Dr. D Ivan Young is an ICF Master Certified Coach specializing in innovative and research-based coaching for high-net-worth individuals.
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When you decide to work with a coach, it’s usually because you’re aware that it’s time to effect some much-needed change in your life — improving performance and leadership at work, repairing and strengthening personal and professional relationships, identifying blind spots and growth areas, breaking old habits and patterns that don’t serve you.
But the title “coach” has many interpretations and covers a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills and qualifications. A self-ordained life coach, one with no relevant experience or certifications is unlikely to help you achieve your desired outcomes, while a professionally credentialed coach has already met high standards for coaching training, experience and ethics.
The First Steps To Finding A Great Coach
I always recommend working with a coach with irrefutable credentials from an distinguished organization like the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the Association for Coaching (AC) or the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). A great coach will have no problem with you double-checking their registrations and licensing before your first session.
Don’t stop there. Dig deeper to understand the methodologies they use and why. A coach worth your investment doesn’t work by trial and error; they use research-supported practices that demonstrate reliable results. Evidence-based coaching is the key to achieving lasting personal transformation.
What Is Evidence-Based Coaching?
An evidence-based coaching approach is grounded in proven science, much like clinical psychology or counseling, and draws from empirical research, theoretical knowledge and coaching standards and best practices.
Anthony M. Grant, founder of the world’s first coaching psychology unit at the University of Sydney, defined evidence-based coaching as a combination of professional wisdom (individual experience and group experience consensus) and empirical evidence (coaching-specific research and coaching-relevant research). By translating research into coaching practice, a coach can provide you with more effective assessments and optimize your desired outcomes.
Interview potential coaches before committing, and ask questions to clarify their methods and training:
• Which methodologies do you subscribe to? Why?
• How would your approach help me with Problem X or Goal Y?
• How have you helped clients in similar situations with these methodologies?
• What kind of work would you expect from me if we start a coaching relationship? What will I need to do to be successful?
A few common evidence-based approaches include:
• Appreciative inquiry: Evoking self-efficacy so you are motivated by previous successes to overcome challenging circumstances.
• Motivational interviewing: Tapping into your core values to commit to and work toward a goal.
• The transtheoretical model of change: Identifying where you are in the process of change and moving the needle through five phases: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy: Recognizing that life isn’t perfect, but that doesn't mean that you can't keep trying to perfect your life.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: Shifting your thoughts and language to transform your beliefs and behaviors.
• Social cognitive theory: Examining how your environment and the people in it are contributing to your beliefs, values and outcomes.
The Leadership Impact of Evidence-Based Coaching
Evidence-based coaching can shape how you nurture relationships and deal with difficult situations in both your personal and professional life. If you’re dealing with challenges at home, they will bleed into your work life and vice versa.
As a leader, evidence-based coaching can help you show up for all of the people in your organization, whether you work for a mom-and-pop business or a Fortune 100 company. When you make people feel seen, appreciated and valued — not marginalized or taken for granted — they are more likely to be committed to your organization in an intentional and meaningful way.
This is especially true as it relates to the diversity and inclusion space. Creating a diverse, inclusive and safe environment for all employees is non-negotiable in 2021. In a recent Glassdoor survey, 76% of job seekers reported that “a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers,” and the numbers increase for Black (80%), Hispanic (80%) and LGBTQ (79%) job seekers.
Evidence-based coaching fosters awareness about the discrimination and unique struggles team members face when working together. This approach helps you identify your blind spots and replace them with building blocks.
A great coach won’t solve your problems, but they will help you identify and understand them. A coach with an evidence-based coaching style will give you the tools you need for significant and sustainable change.
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