Cathy Liska 
How do you source executive coaches for your company?
To help you gain insight into how companies source executive coaches, we asked CEOs and business leaders this question for their best strategies. From partnering with professional recruitment platforms to hiring coaches on Clarity.fm, there are several outlets and strategies that companies use when hiring coaches for their organization.Here is how 10 companies source executive coaches:
- Partner With a Professional Recruitment Firm
- Social Media Platforms
- Use the International Coaching Federation Website
- Find Coaches on Upwork
- Verify Success Stories of Previous Clients
- Join LinkedIn Groups for Executive Coaches
- Ask for References
- Use an Online Tool Like Exponent
- Look for Those that Put Thought into Action
- Hire Coaches on Clarity.fm
- Use a coaching firm like Coach-123.com
Partner With a Professional Recruitment Firm
One way to source executive coaches for your company is to use a professional recruitment firm. Executive recruiters have a large pool of qualified coaches to choose from and can help match the right coach to your company’s needs. Additionally, executive recruiters often have a lot of experience working with both coaches and executives, so they can help you find someone who is both professional and fun.
- Travis Lindemoen, Managing Director, nexus IT group
Social Media Platforms
You can find an Executive Coach on different social media platforms. Let’s say you are looking for one on Facebook, just add a post regarding your needs and requirements in a professional group and you will see multiple people applying for the position or other people tagging relevant coaches to your post. You can then interview and shortlist your preferred coaches and take them to the final steps of hiring.
- Daniel Foley, Director of Marketing, SEO Stack
Use the International Coaching Federation Website
An executive coach will know the ins and outs of your business. It’s not a position that you should hire lightly. You need to be certain that this person is credentialed and trusted in their skills. Using a regulated database from an accredited organization like the International Coaching Federation increases your chances of success with your coach because it adds a layer of credibility to their name. The database only includes coaches who are registered in the organization’s directory. Most organizations include criteria that coaches need to meet to be approved for their list. So you can rest assured that this contact has a satisfactory reputation.
Find Coaches on Upwork
Upwork is a freelancing platform where you can surprisingly source a lot of qualified individuals, executive coaches being one of them. Their interface will include the following:
– The person’s hourly rate.
– The number of jobs they are currently on.
– The reviews and stars are given based on their performance.
The advantage of using Upwork is the transparency it provides, which allows you to determine which can be the right fit for your company.
You will have total control, but you should not make hasty decisions either. Make sure that you interview three candidates before you decide and commit.
– Debbie Meeuws, Owner and CEO, Nature’s Arc Organic
Verify Success Stories of Previous Clients
You can glean a lot about an executive coach and how they match your needs by paying close attention to what previous clients have said about them. In hunting for the right executive coach, I go the extra mile to verify the success stories highlighted on their website. I only trust the feedback of clients who have had one-on-one sessions with the coach.
This step is the first part of my selection process. After I’ve narrowed down my shortlist, I reach out to my top three and get a feel of which one is the best match.
- Josh Tyler, CEO, Tell Me Best
Join LinkedIn Groups for Executive Coaches
Leverage LinkedIn to look for credentialed people fit to become executive coaches in your organization. LinkedIn groups like Coaching Zone and Choice Magazine have provided a friendly and helpful atmosphere for business owners who need guidance in running their companies. By joining these online communities, you can meet professionals who have been working in the coaching industry for over a decade. You’ll have the chance to look at their LinkedIn profiles, review their qualifications, and get in touch with them once they satisfy all your requirements.
- Sam Tabak, Board Member, RMBH Charities
Ask for References
Most of the coaches we’ve worked with were referred to us by business contacts. It’s a way for us to get a good sense of a coach’s credibility since we can base it on past performance, and we get to see how their expertise directly benefited their past clients. The biggest benefit, however, is that we can bypass many steps of the screening process. Vetting is a lot easier because the referrals come from trusted sources, and the back-and-forth communication is greatly reduced.
- Jonathan Merry, Co-founder & CEO, Crypto Monday
Use an Online Tool like Exponent
If you need assistance in changing careers or finding talent for your company, let alone coaches, Exponent can provide you with contact information for qualified career and interview coaches. Easily find a coach by searching Exponent’s extensive database. You’ll be able to identify coaches with a wide range of expertise and experience this way. By refining your search to meet your specific needs, you may find the ideal executive coach for your business.
- Tia Campbell, Director of Marketing, Practice Reasoning Tests
Look for Those that Put Thought into Action
The best Coach does three things well: listen, respond to create more thought, and translate those thoughts into suggested actions.
When considering a Coach for your organization, look for someone that can easily boil down emotional comments from employees and get to the root of the problem. Some Coaches work with a prescribed set of questions and prompts, others are less structured. We have found that a Coach with a plan for approaching different situations works well for us.
Finally, when an employee leaves a coaching session knowing the next step they can take, it feels like a weight is lifted off their shoulders. When interviewing Coaches, ask for examples of ‘homework’ or other action steps they’ve assigned in the past.
- Megan Schweitzer, Senior Manager, Human Resources, Data Meaning Services Group, Inc.
Hire Coaches on Clarity.fm
We use Clarity.fm to source executive coaches for our leadership team. The advantage of this platform is that you can identify coaches with relevant expertise, such as sales, marketing, technology, and diversity & inclusion. Further, you book these coaches 1 on 1 for whatever time period you need for a call — which could be 30 or 60 minutes. This booking process makes it easy and flexible to work with coaches and is a high-leverage investment for the business.
- Grace He, People and Culture Director https://teambuilding.com
Use a Coaching Firm like Coach-123
Coaching firms have standards for the coaches used and verify their training and credentialing. Coaching firms offer a selection of coaches so that the individual being coached has choices. Coaching firms can work with your budget by providing a coach with the right level of experience to meet your objectives.
- Coach 123, https://www.Coach-123.com
