CEO coaching is one of the best investments you can make for yourself and your business. Many of the most successful leaders in the world have worked with a coach — and spoken openly about the impact on their careers.
As a CEO coach myself, I know just how transformative a strong coaching partnership can be. My clients report an average ROI of 300%, and an 83% improvement in work-life balance.
But those kinds of results are not guaranteed. A successful coaching relationship requires a strong mutual fit between coach and client. You can see me talking about exactly this with my client and friend Ali Abdaal in the video below.
So how do you make sure you’re choosing the best CEO coach for you? How do you find a coach who truly aligns with your unique needs and goals?
To guide you through this critical process, I’ve outlined seven essential steps to follow when choosing a CEO coach. This will enable you to effectively assess mutual fit — and ultimately find a coach who can help you reach your full potential.
1. Clarify Your Needs and Objectives
Before you can identify a good-fit CEO coach, you must first be very clear on your own needs and objectives.
What are you hoping to achieve? What’s driving you to look for a CEO coach in the first place?
Maybe you’re preparing to scale your business and want support and strategic guidance. Perhaps you need help navigating a particularly complex or sensitive situation.
Maybe you’re not exactly sure what you need — you just know that you feel stuck, and believe a CEO coach can help you move forwards and level up.
Here are some questions to focus on when defining your needs and goals:
- What’s the biggest challenge (or challenges) I’m currently facing?
- What does a successful CEO coaching relationship look like to me?
- If there’s one key outcome I’d like to achieve in the next month / 3 months / 6 months, it would be…
With clarity around your goals, it’ll be much easier to identify the right coach for you.
For more help with this step, check out my ultimate guide to CEO coaching where I explore the key benefits and outcomes you can achieve with a CEO coach.
2. Look for Relevant Experience and Common Ground
There’s no one-size-fits-all with CEO coaching. You’re in a highly unique position within your role, your company, your industry, and your personal life — and not every coach out there will be able to relate.
Look for a CEO coach who shares some common ground and can personally empathize with the challenges you face.
If you’re in the process of scaling your business, you’ll want a CEO coach who’s been through that process themselves. If your main goal is to improve your leadership skills and navigate high-stakes decision-making, look for a coach who has successfully demonstrated those skills throughout their own career.
Note that it’s not about finding your exact mirror image; you also want someone who can bring fresh perspectives and insights. However, they must have certain knowledge, qualities, and experiences that qualify them to coach you specifically.
3. Understand Their Coaching Style, Approach, and Methodology
Every CEO coach has their own unique style — and every CEO has their own individual needs and preferences. You want to work with someone whose approach resonates with you, and whose values and principles largely align with your own.
Do your research to get a feel for how a particular coach works and what their coaching philosophy is based on. Aim to identify:
- The key principles and frameworks that inform their approach to coaching
- What the coaching process looks like in practical terms — for example, when, where, and how often can you expect to connect with your coach?
- How they set goals, measure progress, and deliver feedback
- How they tailor and adapt their approach to the individual
- Their main value proposition — what sets their coaching style apart?
Ultimately, you want to feel inspired and excited by your coach’s methodology. You want to come away thinking: yes, that’s something I could truly benefit from.
If you’d like to learn more about what to expect from a CEO coach, read this guide: What Does a CEO Coach Actually Do?
4. Choose a Coach Who’s Committed to Their Own Learning and Growth
As part of my journey to becoming a CEO coach, I wanted to understand why my own success felt inconsistent.
I did extensive research into psychology and behavioral science, completed multiple coaching certifications, and took an apprenticeship with Professor BJ Fogg who leads Stanford University’s Behavior Design Lab.
Even now, after coaching hundreds of successful CEOs and leaders, I still consider myself (and my coaching practice) a work in progress. I never stop learning, researching, evolving my methodologies, and doing things outside of my comfort zone.
I have what’s known as a growth mindset, which is absolutely crucial if you want to reach your full potential and consistently perform at your peak.
A great CEO coach will help you nurture your growth mindset — and it’s exactly the kind of mindset they should demonstrate themselves.
When considering a CEO coach, ask yourself:
Is this coach invested in their own learning, growth, and development?
What steps do they take to continuously improve their coaching practice and ensure their own success?
Are they curious and open to new knowledge, insights, and perspectives?
If you don’t see evidence of a growth mindset in a potential CEO coach, they may not be the best person to nurture your own growth and success.
5. Pay Attention to Soft Skills
Don’t assume that someone is a great leader or coach just because they have dozens of qualifications and an impressive business resume.
Truly powerful CEO coaching goes beyond on-paper credentials and strategic success. It requires empathy, active listening, and effective communication.
As you evaluate potential coaches, pay attention to their soft skills and emotional intelligence. Consider:
- How does their general communication style sit with you?
- How do they listen and respond during your initial exchanges?
- Is this someone you can communicate openly and authentically with — and can you expect honest feedback and direct communication in return?
Soft skills are not only critical in business; they’re also fundamental to your coaching experience. If your first interactions with a CEO coach hint at poor communication or a lack of empathy, think twice about whether this is a good fit.
6. Choose a CEO Coach Who Will Challenge You
You’re looking for a CEO coach because you want to grow and change. You want to break limiting habits and thought patterns, and see real progress in your life and work.
So you need a coach who will challenge you.
This ties in closely with communication style — but it’s also about courage, confidence, and expertise. As you assess mutual fit, consider whether you can count on this person to push you out of your comfort zone and hold you accountable.
This is something you can discuss directly, too. Ask for specific examples of how they’ve pushed previous clients to achieve their goals, or ask them to share what techniques and methods they use to foster accountability.
7. Trust Your Gut
My final piece of advice is to trust your gut. No matter how well everything stacks up on paper: if you don’t feel a natural click, or if something just feels off, this is not the right CEO coach for you.
Before committing to work with any CEO coach, make sure you speak to them in person (either face-to-face or via video call) to assess your personal rapport.
If you don’t feel comfortable with your CEO coach, it will be extremely difficult to get the results you need. Your gut instincts will tell you everything you need to know during that preliminary meeting, so listen carefully.
What Next?
There are many great coaches out there, but they won’t all be great for you. Be clear on your objectives, conduct thorough research, and set up exploratory calls or trial sessions before committing.
And, to summarize my earlier advice, keep these questions in mind as you speak to different coaches:
- Are they a good fit in terms of my personal needs and objectives?
- Do they have relevant experience / do we share some common ground?
- Do I have a clear understanding of their style, approach, and methodology, and does it resonate with me?Do they have a growth mindset?
- How are their soft skills, like communication and active listening?
- Will this person challenge me?
- What does my gut say? Do I feel good about working with this person?
For further guidance, consult my round-up of the best CEO coaching programs in the world.
You can also learn more about me, Eric Partaker, and explore my CEO coaching services here. I offer both one-on-one coaching and group training courses to help you operate at your full potential, scale your business, and find balance and fulfillment in all areas of life. Book a free consultation and we can talk through your goals, assess mutual fit, and discuss your next steps.
CEO Coaching FAQs
What is CEO coaching?
CEO coaching is a specialized form of coaching for CEOs and business leaders. It focuses on the unique challenges and demands that CEOs face, enabling you to reach your full potential and consistently perform at your peak. It involves identifying your strengths and weaknesses, setting goals, tracking progress, and receiving feedback, mentorship, and guidance.
What makes a good CEO coach?
The best CEO coaches have firsthand experience in an executive role and a proven track record in the coaching sector. They empathize with the challenges and demands of being a CEO, possess a growth mindset, and exhibit strong communication, feedback, and active listening skills. Importantly, a good CEO coach aligns with your personal needs and goals — and tailors their approach accordingly.
How do I choose the best coach for me?
First, be clear on your needs and objectives. Think about why you’re hiring a CEO coach and what you want to achieve. From there, do your research and assess mutual fit. Look for a coach who has relevant experience in your industry or sector, and whose coaching style and methodology resonates with you. Pay attention to key soft skills such as communication and active listening, and make sure you have a strong personal rapport.
