Have you ever asked a server, “What’s your favorite thing on the menu?” It’s a reasonable question—but their favorite isn’t necessarily the meal you’ll enjoy most. Their tastes, experiences, and preferences aren’t yours.

I often think about that conversation when people ask what it’s like to work with a coach. Many assume coaching means receiving expert advice. That’s exactly what evidence-based coaching tries to avoid.

“Coach” is a widely used term and many things come to mind for people when they hear that word.  (In fact, when I first shared the news in my corporate job that I was leaving to start my coaching business, a leader, who did some tennis coaching on the side, assumed I was going to become a professional sport coach.  I am the least likely candidate for any sport coach–I can tell you!). The most common misunderstanding, by far, is that I am there to advise.  Sometimes, when you’re feeling lost, advice sounds like it would be great to have.   But at the same time, advice often falls flat, or it sounds good, but you don’t act on it. 

That’s because, just like we may not enjoy the same meal as our server at a restaurant, a coaching client is not likely to benefit from hearing what their coach would do, or what they advise.

Why advice doesn’t always work (and why we want it, anyway).

Advice is useful sometimes—like when you are preparing for a specific activity or challenging conversation.  But life is more than just a series of one-off problems to be solved.  It is full of recurring patterns that you can’t seem to break out of.  Or things that you know would be good for your development, but you keep putting off.  Or people who drive you crazy, yet you must find a way to work with them.  And bosses who don’t live up to what you think a boss should be.

            Advice doesn’t support sustainable change because it reflects others’ experience, not your own, and therefore, it doesn’t always transfer well.  And if the answer were simply more information, Google—or ChatGPT—would probably have solved the problem already.  

This is where evidence-based coaching comes in.

            When a coach says that their practice is evidence-based, that generally means they commit to embracing a methodology that has been researched and found to be effective.  Evidence-based coaching integrates three things:

• established research
• professional coaching competencies
• the client’s own expertise, goals, and context

Rather than relying predominantly on intuition or opinion, it uses approaches that have been studied and shown to help people learn, reflect, and change.  And while there are various ways to go about the specifics, evidence-based coaching puts aside the judgments and opinions of the coach.  Then, an approach to inquiry plays out that helps clients helps clients uncover new perspectives, expand their thinking, and identify solutions they can genuinely own.  

Evidence-based coaching is a powerful modality, to be used alongside other means of professional growth and support. Mentorship, for example, pairs you with a colleague with specific experience to share lessons learned from their point of view.  And therapy, offered by a licensed clinical professional, can help examine deep-seated patterns and healing from trauma.  And sometimes, a good HR conversation is what’s in order, to understand risks and resources to help you develop sound management practices that are good for you and your company.   

            Alongside these other modalities, evidence-based coaching helps people get what they really need to navigate complex challenges.  It helps you understand your challenges more clearly, yourself more deeply, and it opens new, viable possibility and solutions that will really work for you.  

Evidence-based coaching makes possible:

• A deeper understanding of the real challenge—not just the symptoms.
• Solutions that fit your goals, values, and environment.
• Sustainable behavior changes rather than temporary motivation.
• Greater self-awareness, better decision-making, and stronger leadership.

Like scientists who trust evidence in their research, evidence-based coaches use disciplined inquiry to uncover assumptions, test new ways of thinking, and identify solutions grounded in both research and your unique context.

How to know if a coach uses evidence-based methodology

The coaching industry is unregulated, which means it’s on clients to research their coaches and for coaches to choose to commit to evidence-based methodology and then to communicate it to prospective clients. While coaching is not a licensed profession, organizations like International Coaching Federation offer a robust set of competencies and a Code of Ethics.  As part of their certification process, coaches must demonstrate those competencies—rooted in evidence-based methodology–and commit to the Code of Ethics.  Many coach training programs teach to those competencies and ethical guidelines.  

           You can learn a lot about a coach’s likely methods by understanding where they studied and whether they have aligned themselves to an organization like ICF.  ICF has also published a resource guide.  You may also learn more about researchers and institutions that lead such efforts there.  

Questions to ask yourself when considering working with an evidence-based coach

• Does the challenge I’m facing have multiple facets to it (such as learning a new skill while managing new or difficult relationships)?
• Do I recognize this challenge as part of a pattern that I’ve had to deal with more than once in the past?
• If I learned to solve this problem well, would it have long-term impact on my leadership effectiveness or career satisfaction?

While not a cure-all elixir, evidence-based coaching is a powerful modality to help leaders and professionals navigate some of work life’s toughest challenges.  It goes deeper than advice-giving and complements other career and leadership support tools that may already feel familiar.  And it can lead to sustainable, even transformative change, when used well.  

Wendy Hultmark, ACC, is a certified professional coach trained in evidence-based coaching methodologies.  To learn more, visit her website at www.wendyhultmark.com.