Ethics and Supervison in Coaching and Mentoring: COMENSAnews June 2012

June 9, 2012 - PRLog -- Joanne Searle's article What Do Coaches Say About Their Experience of Supervision resonated with me on many levels and brought back a number of personal memories of when I was running my own coaching practice in the early 2000's. In those days, Supervision for coaches hadn't even crept onto the horizon.  We were lone rangers battling to explain to potential clients what this new phenomenon "coaching" actually was.  Coaching was in its infancy to such an extent that when one described oneself as a coach, the almost universal response was: "Huh? What's that?"

It was quite a lonely field to be in, battling against prejudice from other professions and consultants, breaking new ground and not having much in the way of qualitative or quantitative research to fall back on until recent years.  In addition, many practitioners were solo-preneurs, operating in isolation without the benefit of being able to share best practice or having access to knowledge.  I remember being desperately hungry for information to support my practice and trawling the internet without success.  When I look at the proliferation of information on coaching today compared to what was available then, it's amazing what one can find.

I can remember many times when I could have done with the support and expertise of a senior practitioner – someone with whom to discuss difficult and challenging clients, someone to expose me to different models that might have helped me overcome a particular "block", someone who could have helped me work out that some clients were simply un-coachable or that a particular client should have been put into a mentoring programme given what the organisation was expecting of the coaching relationship.  Hindsight is truly 20-20 vision and I am sure that many of you are able to reflect on the early days of your practice, and have had similar experiences in your practices.

Despite the fact that I no longer coach, I now see someone on a weekly basis that I use for professional supervision.  He helps me to reflect on my ethical and professional conduct, on my physical, mental and emotional triggers and on how I relate to the world around me in my personal and professional capacity.  I benefit enormously from this non-judgemental, supportive and reflective process that makes me examine my behaviour, motives, triggers and responses and how I relate to the world around me.  It makes me challenge my assumptions and examine the validity of the frameworks that underpin my world view – which is a good thing to do in our ever-changing and diverse world.  

Supervision is an ethical and professional imperative.  It is a no-brainer for any practitioner at any stage in their career.  I do judge you as a practitioner by whether or not you are committed to Supervision, and you should judge me and my professional practice and conduct by the same standards – even if I don't coach.

IN THIS ISSUE OF COMENSAnews (please copy and paste this link into your internet browser: www.comensa.org.za/NEWSLETTERS/COMENSAnews_2012_(Jan_-_Dec)/COMENSAnews_June_2012.aspx)

Exponential growth in Supervision, whether individual or group, requires a coaching approach
By Caren Scheepers
I invite you to take a vantage point on supervision that I believe is promising…

Mastery in Coaching: Professional Development, Ethical Practice & Coaching Supervision
By Matt Shelley, National Vice President COMENSA
One of the key pillars of building a professional body is a robust ethical framework. COMENSA has an ethical code, a complaints process and an Ethics Portfolio Committee.

The State of Supervision in COMENSA
By Belinda Davies
When the call for articles on Supervision and Ethics arrived in my in-box, it was my overdeveloped sense of responsibility that said "Well, you trained as a Supervisor; you are a former President of COMENSA – you must have something to say.

What Do Coaches Say About Their Experience of Supervision?
By Joanne Searle
I have written before (COMENSAnews March 2009) about supervision, what I see the value and function of supervision to be and the importance of supervision for our professionalism as coaches.

Coaching Ethics & Supervision of Self
By Steve Dold
On many occasions, my wife has described me as a walking paradox. I have my moments where I let my decorum slip, as does everyone else.

Monthly Morsel for Making MORE out of your COMENSA Membership: Define Your Ethical Standpoint
By Megan Hudson
Last month, I received an interesting statistic from Harvard Business Review: the more ethical a man is in business, the less he is likely to earn.

The Link Between Ethics & Supervision
By Dr Christo Scheepers
Julius Malema.

The name alone causes diverse reactions with people of all ages, cultural groups and genders, but one underlying emotion with all, is frustration.

Coaching Ethics
By Ivor Shaskolsky
Ethics are what we perceive to be the right way to do things or to conduct ourselves.  According to the South African Students' Dictionary, an Ethic is a principle that a person or a society follows in their (sic) daily life. Ethics are moral principles or rules about what is right and wrong.