Think “supervision” means scrutiny, hierarchy, or assessment? Think again.

Julia Philpott (Coaching Supervision Cert) explains that it’s actually a safe, reflective space for growth, challenge and support among professionals — much more than “coaching for coaches.”

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What is coaching supervision?

Coaching supervision provides a reflective space for the coach and in so doing improves the quality of their coaching.  Supervision typically has three key functions:

• normative, which attends to ethical issues and maintaining professional standards;
• formative, which moves the coach’s thinking and practice forward; and
• restorative, which supports and nourishes the coach.

To use an analogy, a supervisor is rather like an IT technician who checks to ensure that all a computer’s programmes are running correctly (normative); discusses additional software to enhance the computer’s efficiency and output (formative); and removes unwanted features and viruses that may be affecting the computer’s performance (restorative).

We can all benefit from a check-up every so often – coaches are no different.

What makes supervision different from peer coaching or a 1:1 catch-up?

Supervisors are usually experienced coaches who have gone on to qualify as coaching supervisors, so they will typically use a coaching approach in their supervision work.  However, supervision draws on broader systemic frameworks, in order to hold the client, the coach and all their related processes and systems in mind.

The most common of these frameworks is the Seven-Eyed Model (Hawkins and Shohet, 1985), which enables the supervisee and the supervisor to reflect on their coaching through seven different viewpoints:

Supervisors can either work through each of these ‘eyes’ systematically in a supervision session with a coach, or simply hold the model in mind and ask questions through the different lenses.

In addition to 1:1 coaching, supervision gives a coach a broader perspective on their client, themselves, their coaching and the context that contains it all.  Importantly, a supervisor works in service of the best outcomes for both the coach and the end client.

Another difference from coaching is the frequency that you meet.  The EMCC recommends at least an hour of supervision for every 35 hours of coaching.  So, if you are busy coach, you will probably need to meet with your supervisor more frequently than someone who only coaches an hour here or there.

However, we never know when a coaching session might raise a tricky question or trigger an unexpected response, so it is helpful to have a flexible relationship with your supervisor so you can arrange a one-off session if necessary.

How to get the most out of supervision

Learning is always more effective when it is intentional, so before establishing a supervision relationship, think about what it is that you need.

If you’re just setting out on your coaching career, you may want a more hands-on supervisor who can answer your questions and help you bed in your coaching skills.  Seasoned coaches may actively seek out supervisors who take a different approach to coaching to theirs, to deliberately create cognitive dissonance and challenge their thinking.

Similarly, you may be self-aware enough to know that you gain more from robust, challenging conversations.  Conversely, you may prefer a supervisor who focuses on a more supportive, restorative approach.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What am I hoping to gain from my supervision sessions?
• What do I need from my supervisor?
• What particular skills or specialisms (if any) am I looking for in my supervisor?
• How frequently will we need to meet?

I personally have several routes to supervision to meet the answers to these questions.  I have a 1:1 supervisor who is an experienced coach, I am a member of a regular supervision group and I meet with a supervisor from another helping profession (a social worker), who is an expert in a particular field of psychology that interests me.  In these sessions we review my coaching by asking “How could a Personal Construct Psychology approach be of service to this client?”.

Why should coaches embrace supervision?

The short answer to this is that supervision is important for accreditation (and accreditation is important in a field that remains unregulated).  In this way it supports the normative function, i.e. are you practicing in an ethical way that maintains the standards of the profession?

By definition, most coaches are interested in continuous development.  Supervision ensures that we practice what we preach and are continuously developing our own practice, and thereby supports the formative function.

Finally, and possibly most importantly of all, supervision creates an outlet – the restorative function.  As the pace of life gets faster and our clients are increasingly focusing on and managing their mental health, it is vitally important for coaches to do this too.

Where can I find a supervisor?

Management Futures offers group supervision to our ILM candidates and newly qualified coaches.  We also have a number of qualified coaching supervisors on our team who can offer 1:1 supervision.  Contact us to find out more.