We are pleased to share an article entitled “Coaching Supervision & Social Justice ~ The intersection and the advantage” written by DeBorah “Sunni” Smith.
With its emerging intentions and potential impacts, defining coaching supervision and its methodologies is as complex as defining social justice. This article will define both concepts at the point where they not only intersect, but also complement and advance each other’s goals. Coaching supervision can enhance the journey toward social justice through awareness, reflection and transformation, while building the capacity of coaches to effectively serve.
Let’s begin this exploration by establishing some working terminology. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching supervision as a collaborative learning practice to continually build the capacity of the coach through reflective dialogue for the benefit of both coaches and clients. And the European Coaching and Mentoring Council (EMCC Global) indicates that it is a safe space for reflective dialogue with a practicing supervisor, sup- porting the supervisee’s practice development and well-being.
Other prominent coaching organizations like the Institute for Coaching Studies, the Association for Coaching and the International Center for Coaching Supervision generally espouse similar understandings. The common denominator appears to be that coaching supervision provides a “safe space” for reflective dialogue that supports the development of a coach’s professional practice.
A working definition of social justice presents a much more challenging task because various definitions depend on the context and discipline. For instance, social justice is defined differently in the context of social work, psychology, education, nursing, philanthropy, etc.
The San Diego Justice Foundation has sourced the various professional definitions into a definitive phrase: “Social justice means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all.”
So how can we qualify social justice coaching? “Social justice coaching aims to support leaders and activists to integrate the systemic power dynamics they experience in their journey towards personal transformation so that they can achieve balance, well-being and fulfillment,” says Shamillah Wilson.
In 2024, as a certified coaching supervisor and woman of color, I joined the Coaching for Social Justice program (CSJ) as a facilitator of small groups of coaches, convening monthly for the purpose of exploring coaching work through, in and around a self-determining and confidential lens reflecting difference, equity, inclusion, justice, belonging and yes, diversity.
I place “difference” first and “diversity” last in this list of lenses because the former has been overlooked as much as the latter has been distorted and taken out of context. Each lens can be analogized to the flexible lens in the physical eye or the ocular prescription glass that bends light entering the eye, changing shape to accommodate objects at varied distances.
I invite you to think of this analogy within an even broader metaphor: Our society has needed corrective lenses for centuries.
In the U.S., the murder of a Black man named George Floyd by a white police officer in 2020 is cited as one of the reasons for the CSJ program’s creation. And George Floyd’s demise is not unlike other pivotal points in the history of social injustices, including police harassment and the criminalization of homosexuality culminating in the Stonewall Inn Raid; racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans leading to the Civil Rights Movement; the Nazis’ plan to exterminate the Jewish people culminating in the Never Again Movement; the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa; the Palestinian struggle that resulted in the Anti-Occupation movement; and discrimination against Native Americans that led to the Trail of Tears.
There are infinite reasons why coaches might be compelled to focus on social justice in coaching supervision – one being that many of the derivative issues, although historical, are also unfortunately contemporary. As a society, over time our vision has become increasingly nearsighted, farsighted, or subject to a myriad of other refractive errors that are in dire need of correction.
I propose that coaching supervision, and specifically group coach supervision, can offer access to various corrective monocles that assist coaches in facilitating greater clarity for reflections around ethical, controversial, and challenging topics.
One example of a tool that is present, practiced and perfected in group coaching supervision (GCSV) is helping the group distinguish between dialogue/discussion and debate. In my group supervision sessions, we delve into the importance of establishing ongoing, co-creative and fully agreed-upon session guidelines to help us understand how the essence of a “debate” means there is a winner and a loser.
The very nature of a zero-sum game implies hyper-vigilance when it comes to polarizing points of view. In contrast, emphasizing dialogue and discussion offers a win-win proposition. In GCSV, coaches can develop tools that utilize these distinctions as outcome-determinative key performance indicators in their coaching work with individuals, groups, and teams.
Principles of equity, inclusion and valued difference are fundamental to coaching supervision, in that the coaching supervisor walks shoulder-to-shoulder with the coach throughout the supervision experience. Supervision dispels the either explicit or implicit hierarchy that exists in so many traditional coaching approaches.
Peter Hawkins and David Clutterbuck, well-known pioneers in coaching supervision, speak to aspects that set this coaching modality apart from other supervision practices:
- “The supervisor in coaching supervision works as a facilitator of learning, rather than as an expert who gives solutions. The relationship is collaborative, not hierarchical.”
- “Coaching supervision is a partnership between the coach and the supervisor in which the supervisor facilitates the coach’s learning and growth, rather than acting as a superior or evaluator.”
Another way coaching supervision and social justice intersect and complement each other lies in the emphasis on reflection and introspection. As noted earlier, GCSV relies heavily on reflective practice, and it serves to enlarge its impact through the interaction of group dynamics.
When multiple coaches simultaneously examine and discover their coaching challenges, experiences, and aspirations, the greater the empathy, the more diverse the perspectives, and the richer the “feed-forward.” This is especially true when the reflective activity is framed in a container established for that purpose and guided by a coaching supervisor who is trained to hold and nurture that dynamic space.
Along the same frequency, social justice advocacy requires a deep, intense commitment to change. Those of us who participate in activities that reflect a value and commitment to a certain cause often are said to be “walking the talk.” For social justice advocates, the reflective practice appears to be grounded in organizing, accomplishing, or “doing” and having an impact.
However, the social justice paradigm may be more effective if advocates focus on “walking the talk” (spending time in reflection and initially just “being”). This is where the marriage of coaching supervision and social justice can have profound effects. GCSV provides structure and process, while social justice brings purpose and passion. Group coaches can refine their professional coaching skills by taking on demanding tasks while sharing the responsibility for making systemic change.
One example of this complementary relationship is reflected in a methodology developed to provide options for managing discomfort when engaging in dialogue around challenging or polarizing topics during GCSV. Using the Discomfort to Comfort Continuum allows group participants to utilize somatic awareness to holistically identify their feelings and elect whether to transform reactions into responses when they are emotionally triggered.
Consider the possible use of such an instrument in the reflective process, thereby transforming disenfranchising debate into constructive dialogue. The possibilities are broad. Think about how cross-purpose communication could cultivate more meaningful relationships and how stagnating systems could morph into organizations that embrace sustainable change.
Living at the intersection of social equity and courageous coaching allows us unique, imaginative ways to address intractable problems if we can remain curious and non-judgmental. Embracing our truths lightly and remaining accountable for the impact of our actions allows us to co-create solutions that keep everyone whole.
GCSV that is focused on social justice issues is coaching innovation at its best. It’s what I refer to as the “ROI of Group Coaching Supervision,” but in this case, ROI stands for Resilient Operational Integrity – a very different and necessary form of return on investment.
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