Been around the block: Is the prior experience of coaches in the workplace helpful?

While most business coaches have prior experience of a workplace, there is debate as to how this should, or does, contribute to their coaching. It is often considered that coaches should be an expert in the process of coaching, and not their client’s business. This study utilised an inductive design to explore the perception of the contribution of prior work experience through semi-structured interviews with 11 clients and 13 experienced coaches. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The data showed that both clients and coaches valued the coach having experience of working at a similar level. This helped establish credentials at the point of hiring, as well as providing authority and confidence during the coaching relationship. Such experience was also seen to give reference points and wisdom. However, while some participants saw advantages in the coach having a similar work background to the client (providing a common language and shared experiences), others considered that, while it was important that the coach had ‘been around the block’, this could be in a different work domain to the client. Clients also valued the wider experiences of a coach (such as artistic or socio-political) that brought creative insights and wider experiences.