Ethical Standards when Selecting External Leadership Coaches

We are increasingly turning to external leadership coaches to help our organisations.

Potentially important questions could arise due to bringing external coaches, and their ethics, in. What do we do when there is tension between organisational success and practising ethically? What is our understanding of ethical standards when selecting leadership coaches and pursuing healthy coach-client relationships?

In this article we inform the role which we can play when selecting and facilitating good coaching in future – as there seems to be similar dilemmas and patterns of action in selection processes. We describe 7 steps and 22 actions in an intuitive model to help selectors cope with various dilemmas and encourage good coaching relationships. They help us identify gaps between selectors’ ideal descriptions and actual behaviour.

Map of 7 Steps and 22 Actions

Action Descriptions

Here is the full set of 22 action descriptions in the selection process.

Action 1: Making the First Move

Ask Yourself: How can you get in contact with the right coaches to choose from?

Ethical Question: Do you have a structured process or only known contacts and friends of friends?

Action 2: Ensuring Competencies

Ask Yourself: Does the coach have the necessary competencies to do the job?

Ethical Question: Is the coach promising more than she/he can deliver on?

Action 3: Screening Levels of Experience

Ask Yourself: Does the coach have the ability to match the level of experience of the client?

Ethical Question: Is the coach skilled and experienced but at another level of business?

Action 4: Checking Qualifications

Ask Yourself: Is the coach sufficiently qualified?

Ethical Question: Is the coach a psychologist, a thoroughly educated coach or only self-appointed?

Action 5: Agreeing on an Ethical Platform

Ask Yourself: Do you approve of the ethical platform on which the coach works?

Ethical Question: Does the coach present a list of ethical standards, codes or considered methodology?

Action 6: Protecting Business

Ask Yourself: Are you sure the coach will not cause harm to your business?

Ethical Question: Will the coach protect company information, not oversell or abuse the position of trust?

Action 7: Identifying Real Ethical Considerations

Ask Yourself: Does the coach show depth in ethical consideration when you meet?

Ethical Question: Do you experience the coach demonstrating consideration when talking through tasks?

Action 8: HR Trusting and Validating Feelings

Ask Yourself: Do you have empathy and trust toward the coach?

Ethical Question: Does it feel right or is something wrong even though it all looks good on paper?

Action 9: Informing and Listening to the Coach

Ask Yourself: Are you happy with the coach’s response to your description of the client and situation?

Ethical Question: Does the coach make good suggestions and challenge you about process and content?

Action 10: Understanding the Business Context

Ask Yourself: Does the coach show an understanding when you present the business context of the task?

Ethical Question: Does the coach lack a view of organisational development? Does she/he just see a task?

Action 11: Understanding the Client’s situation

Ask Yourself: Does the coach show how to gain a deeper understanding of the client situation?

Ethical Question: Is she/he happy with your interpretation only or does she/he expect others’?

Action 12: Client Trusting HR with One’s Interest

Ask Yourself: Does the client trust you as selector to work in her/his best interests?

Ethical Question: Does the client really trust you and/or her/his manager in this situation?

Action 13: Client Choosing the Coach

Ask Yourself: Is the coach interested in the client having the chance to meet and approve the coach?

Ethical Question: Will the coach avoid a potentially poor start due to a lack of client bonding?

Action 14: Promoting the Intimacy to Challenge

Ask Yourself: Do you agree on how to build a trusting relationship between the coach and client?

Ethical Question: Is the coach aware of and firm concerning the time and conditions required to promote the intimacy to challenge?

Action 15: Contracting Purpose and Expected Results

Ask Yourself: Are you happy with the way the coach agrees purpose and expected results?

Ethical Question: Does the coach ensure clear, healthy and fair purpose and goals, also related to manager expectations?

Action 16: Contracting Process and Ethics

Ask Yourself: Are you happy with the way the coach contracts process and ethics for all involved?

Ethical Question: Does the coach ensure clarity in processes, responsibilities, confidentiality etc.?

Action 17: Agreeing on Some Transparency

Ask Yourself: Are you happy with the way the coach reaches an agreement on some transparency?

Ethical Question: Does the coach encourage and ensure openness from the client on process?

Action 18: Reaching Unified Agreements

Ask Yourself: Does the coach work towards unified agreements concerning relevant parties?

Ethical Question: Does the coach suggest bringing the manager, colleagues or others into the agreement process where relevant?

Action 19: Client Doubting the Coach

Ask Yourself: Does the coach follow up on potential issues which can cause the client to doubt?

Ethical Question: Does the coach avoid breaching confidentiality and having hidden agendas with HR or the manager?

Action 20: Following Up and Flagging Problems

Ask Yourself: Do you agree on how to share the responsibility of following up and flagging problems?

Ethical Question: Does the coach see it as black box and will not share information concerning progress, development or problems?

Action 21: Impacting People and Getting Results

Ask Yourself: Is the coach focused on following up on expected impact and the results to be delivered?

Ethical Question: Is the coach too abstract and only using general terms concerning the boundaries to be pushed by coaching?

Action 22: Avoiding Harm Being Causing

Ask Yourself: Are you comfortable with the coach’s perception of her/his responsibility to avoid causing harm?

Ethical Question: Is she or he aware of the potential harmful effect of coaching toward the client, their colleagues and families?

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