Why Most Coaches Fail (And How to Find One Who Won't)
Your brother-in-law just announced he's becoming a life coach after a failed nine-month stint in real estate. Sound familiar? If you've ever hired a coach and walked away underwhelmed, you're not alone.
Whether it's executive coaching, leadership development, or career transition support, the coaching industry is flooded with under-qualified practitioners. Anyone can hang a shingle and call themselves a coach. Today, I'm going to show you exactly why so many coaches fail to deliver, and more importantly, how to find one who actually produces results.
I'm JB Bolton, an executive coach who works with leaders and professionals navigating major career moves. Let me walk you through the three criteria that separate real coaches from expensive disappointments.
What Coaching Actually Is
If you've never worked with a coach before, here's what it should be: private lessons for your career, your business, or your leadership. Think about the coaches behind professional athletes, high-performing executives, and successful entrepreneurs. They partner with someone who helps them achieve results they couldn't reach alone.
I've had coaches. When it's done well, coaching creates clarity between your current state and your desired outcome. Great coaches ask powerful questions, hold you accountable, and help you build the muscles of change. Sometimes they give direction or advice, but that's not their primary role. And it's definitely not therapy. Therapy digs into the past asking why.
Coaching looks forward asking what's holding you back and what you're going to do next.
The Problem With the Coaching Industry
But there's a problem with the coaching industry: it's largely unregulated, and that means anyone can hang a shingle. This becomes a problem because people can say whatever they want and hang a shingle, and then you end up paying for somebody who is under-experienced, under-qualified. You're not getting the results, and you're like, "Why did I do this?"
How do you avoid falling into that trap? I boiled it down to three criteria that I think can help you tremendously.
The 3 Criteria to Find the Right Coach
1. Experience: Full-Time Commitment Matters
The first one is experience. Experience matters here. Coaching experience. It's not therapy. And I'm going to push on this a little bit because here's the reality of it.
I was listening to a podcast from Coach Builder where they share the stat, it was 87% of coaches don't survive past the first two years in business.
So, there's a great criterion: "How long have you been coaching full-time?". Because if you pick someone who's still figuring it out, you might end up being their guinea pig, and that is not the jam (unless they're not charging you for their services and it's someone you know who has amazing experience).
2. Respect: Chemistry and Credibility Combined
If there's an executive that you love and respect, who's been a great leader, and they announce that they're coaching and they're like, "Hey, I'm opening up some sessions, like some power sessions for some coaching," jump on that! Because many times these leaders are working on their training and the credentials that they need, and you can get some really high-powered coaching from somebody that you know and trust. So do that.
In coaching there's different modalities. There's:
* internal coaching,
* solution-focused coaching,
* positive intelligence coaching,
* gestalt coaching.
There's all kinds of different programs and training that you can lean into and get certified in.
But mostly what matters is, do you respect them?
Because if you don't respect them, you're not going to do the work. You're not going to be accountable to them. So respect really matters.
3. Results: Proven Track Record Over Promises
And then the third one is results. What kind of results can the coach point to? Now, I know this is tricky. Some coaches are like, I can't really share my clients. It's confidential. I respect that. But if they have no way of pointing you towards other people that they've worked with or results that they've helped produce or outcomes that they can point to or case studies, it’s a red flag.
If all they have is promises, it's just a promise. It's not proof. And you want to see proof.
So you want experience, respect or chemistry, and you want results. Proof that they can actually do the thing that they're promising they're going to help you do.
How I Approach Coaching
I work with leaders and professionals who are getting ready to make a move, and I help them do that with clarity and confidence and structure. If you're exploring coaching and you're wondering, is this the right fit? Should I work with a coach? What does that look like? I'd love to have a conversation with you.
You can learn more about how I work with clients, or you can schedule a complimentary session with me. We'll talk about where you are, where you're trying to go, and whether coaching might be the right tool to help you get there. I look forward to talking with you.
Key Takeaways: Your Coach Selection Checklist
Experience: Look for full-time coaches with at least 2+ years in practice. Avoid those still figuring it out.
Respect: Choose someone you genuinely respect and have chemistry with. If you don't respect them, you won't do the work.
Results: Ask for proof, not promises. Case studies, testimonials, or referrals to past clients matter.
