By Starbuck & Associates

Executive coaching is one of the most powerful investments an organisation can make. But in an unregulated market, how do you know who to trust? At Starbuck & Associates, we believe buyers deserve clarity. Here’s our guide to choosing the right coach for your business.

The boom and the blind spot

Executive coaching has never been more popular. Across industries, leaders are turning to coaching to unlock performance, build resilience, and navigate change. That’s good news but there’s a blind spot many buyers don’t see.

Coaching is still an unregulated profession. Anyone can call themselves a coach, regardless of training or standards. Which means some of the people presenting themselves as executive coaches haven’t been accredited, supervised, or held accountable to any recognised code of practice.

From a buyer’s perspective, that’s a risk. Leadership development isn’t something to leave to chance it requires rigour, ethics, and quality assurance.

What to ask before you buy coaching

1. Are they professionally accredited?
This should be non-negotiable. A credible coach will hold accreditation from a recognised professional body such as the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), or the Association for Coaching (AC).

The ICF is widely regarded as the global gold standard. Accreditation isn’t just a badge it means a coach has been rigorously trained, assessed against international competencies, and committed to an ethical code of practice. Without it, you can’t be confident in a coach’s depth, accountability, or professionalism.

2. Do they engage in supervision and CPD?
Great coaches don’t work in isolation. They commit to ongoing supervision and continuous professional development. Supervision is a reflective space where coaches test their thinking, explore ethical challenges, and notice blind spots. If a coach can’t tell you who supervises their work, that’s a red flag.

3. Do they align with your organisation’s values?
Coaching is relational — it shapes culture, strategy, and people. That’s why values matter. At Starbuck & Associates, as a certified B Corp, we are legally bound to balance profit with purpose, placing people and planet alongside performance. Buyers should always ask: “Does this coach’s ethos align with ours?”

4. Do they work to recognised quality standards?
Confidentiality and trust are the cornerstones of coaching. That’s why credible providers invest in recognised quality frameworks. Are they ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) certified. That means your leaders’ data is safe, confidentiality is protected, and delivery is consistent.

5. Can they evidence impact?
Good coaching leaves a footprint. A credible coach will demonstrate outcomes through feedback, evaluation against leadership competencies, and measurable shifts in performance. It’s not enough to promise transformation  evidence matters.

“The ICF remains the global gold standard in professional coaching.”

Why we believe this matters

At Starbuck & Associates, we’ve built our reputation on combining ICF-accredited coaching, robust supervision practices, and internationally recognised quality standards. We’re proud to be a B Corp because it reflects what we stand for: doing business the right way.

Executive coaching can unlock extraordinary results but only if you choose wisely. Accreditation, supervision, values, quality standards, and evidence aren’t “extras.” They’re the markers of professionalism.

If you’re investing in coaching for your leaders, demand nothing less.

“At Starbuck & Associates, we balance profit with purpose as a certified B Corp.”