Executive coach certification and selection: a contrarian's viewpoint

Abstract

Purpose

This paper is written to increase awareness and focus on the choice of executive coaches. There is a growing trend of selecting coaches based solely on a certification. This methodology of coach selection could lead to disappointing and lackluster results.

Design/methodology/approach

This scope of the paper is executive coaching within organizations, with a specific focus on the potential prerequisite of a coaching certification. The paper is written from the author's point of view. The author has interacted with and interviewed numerous coaches and leaders and extensive personal experience on the subject.

Findings

The results are that quality coaching is primarily about whom the coach is, not what techniques or certifications they hold. The “self” of the coach is the instrument of change, not a bag of tricks accumulated during a “coaching college”.

Practical implications

Coaching certification for many is a defense against personal accountability and responsibility: the responsibility to select and hire quality coaches and the responsibility to be a quality coach. Orchestrating quality coaching programs is difficult and laborious work that cannot be minimized or made more efficient. By certifying coaches we could be sterilizing otherwise potentially powerful relationships and denuding overall quality learning experiences (let alone creativity and further learning) on a grand scale. Any attempt to make the choice of a coach more efficient will potentially reduce the quality of the future coaching experience. Perhaps coaching leaders to coach is a more valuable and meaningful intervention then merely coaching one person's performance.

Originality/value

Quality coaching experiences consistently and significantly increase performance for many leaders. This paper is intended to help leaders and those that assist them in coach selection and coaching program orchestration increase the value and return on investment of coaching interventions.

Citation

McCleary, D. (2006), "Executive coach certification and selection: a contrarian's viewpoint", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 10-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777280610676936