Finding a professional coach is difficult when anyone can call themselves a ‘coach’.

There are many types of coach; Executive Coach, Leadership Coach, Confidence Coach, Relationship Coach, Life Coach, Career Coach, Performance Coach, Business Coach etc. This makes it challenging to find someone who has the right skills, qualifications and can demonstrate tangible results in the area you would like to develop.

This directory only accepts a professional coach who is qualified, experienced, a member of a professional coaching organisation, has regular coach supervision, insurance and excellent references.

We have done our utmost to ensure that you will find top quality professional coaches on this site. The responsibility and choice for whom you decide to work with is ultimately yours. Our aim is to make the process easier for you.

In addition to providing a verified listing, we also offer a personal coach matching service, please book in a call to discuss your needs.

We also provide a portal of resources such as events, conferences, exhibitions, workshops, articles, industry news and blogs to enhance your continued personal and professional development alongside the work you might do with a professional coach.

To watch an Introduction to the Trusted Coach Directory by founder Helen Isacke click here.

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Option 1 – D-I-Y

Review our Trusted Coaches by selecting the relevant search criteria on the Home page. Review their profiles to find information about their specialist areas, level of coaching membership/accreditation, professional bodies, qualifications and testimonials. You are then free to directly contact anyone you may be interested in working with. We have done our utmost to ensure that you will find top quality coaches by ensuring they meet our strict registration criteria.

Option 2 – Coach Matching Service

If you would like some advice based on our knowledge of the coaches, whether you are looking for a coach for yourself, for one of your team or for a one-off piece of work.

Book a call with us to discuss your requirements. Having defined the type of coach and programme required, we will then select the most appropriate coaches based on your needs, check their availability, set up ‘chemistry meetings’ and advise on rates. You will contract directly with the coach. Matching fees vary depending on requirements, starting from £150 + VAT.

Please book in a call with us on 07989 683294 or email info@trustedcoachdirectory.com to discuss your requirements further or if you have any questions.

If you are looking for an Executive Coach, Leadership Coach or Career Coach, you might be worried about making a costly mistake and perhaps confused as to what you should be looking for.

Engaging a coach can be time consuming, and expensive. The pool of coaches is growing, and yet the industry is currently unregulated, anyone can call themselves a coach. This is one of the reasons why we have created the directory, so that you will feel safe know that any coach you select from the Trusted Coach Directory has met our strict criteria.

The Trusted Coach Directory offers a Coach Matching Service which will save you time and money.

The Coach Matching Service offers advice based on our knowledge of the coaches, whether you are looking for a coach for yourself, for one of your team or for a one-off piece of work.

Book a call with us to discuss your requirements. Having defined the type of coach and programme required, we will then select the most appropriate coaches based on your needs, check their availability, set up ‘chemistry meetings’ and advise on rates. You will contract directly with the coach. Matching fees vary depending on requirements, starting from £150 + VAT.

Ultimately, our aim is to make the process easier for you, helping you to choose a top quality coach who is the best fit for you, or someone in your organisation.

Please book in a call regarding our Coach Matching Service call us on 07989 683294 or email info@trustedcoachdirectory.com to discuss your requirements further or if you have any questions.

The eligibility criteria for our coaches is that they have:

• Membership of Professional Coaching Organisation, i.e. AC, ICF, EMCC, APECS & IAPCM
• Current Professional Indemnity Insurance
• Recognised and relevant coaching qualifications
• Agreed to the Professional Coaching Organisation’s Code of Ethics
• At least 100+ hrs’ experience, post coaching qualification
• Regular coaching supervision
• Provided two client references – these may be authenticated via email or verbally.

Remember that we offer a Coach Matching Service, which offers advice based on our knowledge of the coaches, whether you are looking for a coach for yourself, for one of your team or for a one-off piece of work.  Please book a call to discuss your needs.

Although coaches don’t have to be accredited to register on the site, we do encourage accreditation as we believe that it raises the standard of coaching. Accreditation demonstrates a commitment to professional coaching through clarifying their coaching style and coaching philosophy, a full understand of the skills required for coaching, case studies, references, CPD log, and an in depth understanding of the coaching code of ethics.

Different professional coaching bodies require different criteria for each level of membership.

Visit the Resources page to find out more.

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as: partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honour the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
• Encourage client self-discovery
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
• Hold the client responsible and accountable

This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.

“Coaching targets high performance and improvement at work and usually focuses on specific skills and goals, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s personal attributes such as social interaction or confidence. The process typically lasts for a relatively short defined period of time, or forms the basis of an on-going management style.”
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

“Coaching is an interactive process that helps individuals and organisations to develop more rapidly and produce more satisfying results. Coaches work with clients in all areas including business, career, finances, health and relationships. As a result of coaching, clients set better goals, take more action, make better decisions, and more fully use their natural strengths.”
International Coach Federation

“…unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”
Sir John Whitmore, author of ‘Coaching for Performance’

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Before getting in touch with any potential Executive Coach, we suggest that you consider the following:

1. Check their experience level. What is their core expertise, what credentials do they carry, what is their thought leadership and their view on what Executive Coaching is about?

2. Accreditation, Degree and professional certification. What does their learning journey look like, have they kept their knowledge up to date and are they continuously looking for development opportunities in order to best serve you as a client?

3. Business understanding and sector experience. What is their own background, do they have any relevant experience in your sector or in the sector that you’re trying to break into, are they equipped with industry experience that will prove useful to the coaching?

Make sure that you ask all the relevant questions that are on your mind before making a decision. Once you have clarified the above, you should be meeting with 2, and no more than 3, Executive Coaches for a so called ‘Chemistry Session’. During these:

4. Check whether what you have found out about the Executive Coach comes to life during the chemistry session. Are they engaged, do they possess good listening skills, what is their coaching style, do they offer rigour and flexibility at the same time, what is their style of coaching? Could you imagine working with that individual very closely for an extended period of time?

5. Coaching methodology. What does a “typical” client process look like if you were to work with them? To what degree are they able to provide you with clarity as to what working with them may look and feel like?

6. Outcomes. Will there be clear, measurable and agreed learning outcomes? How will the outcomes of the coaching engagement be measured and evaluated against?

7. What is the Executive Coach’s understanding of the ethics around coaching, are they in regular supervision themselves?  What about confidentiality, how will this be ensured, how will this be covered contractually?

8. Is the Executive Coach able to provide you or HR with credible references and client testimonials at your level of seniority? What concrete results have been achieved by their previous clients? What would be the cost involved for a coaching engagement and what is included and what would be charged as an extra service?

9. Contracting. How do they manage expectations in an organisation? Will they involve HR and your line manager and if so, how will that exactly take place and what boundaries are to be expected, and will those be put in writing?

10. What diagnostic tools will the Executive Coach use (if any) and what is the value of using that tool to support the coaching outcomes? Will there be a 180 or 360-degree tool involved and if so, how valid and reliable is it and who will have access to the results?

Going through the above criteria will not only increase the likelihood of you landing the ideal Executive Coach, but…

…it will also ensure that you have a thought-provoking and challenging partner on your side that will help you to grow beyond what you had imagined is possible.

Executive Coaching

Whether you are the CEO, CTO or Managing Director, Executive Coaching provides a safe and confidential space to work on current challenges and move forward on specific projects. Working one to one with a qualified and experienced Executive Coach enables you to focus on outcomes such as developing a strategy, building your team or managing change.  Targeted conversations with your Executive Coach will challenge yet support you, enabling you and your organisation, to succeed more easily and effectively.

“Executive Coaching is aimed at inspiring executive leaders to make behavioural changes which transform themselves and the people around them thereby increasing business results and performance.” Jeremy Robinson, working definition of executive coaching. 

Read more about Executive Coaching.

Leadership Coaching

When you are good at what you do, the natural progression is promotion, and often you are ‘rewarded’ with a management role which includes leading a team of people – with little or no training. Newly appointed managers and even experienced leaders can find this role overwhelming as they struggle to understand how to behave as a leader- which is where a Leadership Coach can help.

Working one-to-one with a qualified, experienced Leadership Coach provides a safe and confidential space to raise your self-awareness of how best to lead with authenticity, to build a cohesive team, and to ensure that objectives are achieved.

Read more about Leadership Coaching.

Performance Coaching

When team members and managers require soft skills development, the natural route is to offer a generic training course, for example in assertiveness or time management. Many courses offer excellent content and cover a range of topics, but sometimes a team member needs a more bespoke and personally designed development programme. This is where a Performance Coach can add greater value by helping the individual to address challenges specific to that person.

Working one-to-one with a qualified, experienced Performance Coach provides a safe and confidential space to explore topics such as handling difficult situations, managing stress or giving an engaging presentation. A targeted and confidential conversation with a Performance Coach will challenge yet support the individual, enabling them to perform at their best, more often.

Read more about Performance Coaching.

Career Coaching

If you are feeling stuck at work or in your career, lacking progression, purpose, motivation or a sense of challenge, then a Career Coach might be able to help.

Working one-to-one with a qualified, experienced coach, focusing on the topic of your career, provides a safe and confidential space to explore where you are now, what’s working and what’s not, and what needs to change to help you feel more satisfied at work.

Read more about Career Coaching.

Coaching Supervision

“I have been involved in training coach supervisors internationally, for many years. While coaching supervision uses some models from related disciplines, it is important to distinguish coaching supervision from educational, clinical and managerial supervision. Coaching Supervision is a distinct practice and has developed in consultation with many coaches; Coaching Supervision continues to embrace new learning and methodology, and to be in dialogue with coaches, coach trainers and employers of coaches.”

“Reflection is a crucial element in human learning.” Michael Carroll

Written by Edna Murdoch, one of the pioneers of Coaching Supervision.

Read more about Coaching Supervision.

Mentoring
According to the CIPD, mentoring involves the use of the same models and skills of questioning, listening, clarifying and reframing associated with coaching. Traditionally, however, mentoring in the workplace has tended to describe a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses his or her greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff.  One key distinction is that mentoring relationships tend to be longer term than coaching arrangements.

Therapy
According to BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy), therapy is time set aside by you and the therapist to look at what has brought you to therapy. This might include talking about life events, (past and present), feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. The therapist will do their best to help you to look at your issues, and to identify the right course of action for you, either to help you resolve your difficulties or help you find ways of coping.

Benefits of Coaching

There are many benefits from working with a professional coach, including increased productivity, improved confidence, better relationships, more satisfying work/life balance, employee engagement, staff retention and enhanced decision-making skills.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) Global Coaching Client Study found that the vast majority of clients reported improved work performance, better business management, more efficient time management, increased team effectiveness, and more growth and opportunities.

The same study found that coaching clients noted greater self-confidence, enhanced relationships, more effective communications skills, better work-and-life balance and an improvement in wellness.

Nearly 70 percent of individuals indicated they had at least made back their initial investment. The report suggests that a client who achieved financial benefit from coaching can typically expect a ROI of more than three times the amount spent.

According to the ICF Global Coaching Client Study, published in 2016, those people that worked with a coach experienced the following benefits of coaching:

Increased Productivity

• Improved Work Performance – 70%
• Improved Business Management – 61%
• Improved Time Management – 57%
• Improved Team Effectiveness – 51%

Increased Positivity

• Improved Self-confidence – 80%
• Improved Relationships – 73%
• Improved Communications Skills – 72%
• Improved Work/Life Balance – 67%

Read some of the many client reviews on our coach profiles, sharing how they have benefited from coaching.

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Most coaches will start your coaching programme with an assessment of where you are now, and what you would like to achieve from coaching. Setting benchmarks at the beginning will give you a measurement for success – you, or with input from your sponsor, will set the outcomes. Most coaching relationships focus on behavioural change, and whilst your coach cannot change you, they will support, guide and challenge you to achieve your goals.

There are many variables in coaching programme fees. Who is paying for the coaching? Are you the CEO or line manager, or are you funding your own coaching? How long is the programme? What else is included in the programme, i.e. 360 feedback, personality profiling, review meetings to include your line manager?

A typical Executive or Leadership Coaching Programme might be spread over 6 – 12

It could consist of 6 – 12 sessions, for example a shorter coaching programme could include:

• Personality Profiling
• 360 degree Feedback from line manager, direct reports, colleagues and clients
• Session 1: Profiling & 360 debrief, input from line manager and goal setting
• Sessions 2 – 5: Working on goals via Skype or similar
• Session 6: Wrap up, review progress, next steps

Depending on the type and length of the coaching programme, and who it’s for, fees can range from £3,000 – £25,000 + VAT, excluding venue and travelling expenses.

We also offer a personal matching service, please book a call to discuss your needs.

If you would like to keep in touch, please sign up here to our monthly newsletter.

According to the ICF Global Coaching Client Study, the vast majority of companies – 86% – say they at least made their investment back. Virtually all companies and individuals – 99% – who hired a coach said they were ‘Somewhat’ or ‘Very Satisfied’ with their overall experience, and 96% said that they would repeat the process.