We never see ourselves as others do, but what if there was a way we could?
We’re getting ready to launch our Coaches Council this autumn, on Friday 13th September. It’s a peer supervision group for business and performance coaches that is totally inspired by Nancy Kline’s work in the #Thinking Environment.
Our immersion in this way of ‘being’ over the last several years has had a lasting impact on the way we work and on our clients. In fact, it’s had a huge impact on every aspect of our lives and how we give attention when we’re with others.
As we began thinking about what a peer supervision ‘group thing’ might look and feel like, we allowed ourselves to be guided by our own lived experience of facilitating groups, #coaching, being coached and teaching others to coach, and #supervision itself.
We did some homework and looked at the evidence that there’s a need for this amongst the coaching community and how to make it accessible and effective.
Here are some things that seem to be true…
🪞Peer supervision for coaches offers an opportunity for professional reflection, development, and growth that goes beyond solo practice – and with the pace of life and work as it is, as coaches often move from one client to the next without much of an opportunity to reflect on what happened, why it happened and what they can learn, that reflection opportunity is HUGE!
💡The collaborative exchange among peers stimulates new ideas, deepens self-awareness, and enhances coaching effectiveness. Listening to others as they think aloud, as they reveal their assumptions, their triumphs and they’re disappointments, provides a series of moments for fresh thinking to emerge, and for inspiration to strike.
🥇Research shows that coaches who engage in supervision not only improve their skills but also deliver more consistent results for their clients. In fact, the International Coach Federation (ICF) emphasises that supervision helps coaches maintain standards, gain fresh perspectives, and increase confidence in their methods. Our work as coaches is in service of the client, so results, in whatever way they are defined for the client, really do matter, and they can vary, wildly.
🤯In a peer supervision environment, coaches benefit from collective intelligence, where each participant offers unique insights and challenges. We love this 😍 When we can raise the ‘collective intelligence’ of any group, it’s magical!
👀A 2020 study on coaching supervision found that 85% of participants reported increased self-awareness, with many noting that peer discussions helped them uncover blind spots they were previously unaware of. “Supervision has opened my eyes to the patterns I was missing. My coaching practice has become more focused and impactful because I now see what I didn’t before.” This is a big deal. So much of our coaching practice takes place in secret 🤫🔐with no one watching. We don’t see ourselves the ways others do, so when we are ‘revealed’ with people we trust, we can learn so much more about ourselves, and our potential as coaches.
And, here are five really good reasons why you, if you’re a coach, should take part in a peer supervision programme and ideally commit to it for a significant period of time, say 12 months….
- You can increase your impact on your clients: Regular supervision allows coaches to explore their approaches, deepen their understanding and hone their skills, leading to improved strategies and better outcomes for clients.
- You have access to emotional and cognitive support: Supervision provides a safe environment for reflection and emotional regulation, crucial in a high-empathy profession.
- You will be tending to your ongoing Professional Development: A year-long commitment ensures a period of sustained discovery, with time to practice, reflect, and refine approaches.
- You can reduce professional isolation: Peer supervision offers community, combating the isolation many coaches experience when working independently.
- You’ll find accountability and reflection: Regular meetings keep coaches accountable to their professional goals, creating consistent opportunities for learning and improvement.
What are your experiences of Supervision? How has it made a difference to you, your coaching practice or your client’s results? Have you been able to quantify the impact? We’d love to know.
If you’d like to put yourself in our hands and take a spin in the world of Peer Supervision, you can do that by clicking here. We start on Friday 13th September and 9.15am UK time, and will meet every other month till July 2025 on the second Friday of the month. Hope you can make it!
#clearthinking #timetothink #nancyklinein
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