Choosing a Coaching Supervisor to Support Your Personal Development

Seeking coaching supervision (or 'super-vision') is an important step in your professional development as a coach. And finding a supervisor that is suitable for you is also an important part of the process.

A Coaching supervisor partners with the coach (also known as the supervisee) to support them with their practice and who they are being as a coach by deep listening, asking questions and reflecting back what they are noticing in the system the coach is operating within - intuitively, emotionally, factually, somatically, metaphorically and more.

Coaching supervision is reflective in nature and is related to the coaches themselves and their practice versus focusing on topics not related to who they are as a coach and their practice. Coaching supervision is an opportunity to support coaches to identify their 'blind spots' in their ways of being - which can impact their way of coaching with their clients.

It is a partnership between the coach supervisor and the supervisee where the supervisor supports a reflective space for the supervisee to explore what they bring in for supervision. This is different from coach mentoring, which involves the coach mentor providing their wisdom, experience and information to support the coach with their skill development.

"Supervision can be seen as a lens, a way of looking at any situation and oneself; a way of being in the world; a way of seeing with new eyes."

- Ben Fuchs in Robin & Joan Shohet’s In Love with Supervision -

Choosing a coaching supervisor is going to be a key decision to assist the coach to get curious about the system or systems they are working within, which includes the coach's own system as well as the system with their clients, the client's and coach's stakeholders, the coaching supervisor and everything else that can impact the system, such as the economy, an organisation's culture and resources, a line manager, a colleague, a country's culture, religion, politics, the season and so much more.

The coaching supervisor's role is to support the coach/supervisee (or group of coaches) to essentially:

1. Normalise situations: many coaches work alone and therefore don't have a sounding board to share challenges, opportunities, practices and unusual situations.
2. Restore and develop themselves. As mentioned above, coaching can be a lonely role and to be supported with a thinking partner can lead to new perspectives, thoughts and ideas in relation to new ways forward and possible actions or non-actions.

A coaching supervisor can also support coaches with ethical dilemmas, which coaches can face from time to time. Here are some key factors to consider when looking for a coaching supervisor:

• Look for supervisors who hold relevant coaching supervision credentials, such as the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) ESIA. 
• Ensure the supervisor is a certified and experienced coach.  
• Ideally, seek a supervisor who understands and aligns with your coaching philosophy and approach. However, it may also be useful to work with someone who is supportive and works quite differently from yourself.
• Inquire about the supervisor's experience in providing coaching supervision. Ask for references or testimonials from other coaches they have supervised.
• Understand their approach to giving feedback and their commitment to your growth and development.
• Ensure that the supervisor adheres to a strong code of ethics in coaching, such as those established by the ICF or EMCC or other reputable coaching organisations. Understand their approach to handling ethical dilemmas and confidentiality.
• Consider the supervisor's availability and scheduling flexibility. Ensure that they are accessible when you need support.
• Ensure the supervisor is committed to their own professional development. Inquire about any additional training or certifications they hold that may be relevant.
• Trust your intuition and evaluate whether you have a connection and trust with the potential supervisor.
• Ensure there is a process for providing feedback to the supervisor as well.
• Understand the supervisor's approach to supervision, including how they work and create a safe place to work together to bring in vulnerable topics.

Choosing the right coaching supervisor is a significant decision that can have a substantial impact on your growth as a coach. Take the time to research, and interview potential supervisors, and ensure that their expertise and approach align with your professional development goals and values which will enable you to be the best coach you can be in support of your client...

Be empowered.

Listen to The Empower World Coaching and Leadership Podcast on the below platforms.

Stitcher: http://bit.ly/st-podcast

Spotify: https://bit.ly/sp-podcast

iTunes: http://bit.ly/EW-Podcast-iTune

Below are five ways we can support you to make a difference:

(1) Set up a Discovery Call, to find out what you can do to make empowering change
(2) Download our "How Coaching Can Change Your Life"
(3) Sign up for our offers
(4) Connect with us on LinkedIn
(5) Forward this email to someone you believe would benefit from coaching, learn to coach, develop leadership skills and so much more

#Coach #Training #icfdohachapter #Mentoring #ICF #Supervision #Coaching #Life #Organisational #Development #Mastery #Executive #newperspectives #Change #Management #Skils #Leadership #Development #Presence #Personal #Development #Fulfilment #Team Building #MiddleEast #Australia #UK #Europe #Singapore #Asia#leadership #leaders #doha #qatar