How to choose between Top Executive Coaches, by Forbes: Finding the right Match for your Business

Alexia Palau
Sep 18, 2025
2 min read

The coaching market is expanding rapidly, but executive coaching requires a specific set of skills and experiences that go beyond general coaching. Executive coaches are brought in to help leaders manage significant change, drive business results, or navigate complex leadership, organizational, and strategic challenges. Because there is no licensing body for executive coaches, executives must conduct their own due diligence when selecting one.

Data and Insights

Market Growth: The global coaching market generates $4.5 billion, a 62% increase since 2019. North America accounts for 46% of this revenue, and the number of coaches in the region has grown by nearly 50%.
Cost of Failure: An executive's failure can cost a company 6 to 24 times their salary.

Leadership struggles or stalls often occur when a leader becomes too complacent or comfortable in his skills, the status quo, and the people around him. - Forbes

Cost of Coaching: The hourly rate of an experienced executive coach can be 10 to 30 times higher than that of a life coach.

The 5 C's of Choosing an Executive Coach

According to Forbes, there are 5 elements that need to be considered:

Clarity

Start with a clear understanding of what success looks like and what you are trying to accomplish, as well as how you will achieve it.
Work with a potential coach in the initial meeting to clarify your goals, including business outcomes and leadership effectiveness.

Congruence (Chemistry)

Seek a coach with whom you are willing to be psychologically vulnerable and whose style resonates with yours.
Don't put chemistry before clarity. If you are not clear on your goals, interpersonal dynamics are less relevant.

By the end of a good chemistry session, your challenges may not feel easier, but they will be much clearer.

Challenge

Choose a coach who will push you and challenge the status quo to broaden your perspective and stimulate growth.
Don't choose a coach who makes you feel too comfortable. If they are not pushing you, it may be time to find a new coach.

Credibility

Look for relevant knowledge and expertise by asking about their track record. Have they worked with executives at your level and in similar environments?
Consider if you need a "coach-sultant" who can also provide advice on strategy, organizational development, and team building.
Don't rely solely on credentials like degrees and certifications.

Context

Have the potential coach meet with a sponsor (like your boss or HR partner) during the vetting process so they understand your challenges from multiple perspectives.
Engage your boss as a sponsor once coaching begins to accelerate results.
Ensure your coach can act as a more sophisticated thought partner (that can also vet your AI thought partner) to help navigate the broader social, geopolitical, and macroeconomic context.