Why every leader needs a coach… and every coach needs a supervisor

Being an organisational leader today can feel like an impossible role.

Leaders need to drive innovation and business growth, manage resources effectively, inspire and motivate hybrid and multi-generational teams, make tough decisions, and navigate complex and constantly changing environments.

They also need to build and maintain strong relationships with multiple stakeholders (often with competing agendas), foster a culture of collaboration and psychological safety, communicate effectively and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Managing all these challenges requires a combination of strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and effective communication and decision-making skills.

Even the most experienced leaders need a safe place where they can take time out of the action to reflect and plan their next move. This is where time with a leadership coach can play a critical role.

What about coaches, though?

Coaching clients who are in high-pressure, demanding jobs can be incredibly challenging for several reasons. First, leaders will likely bring a wide variety of challenges to their coach and making time for reflection may not be top of their priority list so a coach needs to be ready to flex their style to meet the leader where they are.

Second, if leaders are feeling stressed or anxious, they often unconsciously offload this on to their coach who needs ways of holding the space for their client and managing their own equilibrium in these moments.

On top of this, leaders may have entrenched behaviours or beliefs that can be difficult to shift and require the coach to have a deep understanding of how to facilitate behavioural and systemic change.?

Coaches can get caught up in the organisational and personal dynamics of the coaching relationship and they need a safe place where they can reflect on their work, sharpen their skills and safely release the stress pressure valve.

The benefits of coaching and supervision

Working as both a leader, coach and a coach supervisor, there are several benefits I see for coaching and supervision.

1.????Increased self-awareness

Through reflecting on their work with a coach or supervisor, leaders and coaches can gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses, identify their habits and patterns of behaviour and gain clarity on their professional goals. By engaging in deep self-reflection, coaches and leaders can gain a better understanding of how their thoughts, feelings, and actions impact those around them. With this knowledge, they can return to their professional roles with a sharper intention and greater skill.

2.????Managing ethical dilemmas

Given that leaders and coaches are often faced with ethical dilemmas, coaching and supervision provides a safe and supportive environment in which to explore these issues. Through coaching or supervision, leaders and coaches can better understand their ethical obligations, identify potential ethical issues, and develop strategies for managing them.

3.????Developing core skills

By exploring real-life challenges and receiving constructive feedback, coaches and leaders can gain new insights and perspectives that enable them to develop in their professional role. Coaching and supervision can help coaches and leaders stay up-to-date with the latest leadership and coaching tools, trends, and best practices.

4.????Enhancing wellbeing

Being a leader or coach can be stressful, and spending time in coaching or supervision can help manage the risk of burnout. By receiving support from a coach or supervisor, leaders and coaches can develop strategies for managing their priorities, setting boundaries, and dealing with challenging situations. This can lead to greater role satisfaction and a more sustainable approach to their work.

Overall, supervision and coaching is an essential component of being an effective leader or coach and is necessary to continually improve and grow in your role. If you want recommendations for either, let me know. I have a lot of awesome coaches and supervisors in my network.