Coaches are in a position to inspire positive changes in individuals and organisations. Effective coaches are competent, confident, and ethical.
Coaching supervision is ideal for coaches who want to improve their practice and nurture better client relationships. It is a continuing professional development (CPD) activity recognised by global governing bodies in coaching, including ICF, EMCC, and Association for Coaching, among others. Undergoing coaching supervision can help you fulfil some of the hours required to apply for accreditation or renewal.
Basically, coaching supervision aims to help coaches become more effective. Coach supervisors guide coaches as they reflect on who they are and how they interact with their clients, allowing them to spot and overcome challenges that may be impacting their professional practice.
The Goal of Coaching Supervision
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Ensure the Quality and Integrity of Coaching
Coach supervisors help evaluate the quality and integrity of a coach’s professional practice and well-being. They ensure that the coach abides by a certain code of ethics and professional standards imposed by global governing bodies in coaching. Moreover, they provide accountability as a sounding board for ideas. They offer fresh perspectives, increased objectivity, possibilities for new client interventions, and coaching strategies.
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Provide Coaches with Professional Support
Coaching supervision should not be oversimplified as coaching for coaches. Supervision is intended to provide coaches with professional support. Coaches engage in a reflective dialogue with a qualified coach supervisor about challenges in their practice. It’s about deepening self-awareness to understand how personal well-being, internal thought processes, and assumptions may contribute to bias or affect coaching practice.
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Strengthen Professional Development
Coaching supervision strengthens professional development, empowering you to become a reflective practitioner. Coach supervisors help you evolve as a coach by revealing your blind spots and brainstorming solutions. They refine and expand coaching techniques, enabling you to serve clients better and be more confident handling difficult or complex client situations. They also recommend opportunities for growth and continuing education so you continue to thrive as a coach.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Coach Supervisor
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Credentials and Qualifications
Search for an accredited coach supervisor with the qualifications and experience to provide coaching supervision. They should have relevant credentials from recognised coaching organisations and certifications for completing a coaching supervision course from a reputable training provider.
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Ethical Standards
A proficient coach supervisor upholds and observes high ethical standards. They need to be knowledgeable about the global code of ethics for the coaching profession and apply it to their own practice.
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Role Alignment
Note that coaching supervision is different from coach mentoring. Supervision focuses on who and how you are as a coach, while mentoring is more about what you offer and your coaching skills. If your goal is to reflect on your coaching practice through a collaborative learning experience, ensure you seek the guidance of a trained coach supervisor who can distinguish the needs of the two roles.
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Compatible Dynamic
Coach supervisors must be able to create a reflective and safe space. They should be able to establish a good rapport with you founded on mutual trust, respect, and open communication. Having a compatible relationship dynamic with your coach supervisor is important. You need to feel comfortable about expressing challenges or roadblocks in your coaching practice so that they can help you overcome them.
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Supervision Style
Consider what kind of supervision style you resonate with or respond to. Look for a coach supervisor who can match and adjust their supervision style to your unique learning style and situation. Select a coach supervisor with a significant level of psychological understanding, allowing them to explain theoretical frameworks in a manner you can draw insight from.
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Supervision Delivery
Coaching supervision sessions can be 1:1, with a group of coaches led by a coach supervisor, or between peers who can supervise themselves. Work with a coach supervisor who delivers the type and frequency of supervision sessions you need or prefer, whether in-person or virtual.
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Continuing Education
Choose a coach supervisor who is also committed and passionate about their professional development. Consider someone who is continuing coach education and has experience with or is currently undergoing coaching supervision.
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Experience
Seek a coaching supervisor with substantial experience in the coaching industry. Someone aware of the intricacies of corporate life and organisational systems and updated with developments in the field of coaching supervision. Look into their coaching portfolio and see if they’ve successfully supervised coaches from diverse backgrounds or specialties. Consider how their expertise can contribute to your area of focus or coaching niche.
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References and Testimonials
Ask fellow coaches if they can refer or recommend a supervisor they had a meaningful experience with. Also, review the published testimonials of the coach supervisor’s past clients. Considering this information allows you to assess their effectiveness and professionalism.
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Cost, Fees, and Availability
Coaching supervision is an investment in your personal and professional growth as a coach. Select the coach supervisor who can offer you the most value for your time and money, considering their expertise, session format or availability, fees, payment mode, and other additional costs.
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Boundaries and Confidentiality
Coach supervisors must be able to set and discuss the boundaries of coaching supervision. They should also maintain strict confidentiality of the sessions to foster trust and protect the integrity of the coaching relationship and process.
Takeaways on Coaching Supervision
Coaching supervision involves engaging in a reflective dialogue about one’s coaching practice. It can be a 1:1, group, or peer supervision session where coaches seek the guidance and objective perspective of a coach supervisor about their strengths and limitations, considering their clients and the system they work in.
Coach supervisors help coaches understand how personal life experiences, patterns, and habits can influence or interfere with their professional practice and client relationships. They also recommend potential growth opportunities coaches can pursue. They guide you as you process complex client situations that make you insecure, and suggest alternative courses of action that could yield more positive or productive outcomes. They help you become more self-aware, boosting your ethical competency and professionalism.
When choosing a coach supervisor, consider someone whose training and expertise can bring clarity to your coaching practice and help you develop your signature presence. Work with someone who inspires you to become a confident, resourceful, and more effective coach. Also, see if you can request a discovery call to determine whether you resonate with their coaching philosophy and supervision style.
If you’re looking for a coach supervisor in the UAE, please contact us at Kompass Consultancy.
