Brian Duggan: Coach Supervision and Mentor Coaching — unique gifts for the coaching profession
Many years ago, my Dad gave me a prism. Ever since then I have been intrigued by how a simple lens can create many colors and ways of seeing a ray of light. (To this day I keep a prism on my desk.)
Throughout my professional life a core practice has been conversation, dialogue with others.
More recently I became aware of the difference between competence and capacity. Both of these ways of acknowledging our strengths are unique and I believe, required for professional coaches.
These concepts offer a perspective on the gifts of Mentor Coaching and Coach supervision.
Let me explain what I mean.
As a Mentor Coach I am curious about what I see that indicates that the Coach demonstrates the Core Competencies of coaching. As I observe the conversation, I wonder and look for evidence that the dialogue is exploratory, open, and supportive of the client’s growing self-awareness.
Is the Coach curious about what is meaningful for the client, asking questions that are freely offered and open to the unknown?
At the end of the conversation is there a plan to integrate the learning within the client’s way of being in the world?
Essentially, as a Mentor Coach, I am listening and seeing evidence that the Coach demonstrates the competence to practice as a coach. I document this evidence and point out places where it is working and opportunities for further development. This implies that a Mentor Coach has more experience and possibly authority to help the Coach develop her skills.
While I am looking for evidence of coaching competence, I am also wondering about the capacity of the Coach to demonstrate competence in evolving relationships. This is the gift of developing the capacity to coach with a ‘Coaching Mindset’, an openness to what is evident, and not so evident, in the dialogue. The Coaching Mindset emerges from fully embracing coaching as a way of relating.
As a Coach supervisor, I am in a partnership that explores the many relationships that require the attention of the Coach and the Client. Coach supervision implies a way of ‘seeing’ (VISION) from numerous perspectives. This exploration is to reflectively create opportunities for system-oriented awareness of relationship dynamics. (Notice that this is not about the ‘authority’ that is often implied by the word supervisor.)
In the Coach supervision partnership, we are committed to a time of reflective dialogue that explores whatever comes up as we look at a coaching situation together. Coaching situations can be about any aspect of the Coaches relationship with client, the client’s workplace, life events, the impact of this moment in history. Coaches can bring difficult client relationship issues, ethical challenges and contracting confusion.
In the Coach supervision dialogue we explore, with open and generous minds, the possible dynamics of the situation that is before us. This dialogue can take us to explore our assumptions, biases, expectations, conflicts, uncomfortable, yet unnamed feelings about what is going on in the coaching relationship.
My place as a Coach supervisor is to ask what the coach is aware of within the client, themselves, and the world. What is understood; okay; uncomfortable; missing; and what else is going on?
This collaborative exploration is all about expanding awareness so that the client can be served more fully. Coach supervision explores coaching with new light, in dialogue and to enhance the capacity to meet the needs of our clients.
Coach supervision and Mentor Coaching are both necessary gifts to the coaching profession. They serve Coaches and Clients in different ways.
As a Professional Coach they can support you in your service to clients.
Feel free to contact me to explore Individual and Group Mentor Coaching and Coach supervision.
Brian Duggan PCC (he, him, his)
brian.duggan@marathonhrcg.com
www.brianduggancoach.com/
In Canada call 902.221.5864