Supervision of Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching without supervision is like buying a car and not getting it serviced.
It supports and develops your practice, so you are the best you can be. It provides a safe place to reflect and take stock. It provides support and challenge to your practice. It helps you keep it clean and ethical; for example managing with transparency and integrity the differing needs and wishes of different stakeholders. It helps you surface the values, beliefs, history and feelings you bring, so you can ensure in your practice that they have the influence you choose them to have, and you remain in the service of the client. It helps it develop and improve, keeping up with new research and development.
My supervision is informed by extensive coaching, mentoring and supervision practice. I have supervised in one form or another for 40 years. I have supervised coaches and mentors for 15. I obtained the Certificate in Organisational Coaching and Mentoring Supervision and the EMCC European Supervision Individual Award in 2014.
Getting Started…
Supervision typically takes the form of quarterly 90 minute meetings face-to-face, by phone or by Skype. The first meeting is a ‘chemistry session’, where we get to know each other and plan what we will do – we contract, to use the coaching term. At the end of the meeting, I will ask you if you would like to continue. If not, there will be no charge. You should not be asked to commit to supervision with anyone without a chance to see if it works for you.
What people say…
Working with David as my supervisor has greatly improved my ability to reflect on my coaching practice, more than this it has helped me discover who I am as a coach and develop a real authenticity in my coaching. The impact of all this is that my coaching work has developed enormously and hopefully so has the impact of the work I do together with my clients.
David has the ability to create a super safe space, without judgement and with a very welcome pragmatism and challenge.
Claire Hack
Executive Consultant, Down To Earth Development
I always felt better at the end than the beginning – he provided space for my learner ramblings, has a great ability to encapsulate the issues succinctly that then made my decision about what next much simpler.
He accepted and understood my reticence to experiment with tools and techniques, but encouraged me to read and talk about what is out there – the knowledge provides the power, but that it is up to me what tools and techniques I decide to use. I found a new enthusiasm to read and learn from ‘coaching’ books without being constrained by them.
His experience, knowledge and curiosity about coaching practice and willingness to share thoughts, frameworks, reading without imposing – this increased my openness to the experience and therefore ensured that I learnt.
Being able to discuss the potential ethical issues that may arise and how to run an ethical coaching practice. The importance of this has become a constant reference point within my coaching practice and plays a big part within my contracting or re-contracting.
Challenging questions or just a challenge that provokes thought and questions assumptions. Some of my best coaching actions and or decisions have been made as a consequence of a David challenge.
Confidence in David’s ability as a coach – this increases my own learning, but also ensures that I open up and discuss the real issues and therefore gain real value from the sessions.
Nicola Bish
Talent Academe
David quickly grasps the heart of the issues and identifies new and different areas for examination, previously unconsidered. He is supportive – encouraging you to take that one step further, challenging and always thought provoking. It would be a privilege to work with him again.Carolyn Tiley
David supervised me whilst I was attaining my Advanced Diploma in Professional Coach Mentoring. David was hugely knowledgeable about the world of coaching and was able to draw on his considerable experience of coaching in a range of contexts during our sessions. He offered me a very effective mix of support, challenge and insight, and always seemed to know what actions to take to move me on and help me develop my skills. Thanks to him, I was able to build my confidence and capability as a coach and I’m still applying many of the principles to which he introduced me during these supervision sessions. Graham Clark, Managing Director, OCM Enable