with the busy schedule and work pressures that executives face.

The coach should provide a clear road map for the entire coaching engagement and the timelines. Some of the common steps involved in a coaching engagement are

  • signing a coaching contract
  • assessments to get feedback and understand the leader’s inherent style
  • reviewing the feedback
  • planning regular coaching meetings
  • involving team members to practice new behaviors
  • assessing the results of the efforts
  • helping the leader form habits that will last even after the end of the coaching engagement.

Can the coach maintain confidentiality?

During a coaching engagement, the coach comes across a lot of information that is of a sensitive and confidential nature. The coach routinely interacts with many team members to collect feedback. The coach may also be working with other leaders in the organisation. Although it seems quite obvious, to keep the trust of the leader and the team members, the coach must maintain boundaries and save the information confidential. In case the coach wants to share any information with others, he should first take permission from the executive.

Can the coach help you with altering the perception of team members about your leadership behaviours?

Leaders develop a leadership style that comes from their personality, past experiences, and recent successes: each leader and their style have some inherent strengths and shortcomings. When team members work with the leader for a more extended period, they form an impression about their behaviours and style.

Just as it is difficult for the leader to change their leadership style, it is equally painful for the team members to change their perceptions about the leader that has been formed over the years, even when the leader works with the executive coach to change their behaviours, the team members’ impressions persistent and sometimes even stubborn.

A good coach helps the leader to change their behaviour and simultaneously improves the stakeholder’s “see” that change. Over some time, this effort results in changing both the executive’s ineffective practices and the team members’ persistent impressions about the leader’s behaviors and style.

Is the coach a role model of the behaviours he/she expects the leader to exhibit?

The best way to teach anyone is to teach by your example. As they say – actions speak louder than words. Does the executive coach practice the same behaviors that he expects from the leader? Some of the acts that the coach should exhibit are

Openness to feedback – when a coach expects the leader to listen to and accept feedback from the team members, they should openly receive the leader’s input. If the coach gets defensive or evasive to feedback, it is not the sign of a good coach.

Courage – Courage to tell the leader the unpleasant truths even if it may alienate the leader and possibly be rejected in the coach’s interview.

Humility – The executive leadership coaching engagement is about helping the leader. It is not about the executive coach. A coach who makes the interview process all about themselves may lack the humility to help the leader.

Discipline – Nothing of significance can be achieved without a good dose of control. A leadership coach who has a disciplined approach has a much higher probability of helping the leader stick to the process and achieve results.

What happens if things don’t go right? What is the escape clause?

Even after the due diligence, there is always a chance that a coaching engagement may not go as per the leader’s expectations or the sponsors. What happens in such a case? What are the conditions of early termination? It is always a good idea to ask for the details and read the contract carefully.

A good coach will have enough confidence in their own ability and have a high level of trust in their process and experience to deliver results. A good coach will always want to have a win-win deal or walk away. Hence, either party will notice short notice to terminate the coaching contract if either party’s expectations are not met.

Does the coach have the relevant education, certifications, and experience?

Executive coaching services is a mostly unregulated industry. The barriers to entry into coaching are shallow. Coaches come from varied backgrounds – human resources, psychology, business majors, consultants, and even yoga practitioners! While there are excellent coaches from different backgrounds and vice versa.

There are a few agencies that claim to have some minimum standards of education and experience for coaches. Still, their authority is neither widely accepted, nor do they do an excellent job selecting the best coaching candidates. They seem to make a lot of money certifying coaches, while the accredited coaches by such agencies hardly have any real paying coaching clients! Anyone willing to pay specific fees can get certified as a coach by doing an online course over the weekend and “coaching” a few willing or unwilling colleagues or friends to garner experience!

Often the coaching certifications mean little. An alphabet soup coaching certifications are no guarantee in gauging the coach’s ability to deliver results for the executive.

It is good to look for a coach who has a business or other degree and, ideally, some industry experience. A good coach has experience in coaching real executives in real companies and can provide references and testimonials to vouch for the expertise and the ability to deliver results for the coaching clients. Being accredited by the ICF (International coaching Federation) is also a significant plus in searching for an executive coach. The robust criteria for certification is industry leading and ensures a high level of coaching experience.


Rosia Bay provides executive coaching across the world and conforms to the ICF code of ethics and standards.

#coaching #executivecoaching #leadershipdevelopment #coachingprofesional

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