This series of columns is curated by the Association of Coaching Supervisors (AoCS).
This issue: How coaching supervision can be a valuable resource for HR professionals, by Doug Montgomery and Liz Nottingham
Many are attracted into a career in human resources (HR) to be in service of people: helping others to resource themselves, solving problems, offering expertise and advice.
In practice, HR professionals have their attention drawn in myriad dimensions – from the shop floor to C-Suite and regularly responding to major life events such as sickness, bereavement, stress and relationship challenges alongside an informed contribution to, and implementation of, strategic business imperatives.
HR professionals can also be considered the ‘conscience’ of the company: thinking through the ethical dilemmas inherent in balancing high-level objectives with individual working lives.
The HR director, alongside the CEO, often has a lonely and isolated position. They’re both company confidants and privy to multiple layers of classified knowledge within the business, attending to data that’s complicated, confusing and contradictory – navigating multiple simultaneous relationships with line managers, leadership teams, executive boards and individuals.
In situations where complexity and stress become ‘everyday’, we can become desensitised to the impact of this sustained pressure on our human body and mind – immensely intricate, carefully balanced physiological and psychological systems.
At times, we might wonder, what’s the cost of being continually ‘in service’ to multiple stakeholders?
One support framework might be an ongoing continuous learning plan. However, there’s not always an obvious path for the HR professional. Industry-specific professional qualifications support employment legalities and important processes and procedures, but depending on numerous factors, there may be a comprehensive array of CPD opportunities or very little in place to support the HRD’s personal growth and professional development ‘outside the box’.
How might we support HR professionals to develop a plan of self-resourcing so they might continue to attend effectively to others in this highly pressurised environment?
Other professionals who hold complexity and a high volume of emotional content, such as counsellors, social workers and coaches, draw on supervision to support professional work, development and perhaps most importantly at this time, their restoration and wellbeing. Coaching supervision can be available to HRDs through coaching supervisors with expertise and knowledge of the special challenges faced by this senior group.
How does supervision work?
Let’s take the definition of supervision as “a working alliance between two professionals where supervisees offer an account of their work, reflect on it, receive feedback, and receive guidance if appropriate. The object of this alliance is to enable the worker to gain in ethical competency, confidence and creativity as to give the best possible services to clients” (Inskipp & Proctor, 2001).
Working either in groups or in a one-to-one relationship, supervision provides a safe and non-judgemental space for the HRD supervisee to reflect on what’s happened – meetings, decisions, relationships. Supervisees may explore what they did, and why and how they did it, sharing any doubts, concerns and anxieties.
Coaching supervision is also a place to prepare for the future – even when it’s as unpredictable as it is currently. Supervisees (HRDs) can confidentially explore ethical aspects, personal values, thoughts and feelings associated with up-and-coming meetings, directives and policy – enabling them to find alignment in difficult situations, or more clearly identify areas of conflict and avenues of resolution.
As the supervision relationship grows, this can be expected to impact positively on HRDs’ relationships, decision-making and well-being.
Coaching supervision is a low-cost investment with very significant potential for HRDs – in preventing burn-out, gaining broader and deeper clarity in thinking and enabling more effective action… and more. As part of an ongoing self-resourcing plan, supervision for HR professionals might be considered essential in these turbulent times.
- Dr Doug Montgomery, PCC, is an accredited coach supervisor, executive coach, former research scientist and senior leader in the pharmaceutical industry
- Email: Doug@Elmbank-Coaching.co.uk
- AoCS profile: http://bit.ly/38bD6P9
- Liz Nottingham is an FIPA accredited coach supervisor, executive coach and former HRD.
Email: liz.notts15@gmail.com
Peter Welch comments
We’re aware that some companies offer a lot of development opportunities to HR professionals – access internally to their peers, employee assistance programmes; externally, including access to their CIPD peer branch, CIPD webinars, maybe a mentor, external professional networks.
I was reminded when reading this article of the role a coach supervisor can play as a ‘thinking partner’. Developed by author Nancy Kline, a thinking partnership offers a step-by-step process for liberating the mind to think for itself with clarity, originality and purpose. I think we’d all like some of that!
- Editorial support from Jo Birch, FRSA, accredited coaching supervisor, executive coach and psychotherapist. Jo currently leads coaching supervision training programmes in English and Russian: jo@jobirch.co.uk
- She is an AoCS Board Member: https://bit.ly/37fDMCD
- Peter Welch supervises coaches individually and in groups, both virtually and face to face.
- Read his AoCS profile here: http://bit.ly/2OFOXfA
References
- F Inskipp and B Proctor, Making the Most of Supervision. Part 1. Cascade, 2001
- N Kline, Time to Think, 1999 www.octopusbooks.co.uk
Find out more
The AoCS is an international community of coach supervisors and source of good practice.
AoCS welcomes new members, including HR, OD, L&D, Coaches and Mentors who wish to learn more about how coaching supervision can support them and their initiatives at work.
Organisations seeking to appoint external coach supervisors to support their internal coaches can visit the AoCS website to search for experienced, qualified and mostly accredited coach supervisors, by country, location, experience, language, etc. Their credentials, references, indemnity insurance have all been checked. A range of qualified and experienced coach supervisors can be found easily by searching here: www.associationofcoachingsupervisors.com/supervisors/search