"Executive coaching is a useful therapy that you can expense" ...But ethically speaking is it?
Verity Hannell
Award Winning Executive Coach | Workplace Mental Health Advocate | Empowering Leaders & Managers to Thrive through Transformative Coaching & Mental Wellness Strategies | Training the next Generation of Coaches
Title inspiration from The Economist Bartleby Column 13th July 2023
Full disclosure I was mindlessly scrolling through social media a few weeks ago and noticed my coaching supervisor had shared this title in a post which grabbed my attention. After reading the full article whereby executive coaching is described as a practice combining management advice with therapy, it got me thinking about the work I do in my private coaching practice and also when teaching how to approach discussions about ethical dilemmas and ethical maturity for coaches that are more everyday and may not be obviously ethically challenging.
For context, many years ago now, I made a conscious professional decision to incorporate elements from my therapeutic training into my coaching practice and now typically I describe the work I do as psychodynamic. I also actively promote myself as a mental health coach, and find myself continuously negotiating ethical dilemmas relating to mental health and capabilities boundaries because of this. But is my approach and disclosure really ethical?
I ask this hypothetical question as the article I’m referencing doesn’t mention therapy as I understand or “work with” it, nor is there any mention of coaching close to the boundaries of practice. In fact mental health which is a hot topic for discussion among coaches and therapists is not mentioned once. It simply (and in my opinion there is truth here) portrays coaching as the right place for executives to discuss any challenges or snags they face with a well meaning interlocutor, without jeopardising their “authority” or compromising their organization’s public image. I'm guessing then the therapy reference is because coaching can feel therapeutic (that is a whole other topic...)
If this is the case, is it ethical for coaches to deliver coaching without a clear goal or need, merely because it can be expensed?
The points raised in The Economist are possibly more everyday scenarios for many coaches and their clients, and maybe be why exploring ethical dilemmas and developing ethical maturity is a necessity for coaches, not just discussing the big ethical stuff. Not the sexiest of subjects I know… However, I cant help but think;
·?????? Is it ok to accept a sponsored executive client, just because they can have a coach paid for?
·?????? What if a coach is the only safe outlet they have access to?
·?????? What about other employees within the same organization who maybe can’t expense a coach but to whom coaching may be more impactful?
·?????? What’s more, what if coaching is the only option that their organization will fund, or psychologically accept?
There is no clear answer to any of those questions, and I will admit I’ve dabbled with all sorts of responses over the years. Coaches have to earn a living too right? So is there anything really wrong with coaching someone because it is a nicety not a necessity? Is it ok to be a client’s only outlet even if it isn’t strictly coaching? I have certainly made justifications for my responses, and I haven’t always got it right, or wrong!
领英推荐
Coaching Ethically
Like most professions and industries, coaching professional bodies have a Code of Ethics which members subscribe to, these guides also formally acknowledge the complexities of working ethically in seemingly everyday coaching scenarios. They want us to consider to read scenarios like the above instead of having a clear response, consider all the possibilities and complexities before making a decision around coachability.
The International Coaching Federation [ICF], recognises that a ?“challenge of working ethically means that [ICF coach] members will inevitably encounter situations that require responses to unexpected issues, resolution of dilemmas and solutions to problems…ICF Professionals who accept the Code of Ethics strive to be ethical, even when doing so involves making difficult decisions or acting courageously.”
The Association for Coaching defines ethical coaching as the coach’s ability to “make the right choice when issues in conflict require the individual [coach] to weight competing values when making decisions.”
Coaching ethically is thus, more than preventing malpractice, harm or dishonesty. It is more than the coach’s ability to decide what is right from wrong, or what is or isn’t acceptable within coaching boundaries. It is subjective, moving, complex and something requiring attention and self-compassion. We have to make peace with the answers we come to, accepting that this may be different to our colleagues or even the guidelines.
The Association for Coaching has a fantastic resource for developing ethical awareness in supervision. The questions below have become my go-to personal check in for coaching ethically, not just when I am working with mental health, but when I am considering my suitability to any coaching projects.
The full resource is available online here
I am sharing these as I am keen to know what questions you ask yourself when it comes to coaching ethically, I am keen to learn and constantly wonder if I am over complicating something that is in fact so simple? There is no clear way to end these musings, so my exploration continues...
Full article on The Economist here
Lecturer @ Henley Business School | Coaching & Behavioural Change Specialist
1 年Thanks so much for sparking my thinking with your post, Verity Hannell! I love the AC questions you've posed at the end and, as I reflected on them for now, I came back to your question, "is it ethical for coaches to deliver coaching without a clear goal or need, merely because it can be expensed?". Over the years, I have worked with several, in particular senior exec, clients who contracted with me for "sounding board coaching" where they sought a safe space to think and receive non-judgemental challenge to further provoke their thinking and awareness on a variety of gnarly leadership related issues. The organisation pays OR, notably, the client pays privately. There's no clear measurable "goal" for the relationship and it would be difficult to accurately measure the specific ROI without a significant amount of effort! However, in the leaders' complex and uncertain world, the "need", though perhaps hard to clearly articulate, is real. What I believe and value from my experience with this coaching is the therapeutic benefit for the human behind the 'leader' title, but it is definitely not therapy, and the positive ripple impact on the systems the leader is a part of (which adds to the complexity of measuring ROI!).
Blending executive coaching, psychotherapy, and workplace wellbeing, I partner with purpose-driven leaders and organisations to create sustainable, high-performing teams where people can flourish.
1 年Many thanks for this Verity. As an executive coach who is also a trained psychotherapist it's certainly got me thinking
??Author ?? Master Mentor Coach ??Creative Coach Supervisor ?? Leadership and Transitions Coach ??Retreat leader??Podcast host: Lifting the Lid on Coaching Supervision ??Associate Board Member UK ICF
1 年Steve Ridgley and I were talking yesterday about how to make ethical choices when there is no one right answer and we concluded that we could also ask the client about their values and beliefs in some situations, so that it becomes a Co-created way forward based on both of our values and beliefs. (It’s the AC questions at the bottom of your post that prompted this comment)
Co-creative Org Design & Development | Supervision| Facilitator| Certified Transactional Analyst | Consulting | Organisational Psychology
1 年I find if rare in my practice that clients have fixed goals. They may be working towards something for example requiring clarity on a matter, or wanting to feel more grounded. I contract for a set number of sessions and they can be used for working towards a larger goal or each session can be used for a new topic. I feel ethical boundaries and sensitivity is based on context and the coach's skill, competence and training. As a Certified Transactional Analyst I have a certain level of competence to use this modality with my clients. I give full disclosure to my clients on level of training and modality I use. I also give permission and power for my clients to say no. It also depends of whether your contact is bilateral or multi cornered.
Professor in Coaching for Behavioural Change at Henley Business School, Co-Founder of Inclusive Leadership Company, Chartered Psychologist, Keynote speaker
1 年What a thought provoking post Verity! I will need to ponder these questions for some time ........