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Coaching today owes a lot to two very different men. Timothy Gallwey shifted the emphasis from the body to the mind. And Thomas J. Leonard proved that it could move into areas beyond sports and become a lucrative business in the bargain.

Leonard founded Coach University in 1992 and the International Coach Federation in 1994. There was also Coachville, the Graduate School of Coaching, and International Association of Certified Coaches. He also wrote several books and recorded several audio series on coaching before he died in 2003 at the age of 47.

All of the organizations mentioned above still exist in some form. Along with other organizations like the Coach's Training Institute they provide training and certification for coaches.

There really was no coaching industry before Leonard. You can also blame him for some of the confusion and contention about what a "certified coach" is and whether coaching is a profession or not.

You don't have to worry about this when you choose an accountant or attorney or even a Realtor®. For those you have the traditional hallmarks of a profession.

There is a recognized body of knowledge that must be mastered before admission to practice. There may be other minimum requirements as well. There are professional standards of practice. Those things do not exist in coaching as it exists today.

You have to look beyond the word "certification" to find what it means in an individual case. And you have to put that in the overall context of your objectives.

Remember that not all professionals have coaching certification. Virginia Bianco-Mathis is an extreme example. She's on the faculty at Marymount University where she teaches courses on coaching. She's written two books on the subject.

You may not be able to use "certification" as a guide to whether a coach is qualified, but you can consider things that a well-thought our certification program requires. The International Coach Federation requires specific training, and minimum numbers of hours of coaching, and a minimum number of coaching clients.

Coaching expertise is not enough. Make sure the coach that you're considering has any other special skills you need. That might be experience in administering and debriefing 360 degree evaluations. It might be experience in your specialty or industry.

Ask about a coach's guarantee, if any. Ask if he or she subscribes to a code of ethics.

Do your due diligence. Call references. Don't just ask if they were "satisfied." Take the time to have a conversation about what they liked and didn't like.

Finally, listen to your gut. This is one of those decisions where your head and your heart both need to say yes. It's important. After all, it's about your future.

Thanks

Special thanks to Mary Jo Asmus, Susan Mazza, and Steve Roesler, experienced coaches all, who contributed their insights to help me make this piece better.

Check out the following related posts

Becoming a Great Leader is Up to You

Leadership Development: Big Company Programs and You

Leadership Development: Getting the Most from a Class

Leadership Development: Crafting Your Personal Development Plan

Leadership Development: When to hire a coach

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.