This step-by-step guide will help you define your goals and navigate the path to finding the right coach.
If you're here, you're thinking about hiring a coach.
As a founder, how do you decide:
After interviewing over 1,600 executive coaches and performance psychologists, and matching dozens of Series A to C founders to one of the 48 coaches in our network, we've learned what it takes for founders to find and engage the right coach, and our goal here is to share those insights with you in a step-by-step guide.
The 8 Steps are:
This blog covers Step 3.
“Get an executive coach - if you’re a CEO or exec, you make decisions regularly that are worth 10x the cost of one” - Gary Tan
If you’ve made it here, it sounds like you want a coach. Gary Tan is pleased. Before you start scrolling through Linkedin or reaching out to board members for introductions, you should form an opinion about what you want in a coach. Like any other hire, you should visualize and define the ideal profile you are looking for first.
Most world-class coaches are experts at addressing a few specific scenarios and no single coach excels in every situation. We recommend you look for a coach with experience working with people like you and people who have faced and overcome similar challenges to you.
Let’s answer a few questions and form an opinion about your ideal coach:
Every company funding stage comes with different challenges. Most coaches prefer to work within certain stages:
A coach familiar with your funding stage will have a deeper understanding of the challenges you face as a founder.
Every role in a company brings its own unique challenges as well.
If your challenges are role specific, it's a good idea to look for a coach who either specializes in or has worked with people in your role in the past.
Most industries across the startup ecosystem present similar challenges, and good coaches will have seen them before. Every executive needs to hire, fire, manage conflict, make decisions, and It will probably be a good idea to find a coach who understands your sector if you’re building a company working on:
Highly specialized, technical, or bureaucratic industry understanding can be crucial.
Coaches can get pretty specific in their specialization, so don’t be afraid to get specific with what you want.
Coaches can specialize, so don’t be afraid to look for what you want.
You can find coaches who focus exclusively on inner work, outer work, or a combination of both.
Reviewing coach profiles can provide insight into what to anticipate. Coaches with clinician backgrounds tend to focus heavily on inner work whereas coaches with less training and excellent operator backgrounds tend to focus on outer work.
If you’re looking to improve your own performance, find a coach who will:
If you want to elevate your entire team, find a coach who will:
A good coach can help you find balance and optimize for improvement in both areas.
Decide if you want to look at your role through a magnifying glass or from a broader, bird’s eye view.
Some coaches are experts at handling day-to-day responsibilities and navigating short-term problems, other coaches are experts at helping you zoom out, contextualize, and plan.
By reflecting on the problems you want to solve and answering these questions, you should be able to form a clear understanding of what and whom you are seeking.
Let’s see how our example founders go about identifying the type of coach they need.
Example Founder #1
Founder #1 is the CEO of a biotech startup in the seed stage. He recognizes that his main challenges revolve around leading team meetings effectively, providing constructive feedback, and delegating tasks to others. As someone working in a highly technical field, Founder #1 acknowledges the need for a coach who not only understands leadership development, but also has industry-specific expertise to offer practical guidance.
In terms of coaching, Founder #1 requires a balance between inner work—developing confidence, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness—and outer work, which includes improving his management skills and delegation strategies. With a focus on individual growth, he seeks a coach who can help him build a strong leadership foundation while navigating the complexities of his industry.
Example Founder #2
Founder #2 is a two-time founder nearing burnout. The constant pressure, high expectations, and endless to-do lists have drained her energy, leaving her in need of sustainable sources of motivation and balance. She’s already mastered many of the external aspects of running a business, but now the challenge lies in maintaining her well-being and avoiding burnout.
In this case, a coach who focuses heavily on inner work is ideal. She needs someone who can help her tap into renewable sources of energy, build resilience, and manage stress effectively. This might include mindfulness practices, techniques for setting boundaries, and strategies for rediscovering her passion and purpose. While there will still be a component of outer work—restructuring her workflow and improving delegation to lighten her load—the primary focus should be on helping her regain balance and cultivating long-term sustainability.
Example Founder #3
Founder #3 is currently facing increasing tension and conflict with his co-founder, making it difficult to maintain a healthy working relationship and effectively lead their growing company. As the interpersonal dynamics between founders are crucial to the success of the business, this individual needs to address and resolve the conflict before it escalates further.
A coach who specializes in interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution would be the right fit. The focus should be on inner work—understanding their communication patterns, emotional triggers, and the underlying causes of the conflict—while also developing outer work skills like improving communication, setting boundaries, and finding common ground with his co-founder. By unpacking these issues, the coach can guide him in rebuilding trust and fostering a more productive partnership, which is essential to the company's growth and stability.
Considering these factors will help you pinpoint what you need from an executive coach and choose one who will truly support your growth and success. In the next section, we’ll dive into how to find the perfect one.
What is holding you and your company back from the next stage of growth?
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