An Ode to Coaching Supervision

An Ode to Coaching Supervision – By Sorrel Roberts

Safe space to explore
Understanding self in service of others
Pause with purpose
Expanding our education
Restorative in all manner of ways
Vulnerable and willing to share
Individual and shared experience
See and be seen
Integrity honoured
Objectivity found
Not alone

Safe space to explore – there’s not a coach I’ve met who doesn’t care deeply about doing a great job and sometimes wonders if they’re getting it wrong. Supervision is a safe, confidential space to explore these questions along with the more pragmatic ones such as “I’ve trained as a coach, I know I have skills, now how on earth do I get paid work?”

Understanding self in service of others – coaching is by nature a relational activity – “everywhere you go and there you are” – supervision is a great way to raise awareness of our patterns and uncover what belongs to us and what may belong to our clients.

Pause with purpose – supervision provides a necessary and important pause from “doing” and allows space for clarity and increased possibility to emerge.

Expanding education – this is gained from the depth and breadth of knowledge of my supervisors, but also from the depth of shared learning and knowledge that I gain from my group supervision peers.

Restorative in all manner of ways – without fail I leave coaching supervision feeling restored: faith restored; breathing restored; connection and communication restored.

Vulnerable and willing to share – it takes courage to share our vulnerabilities, our ‘not-knowing’, our hopes and fears as coaches and human beings – and I value enormously the shared space to do that and witness the richness of others doing the same.

Individual and shared experience – I embarked on open group supervision which benefitted me hugely when I started out as a coach with minimal work to speak of, I now do 1:1 and closed group supervision. I can vouch for the benefits of supervision in all its forms. It is individually powerful, but there is also benefit in everyone else’s individual experience and the collective.

See and be seen – supervision allows us to experience being seen as we are, rather than focusing only on the bits (or indeed flaws) that we habitually focus on. In seeing the wholeness and fullness of others we are also invited to see it in ourselves.

Integrity honoured – I believe that having supervision is crucial to maintaining my integrity as a coach, it is an investment that I will continue to make as long as I coach.

Objectivity found – in supervision we are invited to take the “view from the balcony” elevating our viewpoint from solely ourselves and our clients to observe what is happening above, between, beyond, and around. The view from there is more expansive and different from the everyday.

Not alone – being a self-employed coach can feel lonely, supervision – individual and group, provides me with compassion, connection and community and enhances my courage.

I wouldn’t be without it.

If you want to know more or feel you could benefit from coaching supervision then get in touch with info@barefootcoaching.co.uk, Alternatively, you can book onto Barefoot’s open or online supervision here.