What role should gender play in selecting a coach?
If you believe that a coach’s gender is important, you need to understand why. Women may feel more comfortable with someone who understands their gender specific workplace issues. But be careful, while a coach’s empathy is desirable, seeking sympathy can be a misguided approach. Your coach needs to act as your personal change agent. Your measurable improvement will not occur without stepping outside of your comfort zone and letting go of your self-pity or emotional obstacles. The same is true for race or ethnicity. For opposite gender coaching engagements, it should almost go without saying that a professional coach will never become personally involved with a client because it will impair the critical element of objectivity.
