Y O U R G O - T O G U I D E F O R A S K I N GE X E C U T I V E C O A C H V E N D O R S T H ER I G H T Q U E S T I O N S

Buyer'sGuide toChoosingExecutiveCoaches

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Robin Sharma once said, “To double your income and success,triple your investment in personal development and professionalmastery,” and we would agree! Providing Executive Coaching tothe leaders in your organization isn't something that's 'nice' tohave - it's a vital part of your company's long-term investmentand talent growth strategy.

Companies today are investing more in their executive leadersand high potential talent. Partnering with the right ExecutiveCoaching company can be a tremendous catalyst in helping yourorganization achieve meaningful and long-lasting development.

Choosing the right Executive Coaching company is key, and justas critical is helping each leader choose the best 'right' coach forhim or her.

When evaluating potential Executive Coaching vendors, you canuse this guide to ensure that you’re asking the right questions,considering the important factors, and making the mostinformed decision to truly make a difference within yourorganization.

ExecutiveCoaching is adirectpathway toexpedite yourleadershipand bottom-line businessresults.

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W H Y D O O R G A N I Z A T I O N S P A R T N E R W I T H A N E X T E R N A LE X E C U T I V E C O A C H ?

Many HR departments don't have enough internal resources for the delivery of their talentdevelopment strategy and so they choose to partner with a trusted external provider. Externalpartners provide the fresh perspective, experience, expertise and manpower to accelerate theexecution of your strategy. Often, the need for a partner is focused on Executive Coaching. Sometimes an internal coach may not feel equipped to coach a more senior executive in thesame organization. The leader may not feel comfortable being vulnerable with an internalcoach, and vulnerability is key to exploring the hard truths to become a better leader.Therefore, organizations rely on proven external Executive Coaches to complement theirinternal capabilities.

Executive Coaches are called upon to create a safe place where leaders can slow down todiscover better approaches. Coaching sessions are critical to explore new insights, make betterdecisions, act on meaningful feedback, and become proficient with the right leadership toolsand techniques required for sustainable growth. 

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W H Y U S E A N E X E C U T I V EC O A C H ?

A Fortune 500 company studied the ROI of Executive Coaching. They found 77% ofrespondents indicated coaching had a significant impact on at least one of nine businessmeasures. Productivity and employee satisfaction were the most positively impacted areas(which in turn has an impact on customer satisfaction, employee engagement, annualizedfinancial results, and more). Their study concluded that Executive Coaching produced a529% ROI plus significant intangible benefits, including the financial benefits fromemployee retention which boosted the overall ROI to 788%. (Executive Briefing: CaseStudy on the ROI of Executive Coaching, Merrill C. Anderson, Ph.D., MetrixGlobal, LLC)

Manchester, Inc. surveyed 100 executives, most of which were from Fortune 1000companies. Their research showed that a company’s investment in Executive Coachingrealized an average ROI of almost 6x the cost of the coaching. (Maximizing the Impactof Executive Coaching, The Manchester Review, 2001, Vol 6, Number 1, J.McGovern, et.al.)

W H A T I S T H E R O I F R O M E X E C U T I V E C O A C H I N G ?

Leadership development takes times and effort. The good news is the return on investmentwill be multiplied by the improvement of the leader and the employees that report to them.The ROI of executive coaching comes from the entire organization being better, more focused,and aligned on your goals and strategies:

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International Coaching Federation (ICF) found86% of organizations saw positive ROIfrom Coaching engagements, and 96% ofthose who had an Executive Coach saidthey would repeat the processagain. Tangible results were found inincreased productivity, higher levels of overallemployee performance, reduced costs,growth in revenue and sales, higher employeeretention, and engagement. Intangible factorswere increased leader confidence, improvedcommunication, stronger employee, peer andkey stakeholder relationships.

In “How’s Your Return on People?” (HBR,3/2004), Laurie Bassi and Daniel McMurrernote that three stock portfolios comprisedonly of companies that "spend aggressively onemployee development" each outperformedthe 2003 S&P 500 by 17 -35%

R O I O F E X E C U T I V E C O A C H I N G

C R I T I C A LS U C C E S SF A C T O R S T OE X P L O R EW H E NC H O O S I N GY O U RE X E C U T I V EC O A C H I N GP A R T N E R

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0 1You’re trusting an Executive Coach with your greatest asset - theleaders of your organization! Therefore, you want to make sure thatyou’re partnering with an Executive Coaching Organization that knowswhat they’re doing.

Each Coach should have a level of background and experience thatincludes formal coach training, coaching specialties, plus anyrelevant business experience you feel is important for each leader.Look at what programs the organization offers, their methodology,how they will partner with you, who they serve, and how they showvalue. Here are some practical tips:

One of the key indicators that your coaching is being led by an expertis in how they coach, not just what they coach. What is theorganization's and each coach's background and experience? Whichcoaching and specialty certifications have they earned? How do theyeffectively share the responsibility of the coaching outcome with you?

A high quality certified coach is an expert in their coaching field withindustry experience, plus they empower the coachee to truly own theirresults. The coach should provide the leader a very active role in theirdiscovery and development with lots of experiential practice andreflection. Stakeholders should also play an important part in the initialgoal alignment and provide meaningful feedback and "feed-forward."

Finding out which brands trust a provider to deliver quality coaching cangive you great insight into whether they’re a good fit for your business.Make sure to read case studies and testimonials to see the challenges andproblems that other organizations have faced—they may be similar to theones you’re facing right now. Such insight will help you find out how thisprovider helps other clients overcome their challenges, and how they willbe able to support your company's growth and success.

What is the value proposition of the vendor? What are their beliefs? Howdo they measure ROI? Make sure your organization’s beliefs and goals arealigned with theirs. If the coach's definition of success is significantlydifferent from yours, you’re likely not going to get what you want out ofcoaching.

R E V I E W T H E I R E X E C U T I V E C O A C H T E A M

C R E D I B I L I T Y

W H O A R E T H E I R C L I E N T S ?

W H A T D O T H E Y V A L U E ?

P R O T I P

A S K F O RT E S T I M O N I A L S

A N D C A S ES T U D I E S !

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Executive coaching is a high trust, interactivepartnership, where the coach provides the leader(also known as the Coachee) a safe place to exploreand reflect.

A great coach empowers you through discovery, newinsight and perspectives, and the right practical toolsand opportunities to accelerate growth.

During your initial meeting, pay attention to thechemistry between you (the Coachee) and the coach.There should be a strong and positive chemistrybetween you, indicating that you can work welltogether.

It is important that a leader has a choice of coaches.Be sure to pre-screen or interview 2-3 candidatesbefore you choose.

Tell me about your background Why did you became a coach?How long have you been coachingHow many clients have you had?What is their typical level? Describe your coaching philosophy?Tell me about the coaching process.Describe the structure and content ofa typical coaching session? Howfrequently will we meet? How longshould the engagement last?What tools and assessment tools doyou use?Can you describe other engagementsyou’ve had and the results yourclients have achieved?How do we set goals and measureprogress?Can you show me an example of adevelopment plan created with aprevious client?How do you handle confidentiality?How is confidentiality managed withkey stakeholders?How will my boss be involved? HR?What else should I know?

A good bio should tell you a lot, and thenwhen you meet ask some of the following:

W H A T Y O U S H O U L DA S K T H E M

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P R O T I P

You should choose a coach on a close enoughwavelength so that rapport, mutual trust and respectare established, but not so similar or agreeable thatyou are hiring a personal cheerleader.

If your developmental objectives include a change inyour behavior or style, you may want to choose acoach whose temperament is different from yours.The coach’s style should complement your own whilestill being challenging enough to cause you to stretchyourself.

C O M P L E M E N T I N G S T Y L E S

C H E M I S T R Y

C a n y o u s h a r e y o u rp e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e s ,f e a r s a n d d r e a m s w i t h

t h i s c o a c h ?

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P R O T I P

The executive coaching industry is highly fragmented,and crowded with solo practitioners. There is noformal educational or practical requirement forcalling oneself a coach, and buyers of coachingservices struggle with the lack of standards orqualifications to guide them.

When choosing an Executive Coaching partner, besure to investigate their experience, accreditations,degrees, professional certifications, and businessunderstanding and industry sector experience. Askwhat geographies they cover, what languages,cultures and leadership levels they serve, and if theyhave a team of coaches you can rely on for the long-term.

Another valuable resource is a leadershipdevelopment firm, such as Churchill LeadershipGroup, that has already pre-screened coaches andprovides a wide selection of highly experienced,coaches in a many global geographic locations.

A leadership firm can be invaluable in providing aselection of coaches that fit your specific criteria andalso offers an added layer of quality control, andstrategic management to the engagement.

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E v e r y o r g a n i z a t i o n i s d i f f e r e n t , a n d a “ o n e s i z e f i t s a l l ” p r o g r a mi s n o t g o i n g t o a d d r e s s y o u r n e e d s a s w e l l a s a t a i l o r e da p p r o a c h w i l l . B e s u r e t o a s k y o u r E x e c u t i v e C o a c h i n g p a r t n e r sa b o u t t a i l o r i n g a n d c o n t e x t u a l i z a t i o n o p t i o n s t o e n s u r e t h a t t h ec o a c h i n g r e f l e c t s y o u r c u l t u r e , i n d u s t r y , v a l u e s , a n d n e e d s .

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I N D U S T R Y E X P E R T I S E

P R O T I P

C O A C H I N G E X P E R I E N C E

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Choose a coach who has a track record ofcoaching success and can demonstratesignificant past client successes . You will wanta seasoned coach with a more flexible coachingstyle that can draw on a range of theories andapproaches to support your unique needs.

Many coaches have a specialty in helpingimprove certain leadership skill sets or tosupport clients during specific transitions likewhen you move to a new department or takeon new responsibilities. Depending on yourneeds, you may benefit from someone withspecific know-how.

You want a coach who is at least familiar withyour industry or has worked with other clientslike you. A good executive coach doesn't needto have the same exact background orexperience as you, but a familiarity will helphim or her better understand your thinkingand needs.

More importantly, your coach needs skills youeither do not have and want to attain, or onesthat can help strengthen your opportunityareas.

B O T T O M L I N E :W h o e v e r y o u c h o o s e t o w o r k w i t h , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t h a ty o u f e e l c o m f o r t a b l e a n d c o n f i d e n t t h a t t h e i n v e s t m e n tw i l l e n a b l e y o u t o s u c c e s s f u l l y a c h i e v e y o u r g o a l s .

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M O R E A B O U T C H U R C H I L L L E A D E R S H I P G R O U P

Churchill develops powerful and authentic soft skills and behaviors that drive strong growth andbetter performance for your leaders and teams. We individualize the learning by accelerating naturaltalent, using our unique strengths methodology.

Whether you need to build a leadership pipeline, align global teams, improve internal and externalcommunication, or boost manager effectiveness, we partner with you to transform your businessthrough coaching and learning journeys that scale across your organization.

Learn how Churchill can help your organization. Reach out at Solutions@Churchill-lg.com or call+1.888.486.8884. Churchill has over 200 expert Executive and Team Coaches across the globeready to partner with you.