If you’ve been thinking about working with a coach one of the things you’re going to want to do is find the right type of coach to work with, life coach, career coach, confidence coach, .... But before you make a decision about whether you’re going to invest some money in coaching there’s some questions that you should ask yourself.

1. What do you know about coaching?

If you’re going to work with a coach then it’s really important that you understand what coaching is and understand how it differs from other disciplines such as mentoring or counseling.

2. Why do you want to work with a coach?

If you’ve decided that you want to work with a coach it would follow that you’d know why you want to work with a coach but make sure that you’ve written down your ideas down and thought them through. You'll find these notes invaluable when you come to choosing the right coach to work with.

3. What do you want from the coach?

As well as listing why you want to work with a coach, it’s also worth listing what you want from a coach. Although a coach will talk to you about your expectations and their expectations if you decide to work with them, it’s worth spending some time thinking this through even before you coach someone. A lot of coaches offer a free consultation, so it's worth having any questions you have at the ready.

4. Are you ready to make changes?

The whole point of working with a coach is to make a change in your life. Everyone knows that change isn’t easy – so before investing any money as well as your time in coaching one of the things you need to decide is how ready you are to make change.

5. Are you ready to work hard?

Coaching isn’t an easy option. A coach won't be telling you what to do, not will they be making the changes for you. It’s hard work because you’ll be setting challenging goals and taking lots of action. Ask yourself whether you’re prepared for the hard work it’ll take.

6. Will you keep working taking action even when the going gets tough?

When you’re trying to implement change it can be a challenge to stay motivated particularly if you’re finding it difficult. Ask yourself whether you’re prepared to commit to the hard work and whether you’re prepared to keep at it, even if things become difficult.

7. Are you prepared to be honest?

No coaching relationship will be successful unless you’re prepared to be honest with yourself and your coach. That means being open in your coaching sessions. If you haven’t completed actions, if you’re struggling with reaching goals, if you’ve come up against unexpected barriers, if you’re not happy with the coaching relationship ... you need to be prepared to say so

What questions would you ask yourself?