CHAPTER 22 SUPERVISION IN COACHING

Supervision has been an important staple in the developmental trajectory of professionals in several prominent fields of study, including psychology, medicine, counseling, and social work, providing a structured approach to ongoing development. The ten thousand–hour rule of mastery seems to be a simple enough equation, but it’s not merely the accumulation of hours of practice that creates mastery. Rather, it is the continuing work of reflecting on one’s skills, linking skills and practice to helpful theories and concepts, and tracking one’s developmental edges at each stage in the journey. Coaching supervision—the process of working with a masterful coach in order to take a step back and reflect on the ongoing development of the coach’s skills, the dynamics of the coaching session, the client dynamics relative to larger systems, and the coaching outcomes—serves an important role in the journey to mastery.

Korotov, Florent-Treacy, Kets de Vries, and Bernhardt (2012) note in their recent book on coaching that “no coach has a monopoly on wisdom. Many coaches still work without supervision, and many encounter similar coaching challenges.” We all need the support of a mirror to see our self and our work with more clarity. Supervision both supports and holds the coach’s feet to the fire, driving ongoing development, uncovering blind spots, examining failures as well as successes, and experiencing the parallel process at play in supervision that mirrors the coaching work.

Supervision can provide enormous value to a coach at several levels:

Continuing to learn about one’s self as coach
Intentionally remaining on a path of self-development
Continually challenging one’s capacity as coach
Understanding one’s client and the client’s context
Exploring approaches, interventions, and tools most useful with each client
Understanding the key elements associated with the client’s work system
Ultimately seeking to ensure the best possible outcomes for the client

Most coaches practice in a predominantly one-on-one format, and this can be a lonely experience for a coach over time. Supervision not only builds capacity for the coach, but it represents a form of self-care for the practitioner as well. In Cziksentmihalyi’s terminology, supervision serves to keep the coach in flow, continually cultivating new territory for capacity building. In Howell’s model, supervision serves to move the coach more rapidly toward the state of unconscious competence.

Supervision spans a broad spectrum of activities:

Focus on use of self and continual capacity building as coach
Thoughtful attention to the developmental edges of the coach and continual tracking of progress and advancement relative to those edges
Attention to the working alliance between coach and client and between coach and supervisor (in some cases, this may include a supervision group)
Attention to transference and countertransference in coaching cases and in the coaching supervision relationship
Use of reflection-in-action during supervision and reflective processes in general
Linkage of each coaching case to the underlying coaching methodology—from working alliances to aspirational contracts to key coaching goals to measureable outcomes
Linkage to key theories, concepts, and best practices relative to each coaching case
Examination of ethical issues and challenges that arise
Careful attention to coaching outcomes and measures that best support these outcomes

The models previously covered in this book relative to self-as-coach domains (Figure 4.3), coach methodology (Figure 11.3), and the elements of masterful coaching (Figure 4.1) provide foundational reference points for the supervision work.

TYPES OF SUPERVISION

There are several types of supervision a coach can use, and we explore them next.

Solo Supervision

Solo supervision is essentially a practice of reflecting on each coaching session in a methodical manner that aligns with the development goals of the coach. It tracks the progress of the coaching work, including the rough edges and the difficult spots that need further exploration. Every coach ought to regularly engage in this first layer of supervision with self at all times. Portions of Clutterbuck’s seven conversations model (Figure 7.5) for reflection before, during, and after dialogue are particularly useful for solo supervision.

These questions are useful to consider in solo supervision:

What did I feel best about in this coaching session?
What did I observe about myself as coach relative to my own areas of continued development?
What did I observe about my own level of presence throughout the session?
What did I notice relative to my own reactions and feelings toward this client?
Where did I feel lost in the coaching session?
In retrospect, how did my session track to the methodology?
In retrospect, what theories and concepts are most relevant to my work with this client or myself as coach in this session?
How am I gaining the client’s input relative to our coaching engagement?
How am I working with my client to continually link our work to the overall coaching goals in a manner that demonstrates coaching outcomes relevant to all levels of the client’s system?

Peer Supervision

Peer supervision could be in the form of a regular coaching buddy or a small group that meets on a regular basis. Many of the questions addressed in solo supervision prove equally useful here. These two additional questions take advantage of the presence of other coaches:

Given what you know about my development goals as a coach, what stands out for you in this case as I describe my work?
What might you consider that I’m not addressing?

Formal Individualized Supervision

There is a growing trend toward formalized individual coach supervision. The U.K. coaching community has led the way on this front, and it is rapidly spreading to other parts of the globe. The process of individual coach supervision typically includes a regular meeting between supervisor (master coach) and coach, with a focus on examining coaching engagement relative to the coach’s development goals and all of the essential elements required to reach mastery.

Formal Group Supervision

All forms of supervision serve an important function in the journey to mastery, but in my estimation, group supervision has the potential to be the most effective. The group supervision model ideally runs the course of one to two years with a consistent group of participants. Group supervision has several unique advantages that I believe make it a particularly potent approach:

The ability of group members to track the coach’s development goals and learning edges relative to the coaching case under discussion
The ability of group members to observe parallel processes at work for the coach relative to the work with a particular client, the supervision group, and the coach supervisor
The opportunity for group members to practice their own skills in staying present, providing helpful feedback, challenging at the appropriate times, and sharing observations relative to themes and patterns
The experience of learning from one another, observing vulnerabilities in fellow coach colleagues, and the insight and reassurance that we are all humans with failings and failures along the way

Spot Supervision

Once a coach has engaged in regular supervision over the course of one to two years, it can prove helpful to have a relationship with a supervisor that allows spot supervision when a particularly challenging situation emerges with a client. Spot supervision is a focused session, lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, in which the coach brings a specific coaching dilemma to a short just-in-time supervision session.

Internal Coach Supervision Groups

As organizations continue to create internal cadres of coaches, the use of external supervisors becomes more common in an effort to provide continued support and development for the coaching cadre and track the impact of the coaching on the overall organizational needs and goals.

MODELS FOR SUPERVISION

Models of supervision are well developed in the field of psychology, and coach experts and researchers in the United Kingdom have adapted several of these models for use in the emerging field of coaching including Hawkins and Smith’s (2006) seven-eyed process model, Hay’s (2007) reflective practices in supervision, and Hawkins and Shohet’s (2006) developmental approach to supervision that all provide a useful support in supervision. Interestingly enough, while the United States was an early adopter of a supervision model in the field of psychology, we have been slow to research and adopt relevant models in the work of coaching.

At Hudson, we have developed an early model for coaching supervision (Figure 22.1) that specifically pertains to supervision within a group setting. In this model, the foundation of supervision rests on all that has been covered in this book: self as coach, skill-based competencies, theory-based competencies, sound methodology, and the tools and assessments that might apply to any particular situation. The ultimate goal of a successful coaching engagement is to create sufficient change so that the goals of the work are achieved in a sustainable fashion. This is also the final goal of all coach supervision. The coach in supervision is at the center of the model, and the dynamics of supervision are focused in three constellations. We use the term supervisor in this model to refer to the internal or external master coach who serves as the supervisor for the coach, client refers to the individual seeking coaching, and client system refers to the organization or environment in which the client works.

Figure 22.1 The Hudson Coach Supervision Model

Coach–Client–Client System Constellation

The coach’s understanding of this primary system—the coach’s role in the interface between coach, client, and client’s organization and the tension points and complexities found in this constellation—is at the heart of the work in supervision.

Questions for the coach in supervision relative to this constellation might include these:

What role might you be drawn into in this larger system that would create challenges and limit your effectiveness?
What are the signals you notice when you have entered the client’s system in the coach-client work?
What do you notice about your own internal experiences relative to this client? Is this experience unique to this particular client?

This vignette highlights the natural dynamics that occur within the coach–client–client system triangle and in the context of the supervision group provides ample opportunity to explore the situation through these lenses:

Theories and concepts: Systems thinking and systems dynamics
Self as coach: Ability to observe and manage boundaries, ability to challenge at the appropriate times, ability to be fully present to what is occurring in the moment
Coach methodology: Revisiting the early contracting conversations, the ground rules relative to communication within the system, confidentiality, boundaries, and transparency

A Coach–Client–Client System Example

Bob, a member of a group supervision experience, brings a case to the group that highlights this essential triangle. He tells the group he met a professional colleague, a human resource professional (HR), at a learning event in his community a couple of months ago at which time this former colleague (Bob explains that this colleague was never a personal friend) and Bob exchange business cards. Bob talks about his current coaching practice, and his former colleague remarks, “Boy, you could be helpful to us in our organization. I’ll give you a call next week.”

The call comes to Bob the next week, and he proceeds to take all of the right steps, meeting with his former colleague, the boss, and the prospective client and then convening a four-way meeting with all parties to clarify the hopes each member has for the coaching work. Goals are clear, all parties understand how the coaching will proceed, and Bob is ready to develop a strong working alliance with his client and embark on a series of stakeholder interviews.

Before he is ten days into this work, he receives a call from his former colleague, who says to him, “Off the record, some things have changed. Your client really blew yet another presentation this week, and if something doesn’t change within the next two weeks, he’s out of here. What can you do?”

Coach–Client–Coach Supervisor Constellation

The coach and the supervisor’s understanding of this essential system—the nature of the working alliance with the client, the awareness of transference and countertransference dynamics in this constellation, and the ultimate outcomes that have an impact on the client’s success—is the next important layer in the supervision work.

Questions for both the supervisor and the coach in this constellation include these:

What do you notice about the nature of the challenges you bring to the supervisor?
What are you aware of leaving out of the discussion with your supervisor?

This is only a first step in Marge’s work (see the following case example), but it points out the power of the coach–client–coach supervisor in uncovering new layers of awareness that will help the coach’s work with clients. Each member of a supervision group has a development plan, and if the themes of pace and presence weren’t already on Marge’s plan, they will become an important part of it going forward.

The Coach–Client–Coach Supervisor Example

Marge has spent years as a consultant and facilitator, traveling about 70 percent of the time and attempting to do her best to balance her family’s needs and her work life. She is the first to admit it’s a tough act. Now Marge has added coaching to her repertoire of offerings. She is in her second year of coaching when she brings to supervision a theme she has become aware of in her coaching engagements. She brings this up during our supervision and notes, “For some reason, I seem to create coaching contracts with a lot of clients who don’t seem to take coaching very seriously or don’t seem really motivated to make any changes.” Marge wants to explore what she could be doing differently to build contracts that are more productive.

As Marge and the coach supervisor explored the challenge, they uncovered one common denominator: Marge’s rapid-fire pace and her drive to get her clients to a solution. The discussion then moved to two other areas: Marge’s awareness of her own presence and the impact this has on her work in building a strong working alliance with her clients. When the coach supervisor asked Marge how she experienced their working alliance in the moment and how this alliance made it possible to jointly uncover this important awareness around Marge’s pace and presence, Marge became tearful and said, “I feel your support, your focus, and your willingness to challenge me. I haven’t built this relationship with my clients, and I wasn’t even aware of this. I clearly see where I need to focus my attention.”

Coach–Coach Supervisor–Supervision Group Constellation

The final layer of the supervision constellation lies in the awareness and use of the dynamics at play in the supervision group as it relates to themes for both the members of the group and the supervisor.

Questions for the coach-in-supervision might include these:

What do you notice about parallels that might show up in supervision and in the coaching engagement?
What can you learn from the keen observations of fellow group members?

This next-level layering of Marge’s awareness relative to the triangle of the supervision group and coach supervisor creates a powerful epiphany for Marge in the moment. It also provides the entire group with an in-the-moment experience of the power of sharing observations, providing feedback to one another, and attending to one’s internal experience and using it in the service of the coaching work.

A Coach–Coach Supervisor–Supervision Group Example

Returning to Marge’s challenge around developing a stronger working alliance with her clients and managing her pace and noticing her own presence, the triangle of coach (in this case, Marge), coach supervisor, and supervision group becomes a particularly potent combination. Once Marge and the coach supervisor fully explored Marge’s coaching challenge, the exploration expanded to the entire supervision group with an inquiry to all members relative to what they noticed and heard in the interaction.

Some members of the group returned to Marge’s development plan and recalled her wish to be more present and commended her for working the territory that she has at the top of her own development list. Two of the group members exercised a bit more courage and transparency and shared their experience of Marge’s pace and presence relative to the supervision group and how that affects each of them. One group member provided specific data about how often Marge comes to the supervision group several minutes late and how often she is unable to make it a priority because of her travel schedule. The group member shared with Marge the impact this has on her and how in this current supervision session, she has a heightened awareness of the negative impact this has on her sense of connectedness to Marge.

These brief vignettes provide a glimpse into the potent capacity for development that a supervision group provides for all members of the group and the impact the supervision work has on the ultimate effectiveness of the coaching with the client and the larger systems of the client. In essence, supervision becomes a dynamic process for providing quality control to the client and client organizations through the continual focus of the coach’s development.