EN
March 3, 2023
Both ICF and EMCC require team coaches to take regular coaching supervision to attain a certification. Since both certifications are rather new and the field of team coaching supervision is also just its beginning, I thought it might be useful to reflect on what happens in team coaching supervision, how you can make use of it and why it is a good idea in the first place.
Why is taking team coaching supervision a good idea?
Team coaching requires the proficient use of several modalities by the team coach. The team coach needs coaching skills, facilitation skills, conflict management skills, training skills etc. All of these skills are not something you can learn by reading a book or in any kind of theoretical way. You can only develop them in practice, and you can get better by deliberate and reflective practice. There is no one way to coach or one way to facilitate – every coach and team coach develops their own style. Everyone struggles with different situations: one team coach might have trouble helping a team come to a clear goal, the other might shy away from mentioning potential conflicts. Therefore, after your initial training, the best way to develop your skills is by regularly working with a team coaching supervisor.
How do I choose a team coaching supervisor?
Where do you find one? That’s the easy part. *commercial break* Obviously, SolutionsAcademy has many accredited supervisor, but you can also find accredited supervisors on the EMCC website. I would ask my potential supervisor what experience they have coaching teams, what supervision style or model they are using. And I would definitely take a “trial” supervision session with them and listen to my gut feeling: Is this a person I can be open with, can I talk about what is going well and also about situations in which I feel that I messed up. Do they have an attituded of learning from mistakes and exploring rather than blaming and judging?
What happens in team coaching supervision?
Team coaching supervision can be reflection on past engagements, figuring out what went well, what could have gone better. You might explore your intentions and interactions in any given team coaching engagements. Team coaching supervision can also be a preparation for a team coaching engagement: you can share your plans with your supervisor, ask for advice (I know, radical, huh?), brainstorm together and help you go into the next engagement prepared mentally, emotionally and organizationally.
How can I make the best use of it?
Prepare! Sorry to give you work – but if you want to make the best use of your session, reflect on what you want from the session. Ask yourself: “Suppose this was the most helpful session possible, what difference would that make for my team coaching practice?”. Think about yourself, who you want to be as a team coach and how your supervisor can help you develop into who you want to become as a team coach. Be clear on what kind of supervisor you want: a mentor, a coach, an advisor, a quality assurance, someone who will give you confidence. Don’t hesitate to share this with your supervisor.
If you are interested in taking team coaching supervision, we have an offer: https://www.solutionsacademy.com/coach-training/team-coaching-supervision - or if you just want a quick chat with us come to one of our free coaching meetups and exchanges!
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