While it may not be on your top priority, finding an executive coach to assist you in building the business you desire as well as helping you become the leader that will motivate and encourage not only your employees but also yourself.

If you are going to invest resources into hire an executive coach, then it is important for you to find a person that is of top quality and can actually help you in achieving all your desired goals.

So have a look below at some of the things you should look for when hiring an executive coach:

1. Someone who will hold you responsible

When you are just trying to get your business off the ground it is important that you remain on track and stick to your goals, any sort of deviation can cause sub par results. This is why it is important for you to find an executive coach that will not hesitate to hold you accountable to your goals.

It is no good to have a coach who just wants to talk about airy, fairy things. It is important to get to the nitty gritty of your business and think about how you are going to make it succeed.

2. Teaching by example

Actions speak louder than words, so make sure that your executive coach actually shows you what they mean and they don’t just talk a big game. Find a coach that isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty and show you how it’s done.

You don’t want someone who’ll give soulless pep talks that don’t actually do anything. You need someone with real life experience and they have dealt with similar situations before, otherwise you could just find the information you are looking for on the internet or in a textbook.

3. Find someone trustworthy

You don’t want to be questioning the motives of your executive coach every time they offer you a piece of advice. Therefore it is important to find someone that you know you can trust.

Yes, this will probably be difficult at the beginning, especially if you have never met or known them before. But the quality coaches know how to build trust with their clients. If you have been with the same coach for a while and still don’t have a certain level of trust in them, then it is probably time to look elsewhere.

4. Have good chemistry

Leading in from the previous point of finding someone who is trustworthy, you also need to have good chemistry with your coach. You two need to be on the same wavelength and have the same style and vibe.

If you don’t have this then you are probably going to clash on a number of different issues. Taking away from what you are paying your executive coach to do. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions and get to the root of the issue.

5. Mentor not coach

In this situation you need someone who will mentor you and help you grow, not someone who will boss you around and bark orders at you. This is especially the case for those younger entrepreneurs who are just starting their own business.

6. Coach with honesty

Honesty is very important when you are the owner of your own business. Yes, sometimes the truth will hurt but it is better to know what is really going on so you can work on a proper solution to the issues.

If you are just starting your first business, having honesty is especially important because you haven’t fully learnt the ropes yet. This is why having an experienced coach on your side is helpful, especially when they tell you you’ve made a mistake.

7. Admitting failures

No one is perfect and we all inevitably make mistakes. The positive people turn their mistakes from a negative to a win by learning from them – and so should you. Your coach should also use his or her own mistakes to help you and your business.

While admitting failure isn’t the easiest thing to do, if you want to strategize ways to overcome and move forward, this is something you’ll have to do. Your executive coach should be open and willing to inform you about their past mistakes and how they made the most of the situation.

8. Bring out the best in you

You certainly want someone on your side that has the ability to get your light to shine. Someone who will always bring out the best in you is someone you want to keep around. You can only be yourself so it is important that, for your business, you are the best version possible.

When starting out a new business it is a good idea to have an executive coach on your side guiding you through unchartered waters. The 8 points above are the aspects you should be looking for when choosing your coach.