Nicola: [00:00:00] hello and welcome to the female leaders on fire podcast. I’m your host, I’m Nicola Buckley. I am the coach working with women at the very top of organizations and I help these incredible women to find their fires, that passion, that purpose, excitement sake have more impact, more influence, add more income as well.

And also be a real force for good driving, positive change in those organizations and listening to their heart and active with real purpose to change the goddamn world. So today we are, this is a second part of a coaching and mini series all about coaching. So in our first episode, we talked about what is coaching?

How does it work? What the boundary. Today. I’m just going to share a quick overview what to look for in a coach. Because again, as we mentioned, there’s many people out there that call themselves a coach. As many people out there that potentially [00:01:00] mentors are potentially you at different stage in journey might need a different support.

So whether that’s mentoring, whether that’s counseling, whatever that is. So today I just want to help you to think about actually, if I love the sound of coaching, what to look for in a coach. So this for me, splits into two different areas. This splits into what to look for in terms of knowing that there’s a professional standard of coaching to know that you’re going to get as much as possible from the investment that you make in the coaching.

And then the other part is to think about the sort of person you want to be coached. And what, how do you know that’s the sort of person you’re going to feel comfortable. You’re going to feel confident to share with, because really in a coach you want someone that you feel that you can trust. You want someone that you feel you can really open up to.

So if we take the first part of that, what to look for in terms of a professional coach, so there’s lots of different organizations. Professional coaching organization. So I am with one called [00:02:00] the ICF. So the international coaching Federation, and that means I am an accredited ACC coach. So I I’m a coach.

Who’s done a certain number of hours. I am a coach that’s been assessed against their criteria. Um, and I have ongoing poaching supervision. So I, I spend once a month, uh, I spent time with a coaching supervisor and I bring any questions to those sessions. So I’m always developing as a coach. So that’s something to look for.

So other organizations, so there’s the ICF. The sun also, uh, the AC and then there’s also the EMCC. So the AC is association for coaching and the AMCC S the European mentoring and coaching council. So those are ones that are worth looking at as well. So for example, with the IC. In the UK at my level of coaching, I’m one of only [00:03:00] 830 coaches, which when I looked at that number, I was actually astounded by, because like I said, there seems to be so many people that are now calling themselves coaches and also being part of the ICF also means I adhered to their code of conduct.

So that means coaching sessions are confidential. It means that I am obligated and I love it anyway to keep continuing my professional development. It means effectively that I have a professional standard of coaching. So that’s certainly something to look for, whether that’s with the ICF, whether that’s with the AC or the EMCC, or there’s also the association for professional executive coaching.

So it’s really. Looking for those different standards and knowing that that person has gone through and made an investment of time, money, and effort to be a professional coach. So it’s certainly worth looking for that professional level coaching. So really make the most of your investment. And the other part of what I want to talk about in this short episode was also just to really think [00:04:00] about the sort of person that you are really going to feel safe and supported and trusted with.

So clients come to. They could go to other coaches, but they come to me because of my energy. They come to me cause I’m open because I’m honest because I share parts of my journey because I have a, uh, I have a heritage of being a great coach. So I have a background in coaching. I have my coaching certification, I AF continuing professional development.

So there’s all those different things, but it’s also me as a person. So there’s something about me. They feel trusted or they feel that actually this is someone they could open up to and be really honest with. So just think about the characteristics you would look for in a coach, what would you be looking for?

So is it that you want someone who is going to nudge you and be direct and call you out on things? Or is it that you’re actually, you just want to feel safe and secure and listened to? I just really think about the energy of that person. Do you want someone who’s a high [00:05:00] energy or do you just want someone that’s very calm, just really think about what are the sort of characteristics of a person who really lifts your energy.

So that’s, if it’s. Super short episode, but really today is hopefully giving you a really good perspective of what to look for in a coach. Like I said, it splits into those two areas, that professional level of coaching to get the most of your investment, knowing that that person is a, that is their career.

That is what they do. And to know that they’ve had that support and they’ve had that depth of learning. Um, and then the other part is just to think about from a character point of view, what are you looking for in your coach? What are you looking for? What characteristics, what it’s going to help you to feel really helped you to be in the moment with them and to feel like it know that you’re safe to know that you’re secure, um, and just write a list of that criteria.

And then, uh, social media is a brilliant way to find. Different coaches and start to follow them. So you can really start to sense who that person is and how you would interact with them. And then as you’re having a call with them, or [00:06:00] if you’re onboarded with them also again, just check in with that level of professionalism.

So for example, is a contracts out with them. Do they contract with you at the beginning of a coaching call to kind of remind you of the framework to they really set those goals with you again? And also final thing is just to think of. Coaching is it’s transformational. It’s super powerful. It’s life changing.

It’s a sliding door moment going through a coaching relationship with someone. So again, just really think about how does this feel for me? How do I feel about that person? Do I feel John slim? Do I feel advertised? And also as I experienced them, does it seem professional? So it seems like it’s very clear on.

What’s expected of me as a client, what’s expected of them. Do they have terms and conditions on my sign and contract? So just some things to think about that really. So I’d love to know what you think if today, if you think I’m the coach who you do drop me an email, Nick Clark, Nicholas school co, or message me on LinkedIn week, then book a quick call and see how we could work together.

So that’s it for today. [00:07:00] Thank you. Bye

If what I took about really resonates with you and you love what I have to say, and you have moments and flashes of inspiration from the podcast. I would invite you to get in touch, to find out how I can help you. So individually, that can be through my coaching focus program for my VIP program, depending on how you like to learn and what will suit you, or I can help you in your organization to really help the women that you work with across the organization at all different levels.

And at that very senior level to really feel empowered and to know that they can reach the very, the most senior levels in that organization and to give them the company. In who they are and the clarity, what they want to be able to get there. And we do that through workshops, do that through leadership programs, and we can do that.

Free consulting work. If you are looking for help with any of that, drop [00:08:00] me an email nycla@nicholasschoolco.com. The spelling’s not the easiest. So all the details are in the show notes results I get for clients. Clients have been promoted twice in the six months we’ve worked together. They’d been invited to join the board.

They’ve gone from redundancy to being offered three dreams. They’ve gone from being pushed out of an organization to going into bigger organization and a bigger role with a bigger pay rise and just a quote from a client that I particularly. I’ve gone from the pit of despair. When I started working with Nick to just being really happy and she is an incredibly empowered leader.

Now, if you’re not quite ready for that, you can download my overwhelmed on fire guide, the details that are in the show notes that really helps you everyday to stay in your fire. So it helps you to clear your head, helps you to come back to what’s important to you, and it helps us have that most impact and influence every single day.

It’s a little Quip sheet that you can just go through and take. So go and download that. Or you can subscribe to my newsletter, which comes out every Friday, which is a Roundup [00:09:00] of the week. Really. So what’s going on in my world. What’s the blog for that week, a quick video, that’s going to help your particular subject.

And it’s all about helping female leaders to find their fire and also stats in and any research from the industry as well. And things that I’m reading that I really like. Um, recommendations that we’re making. So go and subscribe to that. And finally, for the podcast, if you haven’t done so already, I would love you to go and leave us a review and subscribe so that you never miss an episode.

And you’re always going to have the one that release and doing that as well. Not only helps you, but it also means that we’re going to reach more women and we’re going to be able to start that revolution to helping female leaders, to keep that fire, find their fire and keep it. Keep that passion, that purpose side excitement.

So if you haven’t done that already, please go and do that. Thank you.