The Temptation to Advise
March 31, 2019
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The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) define supervision as follows:
‘Supervision is the interaction that occurs when a mentor or coach brings their coaching or mentoring work experiences to a supervisor to be supported and to engage in reflective dialogue and collaborative learning for the development and benefit of the mentor or coach, their clients and their organisations.’
As more organisations develop a mature internal coaching faculty, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that these coaches receive the appropriate support, enabling them to perform at their best.
Tom qualified as a coaching supervisor with the Bath Consultancy and has been supervising coaches on a 1:1 basis and in groups since 2006. Tom’s supervision is accredited with EMCC, he holds the ESIA supervision award. Tom supervises coaches online and face-to-face.
Our face-to-face and online coaching supervision service supports coaches to develop their professional practice, deepening their understanding of themselves and the systems in which they operate. All of our faculty are experienced and qualified coaching supervisors. Our approach to supervision involves:
The Developmental Function
Developing personal and professional coaching capability
The Supportive Function
Increasing systemic awareness and impact on the self and the client
The Qualitative Function
Ensuring professional standards are achieved consistently, in service to the client
We believe that learning is at the heart of the supervision relationship, both for the supervisee and also for the supervisor. The process of supervision involves paying attention to what is happening between the supervisor and supervisee as well as looking at the supervisee’s relationship with their client.
EMCC believes that coaches should undertake no less than 1 hour of supervision per 35 hours of practice, ensuring a minimum of 4 hours per year, evenly distributed if possible. But this is a bare minimum: the focus should be less on the quantity of supervision that occurs and more on the quality of the reflection that takes place within the supervision process. Therefore, coaches are encouraged to think about the type, duration and frequency of supervision that they need in order to be fully supported in their professional practice.
We offer the following solutions:
Face-to-face, Individual Supervision
1 hour, 1:1, at a mutually convenient location. This format works best if both parties are committed to a long-term supervision partnership.
Face-to-face, Group Supervision
3 hours, 1:6. The supervisor facilitates and works with the energy of the group so that all present take part as active, co-supervisors.
Remote, Individual Supervision
1 hour, 1:1, using telephone/VOIP. This is the most flexible approach but supervisees should find a location where they will not be disturbed.
Remote, Group Supervision
2 hours, 1:4, using telephone/VOIP. The virtual nature of this option is the reason for the smaller group size and shorter time period.
Emergency support
An agreed quota of time is valuable for coaches to contact their supervisor out of the blue for immediate support with difficult coaching situations.
What are the benefits of using an external supervisor?
Whilst it is possible to train supervisors within your organisation, there are a number of reasons why you may prefer to outsource supervision. For instance:
It is notoriously difficult for members of an organisational system to see beyond the culture of their organisation and offer a birds-eye perspective for their supervisee. An external supervisor provides this fresh perspective.
Coaching supervision is a specialist skill. Tom leads the development of EMCC’s position on supervision quality. This expertise, alongside many years’ supervision experience, brings a degree of knowledge and insight that may not be present amongst colleagues who maintain their coaching/supervision practice alongside another full-time job.
Building a strong and trusting relationship with an external coaching supervisor gives you an invaluable resource. This individual can share data they gather on the organisation (respecting confidentiality), enabling you to make more well-informed decisions as you execute your organisational development strategy.
If you are interested in finding out more about our face-to-face or online supervision experience then please call Tom on 07720286696 or send an email via our contact form.
‘Tom provided me with coaching supervision. Having worked with a number of supervisors, I was extremely impressed with his interpersonal skills and the insights he helped facilitate. There are so many coaches and supervisors on the market, but I can genuinely recommend Tom as one of the top professionals I have encountered in over twenty years in the business. Seriously talented.’Douglas Young, MD, HR Performance and Development
