Hiring an exec coach? Start with this
Hi Everyone,
Ask a leader how they chose their coach, and the answer is usually some version of "we clicked." Rapport feels like the right test, and the coaching industry supports it with free chemistry calls.
But when Erik de Haan's research team reviewed trials of executive coaching, they found the strength of the coach–client relationship didn't drive results as the sessions went on. What you bring to the engagement predicts more than who you click with.
Today, we're sharing a brief that does two jobs: screens the coach before you commit, and keeps the engagement honest after you do.
Write first, even without a clear goal
Most leaders looking for a coach don't have a neatly defined goal yet. Usually something feels off – you're stretched thin, or the company is growing faster than your habits. Sometimes the whole thing was your board's idea. Not knowing exactly what you need is normal, and it's often the reason to get help in the first place.
Even so, the people closest to the industry start with writing. Ed Batista, a coach who spent 15 years teaching at Stanford's business school, gets more requests than he can take, and he won't pass anyone to another coach without a written description of who they are and what they want from coaching. A few honest lines are enough for him.
So, before you talk to anyone, write down your starting point in your own words.
The four prompts
Copy our template and fill in the four prompts. Half-formed answers are fine, and so are big, unspecific goals – nobody will grade it.
What's going on: The situation as you'd describe it to a friend, in two or three sentences.
What you want to be different: Whatever comes to mind. If the answer could apply to any leader (“communicate better” or “delegate more,” for example), add a line on better how, and why now.
Who would notice: One or two names. The people who'd see the change if it happened, like your team or your partner.
When you'll check: Pick a review point before you start, and count it in sessions, not months. Research on coaching outcomes shows the benefits arrive early, so five or six sessions in is a fair moment to decide whether to continue.
Watch what the coach does with it
Bring the brief to the chemistry call, or send it the day before. Turning a loose description into a specific, workable goal is the skill you're paying for, and the first call is your chance to see it live before signing anything.
A good coach will ask which part matters most, push back on something you wrote, or connect two lines you hadn't connected yourself. The best ones will tell you honestly when what you've described isn't a coaching problem. A coach who sets your brief aside and moves into a general pitch has shown you how the engagement would go.
And if you have a coach already, write it anyway and bring it to your next session. It's the fastest way to check whether you're still working on anything specific.
Go deeper
👉 Ed Batista: How to Find (and Choose) a Coach — use this once your page is written; it covers referrals, first conversations, and the questions worth asking.
👉 Erik de Haan: New findings on the effectiveness of the coaching relationship — read this before your next chemistry call, so you know what the rapport is and isn't telling you.
👉 Matt Munson: What Does a CEO Coach Do? — a former CEO on hiring the wrong coach first, and what he'd screen for today.
👉 Marshall Goldsmith: Coaching for Behavioral Change — see how one of the most selective coaches structures engagements, including getting paid only on results.
Coming up on Monday
In Monday's issue, you'll get a simple way to decide whether a struggling senior hire needs coaching, a repaired setup, or an exit.
Have a good weekend!