Recent research exploring coach self-awareness indicated that a key method in developing and deepening self-awareness was reflective practice, in particular coaching supervision.  This is because supervision provides a dedicated and committed space where the coach steps up ‘onto the balcony’ with another professional (the supervisor) to ‘look down, observe and reflect on the dance’ between the coach and their client to gain a meta and helicopter perspective of the work.  This will inevitably enable the coach to gain some new perspectives and thinking.

This can be further deepened with reflective practices that draw on psychodynamic principles to explore the projection, transference and countertransference that maybe happening.  In addition, when one has been working with the same coaching supervisor for a length of time the supervisor is able to identify patterns of behaviour and habits in the coach and shine a light on these.  It provides a place where we can put ourselves and our practice under the microscope and examine what is emerging.  This very act of stepping back, being challenged, offered reflections and receiving feedback can give glimpses into our unconscious and provide new insights thereby increasing our self-awareness.

However, the research also highlighted that we can only develop self-awareness if we really know what the construct is, are motivated to develop it and can manage our own ‘storytelling.’  Alongside this we choose what to take to supervision, it is a self-reporting process so we can avoid taking what we perhaps most need to work on – and often we avoid taking what we are ashamed of or feel guilty about.  Even if we have a strong relationship with our supervisor and take something we are a little ashamed of or embarrassed about we then must contend with our own ‘ego defences’ in exploring the enquiry.  These ‘defences’ may lead to us shutting down, retreating, justifying, rationalising, intellectualising or any other protective mechanism we have learnt which makes reflection on the enquiry even more challenging.

Therefore, to check in and ensure that self-delusion is avoided spend a few moments reflecting and asking yourself:

• What am I avoiding; ashamed of; embarrassed of taking to supervision?
• What might I need to feel safe enough to focus on this?
• What conversations might I need to have with my supervisor so I can do this?
• What are my patterns of behaviour that may lead me to avoiding what I really need to lean into?

Julia Carden is an Executive Coach and Coach Supervisor. Alongside Julia’s coaching and supervision practice she is a visiting tutor at Henley Business School teaching on the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, MSc in Executive Coaching and Behavioural Change and heads up the Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision.

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My answer as supervisee; yes, I have felt the desire for this at times. Also, some supervisors have felt more controlling to me than others. I feel I’ve developed my confidence in trusting coaching philosophy and that negotiation of the conversation space will work. Yes, I recognise that meeting a new supervisor, or even anyone in life, can feel like stepping into the unknown so some risk involved in whether partnership can happen.

What is your view? What concerns or needs do you sense in yourself in getting the ideal supervision for yourself?

I’ve been thinking a lot about control recently because of a comment from someone with a coaching qualification that we are all “controlled in this world in one way or another”. I see that perspective even though I believe there is a shift in our increasingly complex world towards principled ways of being, to support many people to live together in harmony.

OK, our national laws are a way to attempt to control us and the status quo can feel imposed. I personally notice computers and apps prevent me from desired personal interactions with organisations and individuals; often a blocker to my freedom of choice. For us all to live happily together negotiable principles may be ideal. With freedom comes responsibility in our interactions.

I believe coaching philosophy releases me from control and shifts me to asserting personal responsibility in others, as well as myself.

Yes, I must conform to ICF ethics as a credentialled coach, so there are boundaries to be aware of and have conversations about. Some professional organisations set expectations of supervisors too. Just as a code of ethics is a set of guidelines with individuals responsible for any decision made in a particular situation, coaching philosophy supports creative conversation. Even if societal laws, professional ethics or culture can feel like control, coaching and supervision spaces can explore possibility; in a social world there is rarely black and white rather a sea of negotiable grey.

I’m constantly reminded of the need to challenge black/white thinking while mentoring students of coaching. I meet many new coaches looking for the ‘right’ way to do things. This is even though every client is a complex and unique human being who is doing their current ‘best’ and we are meant to hold the client in positive regard. I may be able to tap into my own wisdom of what I would do in the new coach’s situation but it is far better I think to notice the black/white thinking and ask the coach for their thoughts. My intent to challenge may seem like leading, influencing, possibly controlling but my intention in noticing is in my view not giving answers, so encouraging learning. My job, whether as mentor, coach, or supervisor I think is to reiterate and use the coaching ethos as much as possible.

How do you view the control in my noticing?

Being a coach supervisor and considering how I run my coach supervision groups is always a reflection point because my dream/hope/intention has for a long time been to support, possibly ultimately supervise project managers’ coaching skills. An organisational environment is traditionally run top-down with control aimed towards achieving the espoused mission, vision and values of the organization, as in many traditional social structures. However, coaching philosophy is focused on personal responsibility and dialogic conversations between equal partners. This underlying situation of competing philosophies encourages my questioning of perspectives and challenging any belief of right/wrong.

My long-term ambition suggested using action learning format or peer supervision. My supervision groups currently tend to attract more experienced coaches who are looking for support where they feel uncomfortable in coaching situations, want to get clearer of who they are as a coach or need supervision for a credential. Inviting coaches to take on the mantle of supervision I believe naturally invites them towards curiosity in other coaches’ perspectives and styles. Supporting them using a coaching philosophy I feel helps coaches understand where their own comfort boundaries are, to consider if they want to stretch these. It has become profoundly clear to me that coaches have very different boundaries and I have facilitated groups with coaches who will go ‘further’ that I would feel comfortable with. My boundaries are not something I can impose on others.

In what ways to you want your supervisor to control? I think I probably do control for fairness within the group aiming for equal airtime and contribution; even in the setup of any coaching/supervision, it is a negotiated partnership. I would offer advice of course if there is some concern about harm to someone and talk to individuals about group work if there was a hint of a problem in that.

Shirley Thompson straddles coach supervision, project management and Agile interests aiming to support those who use coaching skills in a variety of circumstances.

Read more blogs from Shirley

Image by Rosy from Pixabay

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I would love a Porsche 911.  I have driven one a couple of times around a track and been able to compare it to other high performance cars.  I can only begin to appreciate the value I might derive from owning such a car because, although I know how to drive, the track environment provides the space and safety for me to push myself and the car.  I am given a pre-drive safety briefing. I wear a crash helmet and I’m strapped in with a full safety harness to ensure I come to no harm.  Yet, I’m pushed by an instructor, to brake later, to change gear later, to corner faster. On track I pass some other drivers, but more skilled drivers pass me.  I can watch a video, get feedback, reflect on the drive afterwards.  I like to think my driving improves from pushing a high performance car to my own personal limits in a safe, learning environment. I can also compare the car to the others I drive and so judge what works for me; be the driver I sense I can be.

Coaching as a Porsche 911

A fast car of course doesn’t make for a good driver necessarily. As a coach I don’t seek to be the fastest.  I do however want to be highly tuned.  Working at my best.  Sure I want the engine, brakes and all the electronic gizmos engineered to a high degree, working for me, assisting me.  But I want to know how to get the best out of the driver I am, so that I make a step towards the driver I aspire to be.  As a coach, I would like to be a Porsche 911.

How much time do you devote to thinking about your coaching practice?

I don’t mean gaining new clients, upping your income, or doing that newsletter you keep meaning to start.  Nor do I mean changing your website, blogging more or diving deep into the social media pond.  I’m thinking about you.  You, the coach.  Your primary instrument.  Forget all the tools, tricks, certifications and studies in your toolkit for a moment, when was the last time you considered you; who you are as a coach and who you are becoming?  You are after all the driver.

What happens after training?

A bit like learning to drive, when we train as a coach, we are bombarded with feedback.  We cringe at the mistakes, we get a kick from the successes.  We study the theory and we learn our craft from practice.  We qualify and we venture out into the world as a coach. We have in all likelihood invested thousands of pounds. And then what?  Well for many of us that’s the end of our feedback loop.  We’ve trained and passed, now it’s all about racking up those hours and trying to make a living.  Sure, we continue to top up our toolkit with bits and bobs, but what about us?

It’s the same with driving.  We learn, we pass, we drive.  But what then?

Supervision as a test track

Most of my day to day car driving is done around the local roads or on a long motorway journey.  My average speed since I owned the current car I have is about 34 mph.  My car is comfortable, familiar, functional.  I haven’t learned more about driving since I passed my test 30 years ago – well apart from that one speed awareness course (shhh) and of course the thousands of miles and thousands of hours I have spent doing it.

Driving high performance cars on a track is like supervision.

I can look at my driving. I can push myself in a safe environment. I can develop my driving skills.  I can get feedback about how I am holding the steering wheel or about my foot position.  I can be encouraged to push myself, try something different.  I can look at myself as the driver and notice when I’m cornering too fast, or taking the wrong line.  I can learn in a safe environment how to become a better driver.  One step towards being a Porsche 911.

Coaching = income.  Supervision = expenditure.

A supervisee of mine recently mailed me, “Can we move our next session out a few months?” she said. “Any available time that I have at the moment needs to be spent on billable work.”

I understand that, from a purely business perspective.  Coaching = income.  Supervision = expenditure.  Times are hard, even without the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s harder to understand this from the perspective of developing your coaching.  Spending time at the test track.

It’s like coaching has become the 50m freestyle sprint for work.  Head down, arms flailing, don’t breathe … or you’ll lose.  If that’s the swimmer you’ve become as a coach, why not take that to supervision?

Many coaches are still not in regular supervision

Why is that?  Well, the simple monetary cost might be one reason.  Or the opportunity cost; time spent reflecting eclipsing an earning opportunity might be another, but I don’t think these are the only reasons.

Do we know how to show up?  What to bring?  Do we know how to choose a supervisor?  Do we know whether we want group or 1-2-1 supervision? Do we know who we are as a coach?  Do we know our potential?  Do we know how to use supervision to develop our practice?  Or indeed, can I bring my business to supervision? What metaphor describes the coach I have become?

Lifting the lid on coaching supervision

These questions and more are explored in the podcast – ‘Lifting the lid on coaching supervision’.

As a supervisor I have long championed the idea that supervision is an essential part of coaching.  Clare Norman, a supervisor too, agrees with this notion.  Clare and I began to discuss this and felt that maybe it would be useful for new coaches and coaches who aren’t sure about the value of  supervision, to hear us ‘lift the lid’ on these questions and many more.

Since September 2020 we have been recording a podcast.  It’s essentially two coach supervisors chatting.  Using their experience as supervisors and as supervisees to explore these questions and to offer knowledge, wisdom and insight.

We hope you like it.  No crash helmet required.

We’d love your feedback, or a question you may like us to explore in a future episode perhaps?

You can subscribe to the podcast by searching for “Lifting the lid on coaching supervision” with your favourite podcast provider, be that Apple, Google, Spotify, Castbox…

Or you can find it here

Steve Ridgley works with individuals as a coach and as a supervisor. He also works with business leaders exploring how the hidden dynamics of the organisational system can work to support their aims alongside the personal growth of individuals and teams within the organisation.

Read more blogs from Steve – Confessions of a supervisor

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Acting like a Mirror

As a coach I believe that I do not have to understand the coachee’s content, because my role is to facilitate a process that raises a coachee’s awareness, and improves a coachee’s understanding or learning. In a sense I’m a tool to be used by the coachee: for example some might say I act like a mirror in giving feedback on what I notice or a probe for asking deep questions. Why would it be any different for coach supervision?

Thinking about the parent-child relationship in comparison, a coaching relationship intends to be adult-adult. Yet the principle that I’m a tool to be used has some resonance with parenting: like in the example of learning to ride a bike: children expect support from parent(s) to be there  but help is not overtly desired, especially when they’ve got some skill already.

Expectation of Care

The sense of care as well as being a tool has perhaps an even stronger expectation in coach supervision, especially for new coaches. How well does this resonate with you?  How much are you currently discussing your expectations of an ideal engagement with your supervisor? Do you have a supervisor? Are you aware of an expectation of care as well as reflecting on the sort of tool you’re needing?

The traditional expectations of ‘restorative/normative/formative’ support from therapeutic supervision may suffice and were certainly part of my training, but maybe you are looking for a supervisor who knows your coaching model or philosophy inside out and can give specific guidance?  In my practical experience of group supervision, I have often felt the desire to highlight potential ‘parallel process’ to coaches but they don’t necessarily ‘get it’ because that is not what they’re currently looking for. I can sow seeds of care but recognise it’s just a seed for thought. Equally,  group facilitation can bring different perspectives quite naturally because coaches are unique human beings with different coaching experiences.

Highlighting Potential Blindspots

In a way supervision itself is a tool to be used, so how can you get used to negotiating for what you need? I like to encourage that. As a supervisor I’m a tool too, but in group work I want to facilitate in a fair and just manner, as well as challenge the meaning of professional, so I have my own boundaries to consider and assert. After a while, a group can get so used to working with one another, they get better at negotiating for what they want, but perhaps my role as supervisor then becomes more important to highlight potential blindspots.

Tools still have to be utilised. Do you want opinions from others? Or take more of a coaching approach? Do you want to discuss or debate? What more would you like from your coach supervision? Let’s have responsible conversation about supervision so we experience the relationship we want. On day one, a process probably prevails  but over time our negotiation will become more useful. We will naturally realise the strengths of others and the trust builds as we negotiate. Increasingly we want to take care  that we make the process work for us all.

Shirley Thompson straddles coach supervision, project management and Agile interests aiming to support those who use coaching skills in a variety of circumstances.

Read more blogs from Shirley

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What is SUPERvision?

Originating in the fields of therapy and counselling, and established in education and medicine, SUPERvision provides a developmental, restorative, resourcing and benchmarking safe space where Coaches (Mentors, Leaders and so forth) can reflect upon their professional practice. Formats include one-on-one and group SUPERvision. SUPERvision can also be provided with co-SUPERvisors. It differs from Mentor Coaching where a more experienced Coach provides mentoring, feedforward, coaching, and target setting on live or recorded coaching session mapped to the ICF Competencies and markers and usually for credentialing purposes.

What is Team Coaching?

“…a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” – Katzenback and Smith (1993: 45)

Team Coaching enables teams to focus on their purpose and common goal, ways of working together and processes (Thornton, 2016), drawing upon collective capability (Clutterbuck, 2014; Jones et al, 2019), as well as thinking ‘systemically’ (Hawkins, 2017) by ‘listening’ to the needs of internal stakeholders, and beyond.

CoachME Team Coaching, the model that I use, is data-driven and blends a results-oriented approach, reflection and learning at team level, agility and action planning, celebration, as well as transition planning – coping with setbacks and dependencies (BECKETT MCINROY, 2012).

Common themes in Team Coaching SUPERvision include:

• Is the team ready?
• How do I price and pitch team coaching?
• How brave can I be when sharing 360 data with the team?
• What do I do when the team are postponing sessions?
• Should I be coaching team members individually and as a whole team?
• Is it a team or a group?
• What do I do with parallel processes?
• What ways can I blend even more with my co-Team Coach?
• How do I handle disruptive team members?
• What should I do next?
• In terms of contracting with organisations, how can I get liability insurance?
• How can I create an iterative team coaching roadmap in partnership with the team?

Qualifications and Experience

Although best-fit Coach-SUPERvisor relationships are all about chemistry and psychological safety, I also believe that training, ideally with assessment, as well as experience in Team Coaching and SUPERvision are essential for optimum Team Coaching SUPERvision. I believe that Team Coaching SUPERvisor’s impact can benefit from an awareness of organisational dynamics and business acumen, procurement requirements as well as sector specific knowledge, cultural, religious, and other identity nuances. Experience of working effectively with groups for group SUPERvision and ways of supporting co-Coaches is also an advantage.

It is also advantageous for SUPERvisors to be aware of a range of Team Coaching models, not just the ones that they trained in, as well as various approaches such as gestalt, positive psychology, existential enquiries, and humanistic work.

I see Team Coaching SUPERvision as a ‘step up’ as opposed to a sideways move from one-on-one SUPERvision and feel the same about Team Coaching compared to one-on-one coaching due to its complexity.

A Development Twist

A SUPERvisor is usually more experienced and possibly more qualified than their SUPERvisee, and they have ideally had specific training in SUPERvision. That said, in the past year I have SUPERvised Team Coaching SUPERvisors some of whom are more practiced than myself with years of SUPERvision under their belt, however, this has been purposeful and conscious on their part for their own development. One reason for this was for one SUPERvisor to, for example, explore ways of working in SUPERvision online and with interactive tools.

Encore

Team Coaches can improve professional practice, self-awareness, and impact in service of the team and their wider system. Exploring team cases with a professional SUPERvisor, is an invaluable developmental provision that enables perspective(s). That is why I feel METAvision would be a more appropriate name ie ‘META’ – over and above, of high grade or quality, a term of approval, and powerful (Merriam-Webster, 2001) and ‘vision’ – an idea or mental image of something, the ability to imagine how something could develop in the future, the ideas that come from imagining. (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021).

I am often asked ‘When is the right time for Team Coaching SUPERvision?’ and I always answer, ‘Before any initial conversations about a team coaching project’!

Dr Clare Beckett McInroy EdD MCC PM ESIA

Clare trained as a Team Coach (which consisted of two Professional Certificates, one Post Graduate Diploma and a Certification in Agile Coaching). Clare has found SUPERvision invaluable both one-on-one and also in a group format where learning from global Team Coaching working in a range of sectors adds a richness to the experience. Clare continues to have SUPERvision too. She also trains SUPERvisors (ICF and EMCC Programmes) with a focus on coaches working with groups and teams and is a SUPERvisor of Team Coaching in the Global Team Coaching Institute (GTCI) with the World Business and Executive Coaching Summit (WBECS). Clare is also a co-lead on Outreach and Research for The Association of Coaching SUPERvisors (AOCS). She advocates credentialling, that stamp of approval by professional bodies, hence she pursued European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Master Practitioner (MP) in Coaching, Mentoring and Team Coaching, as well as their European SUPERvision Quality Award (ESQA), International Coaching Federation (ICF) Master Certified Coach (MCC), whilst also being involved in the creation of ICF’s Team Coaching Competencies and taking part in their pilot Team Coaching Credential, with research on their SUPERvision Competencies pending…

References

BECKETT MCINROY (2012), https://beckett-mcinroy.com/supervision/ and https://beckett-mcinroy.com/bmc-coachme-model/

Clutterbuck, D (2014) Team coaching. In: E Cox, T Bachkirova & D Clutterbuck (eds) The Complete Handbook of Coaching, 2nd ed. London: Sage, pp271–84

Hawkins, P (2017) Leadership Team Coaching: Developing Collective Transformational Leadership, 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page

Jones, R J, Napiersky, U & Lyubovnikova, J (2019) Conceptualizing the distinctiveness of team coaching. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34 (2), 62–78

Katzenbach, J R & Smith, D K (1993) The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization. Boston: Harvard Business School Press

Thornton, C (2016) Group and Team Coaching: The Secret Life of Groups, 2nd ed. London: Routledge

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Here the International Coach Federation (ICF) help to give us some insights through the requirements of their coaching competencies. In particular two; coaching presence and establishing trust and intimacy with your client.

Coaching Presence is described as the ability to be fully conscious and a create spontaneous relationship with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible and confident. The ICF asks that a coach is present and flexible during the coaching process, dancing in the moment. Asks that they access their own intuition and trusts one’s inner knowing and “goes with the gut.” They ask that the coach is open to not knowing and takes risks.  They ask the coach to be open minded and see many ways to work with the client and chooses in the moment what is most effective. They suggest that the use of humour can help to create lightness and energy. They ask the coach to confidently shift perspectives and experiment with new possibilities both for their way of working and that of their clients. They encourage the coach to be confident working with strong emotions, to self-manage and not be overpowered or enmeshed by client’s emotions.

There is clearly a lot to coaching presence!

The ICF competency on Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client; requires a coach to demonstrate the ability to create a safe, supportive environment that produces ongoing mutual respect and trust. In doing this they ask that the coach shows genuine concern for the client’s welfare and future, that they continuously demonstrate personal integrity, honesty and sincerity, they ask that the coach establishes clear agreements and keeps promises.  That the coach demonstrates respect for client’s perceptions, learning style, personal being, provides ongoing support for and champions new behaviours and actions, including those involving risk taking and fear of failure. And, finally that a coach asks permission to coach their client in sensitive, new areas.

All eminently sensible I hear you say. But how do these inform our practise and keep us out of the way of our clients?

In supervision I frequently hear coaches say things like…

1. In my training they said no two coaches are the same, yet, if I am to be a non directive coach how can my client get to know me?
2. If my client doesn’t ‘get me’ how can I coach them properly?
3. If my client knows about my background and experience it will help them choose their subjects for coaching
4. Surely building strong relationships is what it is all about?
5. I know if I told them a bit about my background and experience that would really help…
6. I’ve been through that experience and I can feel their pain too…I know just what it feels like…

The questions and thoughts posed above are very real and need handling deftly and with care. It might be useful to reflect on some of them here…

• Building relationships – Contact before contract
• Disclosure – Trust and intimacy
• Stepping off the line – Positive intent
• The contract
• Try hard driver
• Be perfect driver
• Over / under performance: Anxiety / nervousness
• Rushing from a meeting to the coaching session

As you emerged from your Teach First Coach training you doubtless had ‘the spectrum of learning and leadership’ firmly etched on your mind and were clear about your promise to deliver your role as a non directive coaching.

Dr Brene Brown goes on to say ‘it requires us to dare greatly, to be vulnerable”. To be vulnerable one needs the courage to surface and voice vulnerability. Brown goes on to talk about wholehearted living cultivating vulnerability. She suggests there are many tenets to wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness, facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that “I am enough”.

We need to own our own vulnerabilities. Dr Brene Brown suggests ten ways this may be achieved.

1. Authenticity: Letting go of what people think
2. Self-Compassion: Letting go of perfectionism
3. A resilient spirit: Letting go of numbing and powerlessness
4. Gratitude and joy: Letting go of scarcity and fear of the dark
5. Intuition and trusting faith: Letting go of the need for certainty
6. Creativity: Letting go of comparison
7. Play and rest: Letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth
8. Calm and stillness: Letting go of anxiety as a life style
9. Meaningful work: Letting go of self-doubt and supposed to
10. Laughter, song and dance: Letting go of being cool and always in control  

These vulnerabilities have resonated deeply with me and now feature as part of my learning plan. I know what it is like to feel like the emperor in his new clothes. I recognise that it is likely that this may also be so with some of my supervision clients, through their own lenses, models of reflection and exploration. At this juncture I find myself being in the way, yet even more conscious of getting out of my clients way.

I think this presents interesting dilemmas for supervisors, such as, ‘I want to experience your vulnerability but I don’t want to be vulnerable’; ‘vulnerability is courage in you and inadequacy in me’; ‘I’m drawn to your vulnerability but repelled by mine’.  These are rich territory for the drama triangle, parallel process, transference, counter transference and symbiosis (Figure 8). Relationships are essential to supervision. Trust is a product of vulnerability that grows over time and requires work and attention, and full engagement.

Dr Brene Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, 2013.

Lesley Cave has been running her own coaching practice as a Professionally Qualified Coach (PCC), Coach Supervisor and Coach mentor since 2010. She also trains Coaches.

Read more blogs from Lesley: Insights from a Supervisors chair…

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It is totally understandable that many newly qualified coaches lose confidence post qualification. Following the high of passing the rigour of their coaching assessment, pouring their hearts into reading, essay writing and the stress of the observation of their coaching, you then face into building a practice with a list of “How do I do this” questions.

Whilst preparing this you then start the lonely work of ‘being’ a coach, and for many, stories build in our heads that erode our confidence. It is not surprising that the most common theme in Supervision in the first-year post qualification is “Am I enough?”.

I was in the same boat too back in 2014 and at times still go there.

Inner Critic

If you were coaching a client sharing this self-talk you might start with some truth telling exercises, some exploration of what their inner critic is telling them and what positive statements could propel them forward. You might use a visualization of the future state to help quieten their imposter syndrome and see its purpose for being there and how to use it powerfully to change.

All this thinking helps your client move from the ‘stuckness’.

So, if you know that’s good for clients then who is there to help you with your thinking and in particular your thinking about your clients thinking?

Support Network

All coaches need to think about their support network and who will partner them in their growth and their thinking. Last year I had a Mentor, a Coach, and a supervisor for my 1-1 work, team coaching and for my supervision practice. That’s a big investment but every session added business and personal development value.

For many newly qualified coaches the benefit of using Supervision is known but the investment is harder to bear particularly if they are also investing in Mentor Coaching for accreditation.

But what is the cost of not getting any support for their work?

In leadership coaching I coach around the concept of building up your personal boardroom. Finding the right people to support you and your business growth takes time to plan as part of your business and development plan. The costs and time should be in every coaching practice P&L and should be reviewed annually to see if the time/supplier is adding value.

Group Supervision may be the entry point for many and with a quarterly frequency, so you feel connected to your boardroom.

Supervision is often sought out by newly qualified coaches once they feel stuck. It’s a shame that it’s not also used enough to celebrate and solidify the good work that happens post qualification and to reflect on what the good work is meaning to you, in proactively building your practice for the long-term.

Competitive Industry

That’s what I hope for in 2022 that more coaches stay in this competitive industry and thrive with the confidence that connecting with other coaches can offer – to use the human characteristic of comparison positively by sharing their successes and challenges with other coaches in Supervision groups to see that they are not alone– if nothing else it will make them feel better and find the restorative energy to do more good work.

Kate Freedman PCC

Kate is a qualified Supervisor and PCC level Leadership, Team and Executive ICF coach. Kate has been coaching for over 10 years firstly as an internal coach for Unilever Plc as part of her Learning and Development role and has been running her own business for the last 5 years. She has a track record of successful commercial outcomes and credentials from corporate and private clients in a wide variety of industries and with clients at manager, director, and C suite levels. She is currently engaged as Supervisor for internal coaches with corporate clients in Banking and in FMCG and offer Supervision groups and 1-1 services through her website.

Read more blogs about Supervision

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Culturally we are becoming more open to listening to others to support mental well-being.   Organisations want to claim their concern for this too. A coaching session contract naturally expects that coaches will listen openly and actively, but can we always be objective? Even though coaches are trained to hide judgmental thoughts Isn’t it inevitable that at least some part of us will be comparing to our own experiences or organisational expectations, rather than being detached? If we’ve done fewer than the 10K hours supposedly needed to become an expert at any skill, how can we be comfortable that we are objective enough when coaching?

Experience suggests we can know different perspectives of a situation, perhaps because we’ve coached many people in similar situations or undergone comparable situations ourselves. Or we might be great at imagination, like a writer of book or film generating many different characters and conversations that exhibit different perspectives.  Yet this all takes time to do; can we use more than instinct in a real-time conversation?  If not instinct, lots of different perspectives suggests to me that my analytical brain might whirr all the more from juggling all the possibilities and impact my listening.

I might be more easily caught out if clients express a surprising perspective. Can we be objective enough to hide our own expectations in the instant of recognition? I seem particularly challenged by a client who seems to have blind faith in something rather than recognise it as a belief, or one who seems to avoid certain questions or who doesn’t appear to have any answers to questions or be able to create new ideas. I might be judging their way of thinking! I’m personally very curious about thinking, but if that’s not the client’s concern, is it my concern?

I’m interested in the work of Robert Kegan and believe I sit between Socialised and Self-Authored mind where most adults are. In different situations I may be more of one than the other, so more blind on some topics. How can it be that coaches say they are always objective? For me, it is inevitably a ‘work in progress’.

The idea of opening up perspectives is embedded in coaching philosophy, so we know the importance of this for our clients. Do we allow the client to explore perspectives or do we nudge the client through perspectives we see? Could it be that we are able to talk about some perspectives but not others through our own blindness? Coach supervision is a place where we are at least able to discuss insights into ourselves and explore what learning lurks there.

Evasiveness is possibly something we find relatively easy to detect in body language; hopefully we can be curious enough about our clients to tease out their inner wisdom. However, what about our own evasiveness? I have a thinking preference and if my client does too, am I colluding with the client if I rarely go into the feeling space? Am I right to explore feelings with the client? Do I need to give the client a choice about going there and have clear pros and cons from an objective position, so that the client can choose their preferred coaching style? When I go to coach supervision, how prepared am I to start to recognise other topics or situations I might be avoiding?

Shame can be a common feeling (Sheppard, 2017.) Do I need to become aware whenever shame might occur to be a coach?

Supporting clients who don’t have answers seems a common issue for new coaches who ask when they’re allowed to give suggestions and how they should do it. Being directive is of course hotly debated amongst coaches and sometimes it is nice to have a bit of direction especially if feeling a bit lazy (as coach or client.)  For me, I trust the non-directive process; the client makes the brain connections to get that light bulb moment that is going to work for them. It is their thinking that needs to change and they may not know what it was that triggered the light bulb even after the event. Let’s respect the complexity of the human mind! It is a magical moment when the brain connects in this way. Can we hold a directive stance on the coaching process yet give non-directive space for free-thinking? I’m sure you know many ways to elicit thinking: drawings, similar sensory approaches, or metaphors. Can I hold this position when it comes to opening up perspectives? If not how do I choose the perspectives to open up? I’d prefer the client to choose but I suspect I decide at times; I wonder too what expectation you have of supervisors in relation to directiveness?

All answers to my questions are likely to have an ‘it depends’ quality. That’s why coach supervision can be so helpful as a space for exploration. The more perspectives coaches can see, possibly the better they can partner clients, but we need to ‘be with’ clients so leaving them to steer towards what they want to open up is perhaps ‘safer’.

If you have a question about coach supervision, I’d be happy to explore your experiences and expectations of it. (I’m pleased to have been on TCD since its beginning and enjoy its networking aspect.)

Shirley Thompson straddles coach supervision, project management and Agile interests aiming to support those who use coaching skills in a variety of circumstances.

Sheppard, L. (2017). How coaching supervisees help and hinder their supervision. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, Special Issue 11.

Image by athree23 from Pixabay

Read more blogs from Shirley – To what extent are coach supervisors lifeguards?

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The idea is a little frivolous perhaps, inviting an initial answer of  ‘no’. (e.g. possible response to lifeguards’ typical age and informality of dress!)

Yet replace lifeguard with the RNLI and deeper meaning emerges. The RNLI takes responsibility for protecting UK beaches and has raised concerns about beach use during lockdown. In my view coach supervisors align themselves with the coaching profession and aim to protect coaches and clients, possibly other stakeholders of coaching relationships too. (See here for my view that coach supervision is broader than coaching for coaches.)

Coaches typically take themselves to coach supervision, which aligns very much with raising an SOS to which the RNLI would respond. Other people may also encourage coach supervision which aligns with others raising the alarm on the beach.

Lifeguards have particular expertise and some people use the term Super-Vision expecting coach supervisors to ‘see’ more.  I’d be the sort of lifeguard who also wants to train others life-guarding skills, because my coach supervision groups invite coaches to elevate their observations towards what they expect of supervision. We collaborate in ‘seeing’, which brings more value as we all ‘see’ different things that enrich the conversation. This develops our capabilities and possibly our readiness for 1:1 coach supervision.

Finally I like to challenge people on their identity as a coach; I’m sure that lifeguards and RNLI seek to do the same for swimmers, sailors and other users of our waters.

Shirley Thompson straddles coach supervision, project management and Agile interests aiming to support those who use coaching skills in a variety of circumstances.

Read more blogs from Shirley – Ideas for Coach Supervision content: Objectivity and Evasiveness

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I must confess, when I am supervising groups of coaches I sometimes come away somewhat disappointed.  All too often the coaches come from one of two stances.  They either come in ‘lazy mode’, where they haven’t reflected on their own work but come instead to ‘learn from others in the group’.  If they have come with something from their own coaching practice, they often come simply with the aim of getting ideas, tips, tools and approaches for a difficulty they are experiencing with their client.  They want a “how to”.

There is of course nothing wrong with either of these.  Many of us learn well in groups and from the experience and observation of others.  I also know myself that there have been times when I simply wanted an idea, a new approach to supporting my client.  I think my disappointment as a supervisor comes from the lost opportunity.  The opportunity to have really stretched themselves as a coach and me as a supervisor.

Questions for reflection

Supervision can offer so much more than group learning and “how to’s”.  Before I work with one particular group of coaches I will regularly send out an email reminding them to prepare for their supervision.  In it I typically offer two or three questions for reflection.  One I nearly always put in, but have yet to experience a coach coming with it in mind is, “maybe reflect on what you’re NOT bringing to supervision, and bring that?”

Supervision is described in many books.  Some have helpful definitions, ‘Supervision is an opportunity to bring someone back to their own mind, to show them how good they can be’ – (Nancy Kline ‘Time to Think’) or ‘The purpose of supervision is to ensure that the best interests of the coachee and the client are protected and to provide educative and restorative support to the coach – (Myles Downey ‘Effective Coaching’).  Other books synthesise the functions of supervision, ‘Qualitative, Developmental and Resourcing’ (Hawkins and Smith) and ‘Normative, Formative and Restorative’ (Proctor).  But what does all that mean?

Visioning

For me, supervision is the ‘super’-‘visioning’ of my work as a coach. ‘Super’ as in ‘meta’, stood back, helicopter, seeing what I can’t see when I’m in the moment, close up with my client, or wrapped up in my own patterns of practice.  ‘Visioning’ as in seeing the whole, the possibilities, the potential of not only my client but of me as a coach – what are they / what am I capable of?  This in itself is restorative, a release, a coming back to self.  It is a freeing of the sometimes heavy responsibility I hold as a coach.  Supervision might be thought of as the process by which a coach, with the help of a supervisor (who is not working directly with the client), can attend to understanding better both the client and their system, as well as better understanding themselves as part of the system … and therefore transform their work.  And supervision, used well, IS transformative, not just in terms of the outcomes for our clients, but transformative in who we are as a coach.

Stretching the boundaries

I added that question about what you’re NOT bringing to supervision, from my own experience.  When I trained as a supervisor I considered a number of facets of supervision in a model I created for myself.  One of those aspects of supervision was ‘assurance’; a part of supervision which is often about professional rules, ethics, standards.  I realised I had never, to my recollection, brought anything to my supervisor in this space.  My reflections into why that might be, took me to earlier learning about self; I don’t like rules and I don’t like being told what to do.  For me, boundaries are there to be stretched.  Lines drawn in the sand, there to be washed away and re-drawn further up the beach.  This opened up a rich vein of discovery about who I was as a coach and how I do my best work – rich work with my own supervisor.

Discovering possibility

So, when you next go to supervision don’t hold yourself back, take some time to reflect on what supervision is for you and what it might be.  Reflect on what you want, what you’re getting, but more importantly reflect on what you might be missing.  For that is where the real beauty of supervision lies, discovering possibility.

Steve Ridgley works with individuals as a coach and as a supervisor. If you are interested in supervision, Steve is starting a new supervision group shortly in Berkshire.  As you might deduce, his work is informed by systemic thinking and by possibility. Curious? If so, you can find out more here

Read more blogs from Steve – No crash helmet required

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