Coaching is not a hobby

It is a serious profession with potentially serious consequences. We may be faced unexpectedly with challenging experiences & difficult emotions. We may even cause harm. We must take coaching seriously if we are to discharge our responsibilities. We must have respect for our clients & our practice if we are to work ethically.

As a simple rule of thumb, I would suggest that the seriousness of a coach can be tested (although not guarenteed) by four simple conditions:

Firstly, are we trained to do the work we claim to do?

Our early training as a coach will of course be superficial, which is fine for superficial work, but as we develop our practice, we must be trained appropriately. A personal interest or experience, is simply not enough. What qualifies us to work with the unconscious? Or neurodivergence? Or life transitions? Or trauma?

Secondly, do we have the lived experience of the work we claim to do?

We cannot accompany our clients to places that we have not been ourselves. Our training provides the map & our experience brings it to life in three dimensions. Our experience is also not the only experience & we cannot face this journey alone. We need the guidance of others who have walked it before us & seen more of the landscape. Have we experienced the wounds we claim to heal? Have we been coached ourselves? Have we been in analysis or psychotherapy? Have we been followers & leaders?

Thirdly, are we developing ourselves?

A coach that does not participate in ongoing continuous professional development is stuck. Perhaps they are afraid, or perhaps they are simply inflated, believing they are ‘masters’ of their craft. Ongoing CPD, particularly when that brings new modalities and new perspectives, ensures that we keep seeing the world in new ways.?If we are not learning ourselves,we will not be able to encourage our clients through their own learning journey. Where do we go to challenge ourselves? What was the last programme we attended that really stretched us & made us think in new ways?

Fourthly, do have we adequate supervision?

As we develop our practice we realise that our clients are not generic & we owe them more than a generic practice. One size, one process, one lens does not fit all. Clients may shock & surprise us, or even terrify us. We change ourselves and acquire new lenses, often realising with some shame that we are not very good coaches after all. We deepen our practice and face new challenges. We need a guide to keep us honest & provide emotional support; to challenge & advise us. A coach without adequate supervision is unlikely to be able to develop or face the unexpected without harming someone. Who is our supervisor? What do they bring to our practice? Do they stretch us or collude with us?

All coaches should ask these questions of themselves. Anyone thinking of coaching should ask these questions of a coach. Serious coaches will have serious answers.