Top Tips for Finding an Effective Coach
1). Recommendation by a friend or colleague is always useful.
2). Rapport is essential for the coaching process to work, 
interview prospective coaches to find out whether you ‘gel’.
3). Ask for a CV from your prospective coach and don’t be afraid to ask to see certificates. Have they got relevant business training/experience and training/experience in coaching/psychology ? How long have they been a coach?
4). You are going to share some of your inner most thoughts with your coach, but you may also share details of your business. Has your coach got CRB clearance? Can you trust them?
5). Ask to see your coach’s insurance documents.
6). Ask some pertinent questions of your coach and include things like, have you ever felt the need to refer your clients to someone else. Ensure that your coach knows their limitations as well as their strengths and the benefits they can bring to your organisation. 
7). Does your prospective coach follow ethical and best practice guidelines? What professional bodies does your coach belong to? Don’t be fooled by grandiose names of awarding bodies, feel comfortable to check up on the training organisations.
8). Don’t be taken in by the possibility of a quick fix. Behavioural change takes time. Organisational change takes time. An effective coach will help you get to where you want to be personally and/or professionally and will leave you, and your organisation in a position to carry on the development without further intervention.
9). Don’t be taken in by psychobabble. If your prospective coach starts talking about things you don’t understand, ask them to explain.
10). If your coach is using assessments as part of the coaching process, ensure that they are fully qualified, that the assessments are reliable and valid (supported by rigorous research evidence) and that they can reliably be linked to your role and the areas in which you hope to develop.