Diversity & Inclusion in Coaching

In 2023 the moral arguments for diversity & inclusion (D&I) are widely accepted, and the benefits to organisations are widely understood. But how does D&I relate to the coaching profession? This post discusses the relation & implications for coachees (clients), coaches & the industry; offers some thoughts on the current state; and what can be done to promote it.

To clarify the terms: diversity is the practice of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientation, physical abilities or any other characteristics (Cambridge, 2023).

Inclusion refers to an environment that is supportive, respectful, and collaborative for all individuals regardless of such characteristics, ensuring an equal opportunity for all individuals to access any resource (Cooks-Campbell, 2022).

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So, what are the benefits of a diverse & inclusive coaching profession?

An individual looking to take on a new coach will feel more comfortable engaging with a coach with whom there is a natural rapport. We live in an increasingly diverse society with an increasingly diverse range of individuals (Uppal, 2015). Therefore, an industry providing a diverse range of coaches to choose from provides more options to help ensure a good match or “fit” between coach and client, increasing the likelihood of a coaching engagement and chances of successful outcomes. Alternatively, a non-diverse industry has the potential to pose a barrier for potential coachees who may be unable to find a suitable coaching relationship or be put off by the lack of choice.

Note that a good ‘fit’ doesn’t necessarily mean matching a coach and coachee who are alike in some respects. On the contrary, a diverse range of coaches provides the opportunity to be coached by someone from a completely different background with a different worldview to the coachee (Morgan, 2022). The benefit of this is to offer alternative views on the coachee’s situation & options, opening up new ways of thinking and approaches to problem solving, leading to more creative solutions and thus also increasing the chances of a successful outcome.

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Coaches themselves can also benefit from participating in an industry that demonstrates D&I. Exposure to a wide range of people within our network introduces alternative points of view, new ways of thinking and more creative problem solving (Cooks-Campbell, 2022). It helps avoid the problem of stale & poor-quality thinking, ultimately helping us to grow personally as well as professionally. As outlined below, a diverse industry also helps ensure a successful industry, which also provides an obvious incentive for coaching professionals.

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In order for a coach to be able to promote D&I, self-awareness of personal biases is critical, alongside the knowledge of (and desire to implement) strategies to avoid them. These biases refer to the often-subconscious learned assumptions, beliefs, or attitudes that we aren’t necessarily aware of (Asana, 2022) that affect the way we think or feel about others (Ameer, 2022). Examples include gender bias (sexism), ageism, ableism and racism. Strategies to combat such biases are available and it is imperative for a coach to be proactive in adopting these in order to promote inclusivity. These can include being mindful of our own points of view & biases, proactively working to address these, proactively promoting relevant policies within the coaching profession and workplace, setting diversity goals and addressing harmful or non-inclusive behaviours (Asana, 2022).

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One of the guiding principles of coaching is that of a client-centered approach. This refers to the complete acceptance of the client and their views, circumstances and approaches to solutions [Rogers’ “unconditional positive regard”, Wikipedia (2021)]. An acceptance & appreciation of the inherent diversity between the coach & client is a natural extension of this principle. Further, it promotes a deeper understanding the mindset of a coachee within a larger context of culture, religious belief, class and socioeconomic realities, not just the content of their coaching scenario or issue (Shah, 2022). This will in turn allow more creative thinking & options for solutions to increase the chances of success, which is beneficial for the coach, client, profession.

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For the profession itself, a diverse pool of coaches means a much wider range of talent, knowledge & expertise available to offer to the community. Our communities are growing more diverse so it is crucial for the industry to reflect this diversity to appeal to a wider and growing diverse client base (Uppal, 2018) in order to stay relevant and ensure that equal access is provided to all. ?

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There is still work to be done in this regard. A number of voices have argued that coaching remains an inequitable profession & inequitable system (Sequeira, S., in Morgan, 2022, 02:20), and needs to refresh its current stance on diversity in order to stay relevant and inclusive (Uppal, 2018). Strategies to address this can include ensuring coaching training programs are as inclusive as possible; ensuring an organisations pool of coaches is diverse with meaningful targets; reaching out to communities that may not normally have access to coaching, and individual coaches being proactive in promoting inclusion within their practice & the profession. It is somewhat telling that the European Mentoring & Coaching Council Competency Framework references diversity only once, at practitioner level (EMCC, 2015). Is there not a case to be made for coaches to demonstrate an increasing competency around D&I as they develop and gain experience?

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Summing up…...

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While the benefits and moral imperatives of D&I are well known and understood (and so much good work continues in this area) it is clear that there is still more that we can all do. Individual coaches and students ought to take stock: are we doing enough to promote D&I within our own practice, workplace & the wider profession?

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References & Further Reading:

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Ameer, Y. (2022) Diversity and Inclusion, Unconscious and Conscious Bias. Available at: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/diversity-inclusion-unconscious-conscious-bias-yumna-ameer/ (Accessed December 19, 2022)

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Asana (2022) 19 unconscious biases to overcome and help promote inclusivity. Available at: https://asana.com/resources/unconscious-bias-examples (Accessed December 19, 2022)

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Cambridge University (2023) Diversity. Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/diversity (Accessed January 4, 2023)

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Coach Hub (2022) Diversity and Coaching: What do we mean? Available At:

https://www.coachhub.com/blog/diversity-and-coaching-what-do-we-mean (Accessed December 28, 2022)

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Cooks-Cambell, A. (2022) What diversity really means, and why it’s crucial in the workplace ?

https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-diversity-really-means-and-why-its-crucial-in-the-workplace (Accessed December 28, 2022)

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Crowley, C. (2021) Diversity In Coaching And Why It’s Essential. Available at:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/diversity-coaching-why-its-essential-claudia (Accessed December 28, 2022)

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EMCC Global?(2023) Inclusion, Diversity and Equality (I,D&E). Available at:

?https://www.emccglobal.org/leadership-development/diversity/ (Accessed December 28, 2022)

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EMCC (2015) Competency Framework. Available at: https://emccuk.org/Common/Uploaded%20files/Resources/EMCC_competencies2021.pdf ?(Accessed December 30, 2022)

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Morgan, A. (2022) Inequity and Diversity in the Coaching Industry [Podcast]. Available at:

?https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/diversity_inclusion_podcast_series (Accessed December 20, 2022)

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Phillips, K.W. (2017) How Diversity Makes Us Smarter. Available At: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_diversity_makes_us_smarter ?(Accessed: 28 December 2022)

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Shah, S. (2022) Why we need more diversity in coaching. Available at

https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1744015/why-we-need-more-diversity-in-coaching (Accessed December 28, 2022)

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Uppal, R.K. (2018) Why the coaching profession needs to pay attention to diversity. Available at:

https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1746123/coaching-profession-attention-to-diversity (Accessed December 28, 2022)

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Wikipedia (2022) Person-cantered Therapy. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person-centered_therapy (Accessed January 4, 2023)