Newly Qualified Coach Supervision?

It is totally understandable that many newly qualified coaches lose confidence post qualification. Following the high of passing the rigour of their coaching assessment, pouring their hearts into reading, essay writing and the stress of the observation of their coaching, you then face into building a practice with a list of “How do I do this” questions.

Whilst preparing this you then start the lonely work of ‘being’ a coach, and for many, stories build in our heads that erode our confidence. It is not surprising that the most common theme in Supervision in the first-year post qualification is “Am I enough?”.

I was in the same boat too back in 2014 and at times still go there.

Inner Critic

If you were coaching a client sharing this self-talk you might start with some truth telling exercises, some exploration of what their inner critic is telling them and what positive statements could propel them forward. You might use a visualization of the future state to help quieten their imposter syndrome and see its purpose for being there and how to use it powerfully to change.

All this thinking helps your client move from the ‘stuckness’.

So, if you know that’s good for clients then who is there to help you with your thinking and in particular your thinking about your clients thinking?

Support Network

All coaches need to think about their support network and who will partner them in their growth and their thinking. Last year I had a Mentor, a Coach, and a supervisor for my 1-1 work, team coaching and for my supervision practice. That’s a big investment but every session added business and personal development value.

For many newly qualified coaches the benefit of using Supervision is known but the investment is harder to bear particularly if they are also investing in Mentor Coaching for accreditation.

But what is the cost of not getting any support for their work?

In leadership coaching I coach around the concept of building up your personal boardroom. Finding the right people to support you and your business growth takes time to plan as part of your business and development plan. The costs and time should be in every coaching practice P&L and should be reviewed annually to see if the time/supplier is adding value.

Group Supervision may be the entry point for many and with a quarterly frequency, so you feel connected to your boardroom.

Supervision is often sought out by newly qualified coaches once they feel stuck. It’s a shame that it’s not also used enough to celebrate and solidify the good work that happens post qualification and to reflect on what the good work is meaning to you, in proactively building your practice for the long-term.

Competitive Industry

That’s what I hope for in 2022 that more coaches stay in this competitive industry and thrive with the confidence that connecting with other coaches can offer – to use the human characteristic of comparison positively by sharing their successes and challenges with other coaches in Supervision groups to see that they are not alone– if nothing else it will make them feel better and find the restorative energy to do more good work.

Kate Freedman PCC

Kate is a qualified Supervisor and PCC level Leadership, Team and Executive ICF coach. Kate has been coaching for over 10 years firstly as an internal coach for Unilever Plc as part of her Learning and Development role and has been running her own business for the last 5 years. She has a track record of successful commercial outcomes and credentials from corporate and private clients in a wide variety of industries and with clients at manager, director, and C suite levels. She is currently engaged as Supervisor for internal coaches with corporate clients in Banking and in FMCG and offer Supervision groups and 1-1 services through her website.

Read more blogs about Supervision