Executive Coaching seems to be all the rage these days. But how do you know if the coach you are looking to hire is the real deal? Anyone can slap a title after their name and call themselves a coach and without the proper investigation, you would never know if you are working with a trained, professional coach, or someone simply claiming to have all the right training and accreditations.

In the past, the only way to research a potential coach was to read their webpage and hope that something might stand out to you. Of course, you could call accreditation or professional/trade bodies and see if they are registered, but most people preferred just to take the chance.

On occasion, this led to businesses and business owners being duped by con men, who had neither the training and accreditations necessary to make them legitimate, nor the expertise or knowledge to enact real change.

This was detrimental to the entire coaching world, as many people began to believe that no coaches had the ability to help businesses. However, those who have been lucky enough to work with a real coach know the benefit their coaching can have on a business.
Now, there is the International Regulator of Coaching and Mentoring, found at http://www.ircm‐register.org/. This service is designed to break through the mystery of hiring a coach and help consumers the world over find real professionals, with real training, and real accreditations to improve their businesses and lives.

The right coach can make a world of difference—that’s why IRCM was founded, to separate the wheat from the chaff and identify coaches who can enact positive change in the lives of their clients.

How does IRCM work? They hold the register of coaches in the industry register, where the coach has the opportunity to update their information, which means that if a coach claims to be accredited by a certain body this will be demonstrated on their entry. The IRCM also holds a register of Accreditation and Professional/Trade Bodies and where they have selected, the IRCM will also make sure that the Accreditation or Professional/Trade Body itself is legitimate.
Because coaching is still a relatively new industry, there are some people who believe they can make a quick buck off of those unwilling to do the research required to make sure they are spending their money on legitimate services. The register makes that research easy, by providing a list only of the best coaches, and providing detailed information on any coach the consumer may consider hiring.

Because IRCM is independent from any coaching or mentoring firm, university, accreditation, or professional/trade association, the information listed on the website is listed by the coach or mentor without fear or favour or charge and is completely unbiased. The IRCM’s main goal is to help consumers find the best coach for their needs, not to sell a certain coach. All of the information gathered by the IRCM comes from the coach themselves, or from real customers, accreditation bodies, government bodies, and even universities, colleges and training organisations. Annually the IRCM is reviewed through its own regulatory auditors.