Am I supervising or am I just coaching the coach?

By Dr Julia Carden and Karen Foy

We remember when we started our coaching supervision training and we were focussing on partnering, creating a re?ective space and not being the expert; the voices in our heads were saying “you aren’t supervising, you are just coaching the coach!” And now we are running the coaching supervision certi?cate at Henley Business School, and we hear our students asking “what am I doing di?erently as a supervisor to being a coach? Surely, I am just coaching the coach?”

Of course this is such valid comment when we think about partnering with our clients and taking into perspective Linda Aspey’s view of “who is the expert in the room” (hMps://www.aspey.com/blog-posts/coaching-supervision-who-is-the-expert-in-the- room), because it is so important we create the space where our supervisees can bring their coaching ‘uglies’ and anything they might be ashamed of or embarrassed about without feeling shame. And, in this psychologically safe space, where we think deeply and gain new insights it is indeed a space which undoubtedly feels like we are being coached. Therefore, what is di?erent when we are supervising the coach rather than just coaching them?

To unpick this question, we are going to use the lens of the functions of supervision.

The functions or roles of coaching supervision have been described as (Hawkins & Smith, 2013):

·?????? Developmental – concerned with the development of skills, understanding and capacities of the coach.

·?????? Resourcing – providing a supportive space for the coach to process the experiences they have had when working with clients.

·?????? Qualitative – concerned with the quality, work standards and ethical integrity.

Looking at each of these in turn what might di?er between coaching and coaching supervision???????????

The table below o?ers some thoughts.

Of course, this largely depends on what underpinning philosophy or psychological perspective you draw on, and this might highlight the level of intervention and input you will utilise when supervising, and what you consider to be appropriate. What is key is your own self-awareness as a supervisor noticing your preferences for approach, what are the bene?ts and pitfalls of your approach, what are your blind-spots, what you might wish to dial up or down as a supervisor?

In sum, we believe there will be times you will be coaching the coach and times you will be supervising the coach. This is likely to depend on what the supervisee wants to gain from the supervision session and the nature of the enquiry they are bringing. We have no de?nitive answer for you but encourage you to re?ect on when you might move between coaching the coach and supervising the coach. And always remember to partner with the supervisee to ?nd the most appropriate approach for their learning and re?ective practice.

About Dr Julia Carden

Julia is a visiting tutor for the Henley Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, Professional Certificate in Coaching Supervision and MSc in Coaching for Behavioural Change. She is an accredited Master Practitioner Coach with the EMCC, a Professional Certified Coach with the ICF and an accredited coaching supervisor.

Julia runs her own coaching and supervision practice, working with leaders from across the public and private sectors. Her special area of interest is self-awareness and how to understand all aspects of identity; this sees her work focusing on self-awareness, so that individuals have more choice and develop self-acceptance to be more effective leaders and contentment with who they are as a person. Julia has recently completed her PhD research exploring the role of self-awareness in the development of the coach.

About Karen Foy

Karen is a Master Certified Coach with over 20 years’ experience, she is a certified coach mentor and supervisor. Karen holds a BA Psychology from the University of Sheffield and an MSc Coaching Psychology from the University of East London. She has recently retired as the Programme Director of accredited coaching programs at Henley Business School, where she is still a visiting tutor, outside of Henley she continues as a coach, coach supervisor, coach educator and mentor.