Choosing an executive coach in Vietnam

The coaching market has a low barrier to entry and a title anyone can use. In a market like Vietnam, growing fast and importing much of its leadership development, the range of quality behind the word "coach" is wide. Buyers deserve better selection criteria than a polished profile.

Start with credentials, then look past them

Credentials are a floor, not a ceiling. The International Coaching Federation credentials coaches at three levels: ACC, PCC and MCC, in ascending order of examined practice and demonstrated skill. A credential tells you the coach’s actual coaching has been assessed against a published standard, which self-description does not. Verify it: the ICF maintains a public register, and any credentialed coach can point you to their entry.

Then look past it. A credential attests to coaching skill. It says nothing about whether the coach can operate at your level of seniority, in your industry context, in this region. You are hiring the combination.

The questions worth asking

• Who do you typically work with, and at what level of seniority? Listen for specificity, not name-dropping.
• What does contracting look like when my organisation pays? A serious answer covers three-way goal setting, what the sponsor hears, and what stays confidential.
• How will we know whether the coaching worked? Beware both extremes: no answer, and a suspiciously precise one.
• What is your experience of leadership in Vietnam and APAC, as opposed to coaching visits to it? Cross-cultural leadership is daily material here, not a module.
• When would you tell me coaching is the wrong approach? Every honest coach has an answer.

Warning signs

• Guaranteed outcomes. Coaching outcomes depend on the client and the context; guarantees are marketing.
• Vague confidentiality. If the coach cannot explain precisely what your sponsor will and will not hear, assume the boundary will leak.
• A method sold before your situation is understood. The proposal should follow the diagnosis.
• No supervision or ongoing development of their own. Coaches who are not examined tend to plateau.
• Pressure. A coach who needs the engagement more than you do is carrying that need into every session.

The chemistry conversation is data

Most coaches offer an introductory conversation. Treat it as a working sample, not a sales meeting. Bring a real situation and watch what happens: Did the questions make you think, or perform? Did you hear anything you had not already told yourself? Would you say the difficult thing to this person? The answer to that last question is most of the decision.