We are pleased to share an article entitled “From Race-Avoidant to Anti-Racist ~ Educating racially competent coaches” written by Julia Chinyere Oparah.
In 2020, the International Coaching Federation released a “Statement Condemning Racism and Systemic Inequality” in response to anti-Black violence. This statement invited coaches to consider how they might “dismantle inequality, be better allies, and drive meaningful and lasting change.”
Four years later, amidst a backlash against DEI and high profile attacks on Black leaders, it is more important than ever for coaches to have the tools to challenge racism and support Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) clients who are navigating microaggressions and discrimination.
This article provides a starting point for coaching educators who want to engage deeply and thoughtfully with racism. It is informed by my experience founding the Center for Liberated Leadership – an organization that connects and resources BIPOC and equity oriented leaders – and by the wisdom and insights of fellow coaches who were generous enough to complete a survey about this topic.
Tasha (not her real name) is a seasoned academic leader who has served in several senior leadership positions over the past decade and a half. Her resumé is impressive, featuring a record of scholarly publication, significant fundraising and a long list of successful DEI initiatives. Yet, when I met her, her hunched body language and low energy communicated something that it took me a moment to put my finger on: it was defeat. How had this enormously accomplished individual lost her sense of efficacy and capability?
As our first session progressed, Tasha shared her painful story with me, hesitantly at first and then with increasing urgency and relief as she got it off her chest. Her first year in a high-stakes role had been replete with microaggressions, gaslighting and suggestions that she was not making an effort to fit in. Her requests for concrete, actionable feedback were met with avoidance, and ultimately, she was called in and told that she was being removed from her position.
Tasha was struggling to regain her confidence, heal from workplace racial trauma and re-imagine her career following this setback. She needed a coach who deeply understood the toxic aftermath of misogynoir – the uniquely gendered form of racism that targets Black women leaders– a coach who could hold space for her to process her trauma with compassion and steadfastness, but also hold her accountable to her most fearless dreams.
How are coaching education programs preparing coaches to meet the needs of clients like Tasha, who navigate misogynoir? As you read this article, I invite you to engage in inquiry and reflection about the coaching education you received – or, if you are an educator, the preparation that you are providing your coaches.
Many coaching education programs take a race-avoidant approach, choosing to train “great coaches” who are able to ask powerful questions, listen deeply and challenge their clients without naming the race of the coach or client. Yet when coaches are not given opportunities to unpack their own privilege and blind spots, or to understand the structural and interpersonal context that BIPOC clients inhabit, there is a risk that they will replicate inequitable relationships where BIPOC clients are unable to be authentic.
There is also a risk that they will collude with the racial rationalizations of a white client who is unable to see their part in tense relationships with BIPOC direct reports or other stakeholders.
As coaches, we are aware of the limiting beliefs that get in the way of our clients reaching their potential. Coach educators may also have limiting beliefs that prevent them from engaging adequately with race and racism. Here are some of the most common, with a reframe beneath each one.
LIMITING BELIEF: “Our program adheres to International Coaching Federation (ICF) competencies, which do not require programs to engage explicitly with race and racism.”
REFRAME: ICF competencies require coaches to “understand the client within their context which may include their identity.” Experiences of racial discrimination and intersecting oppressions are central to our clients context and coaches must have an awareness and understanding of that context in order to effectively support clients.
LIMITING BELIEF: “Our program does not take a stance on political issues; anti-racism is a contested topic that would distract from our core content and be off-putting for prospective students.”
REFRAME: Effective coaches do not shy away from difficult or taboo topics (see choice edition #V22N1, March 2024). Coach education programs need to model a courageous engagement with difficult subject matter including racism and white privilege.
LIMITING BELIEF: “Our program teaches coaches to allow the client to lead. If race is important to them, they will bring it up. No special training is required because coaches do not need to know the story or context in order to coach effectively.”
REFRAME: BIPOC clients who succeed in predominantly white contexts have learned to navigate white fragility by avoiding topics that may create discomfort for white colleagues. If this pattern is not interrupted by a coach trained to disrupt white fragility and racial accommodationism, it will likely be replicated in an engagement between a BIPOC client and white coach.
LIMITING BELIEF: “Our program does not focus on anti-racism but on other skills and specialties. If Black clients want to work on race issues, they can go to Black coaches who have that specialty.”
REFRAME #1: Some BIPOC clients do opt to work only with same-race coaches. However Black clients should not have to choose between racial/cultural competence and other characteristics that may attract them to a coach.
REFRAME #2: All clients, including white clients, inhabit contexts shaped by race and may need their coach to assist them in addressing how privilege and racism show up in their context, even if that is not the initial reason that they pursue coaching.
LIMITING BELIEF: “Our program follows ICF ethics, which make clear the distinction between coaching and therapy. Addressing racial trauma is outside the scope of coaching and should be taken to a qualified therapist.”
REFRAME: Just as coaches work with clients to shift patterns of behavior that originate in childhood coping strategies, coaches need to be able to help the client work through their experiences of racism and the survival strategies that they have adopted that may no longer serve them. In keeping with coaching’s focus on the present and future, the coach can partner with the client to better understand how racial trauma impacts their present day experience, to integrate triggering present-day experiences and develop a path forward.
LIMITING BELIEF: “We don’t have the expertise to address this sensitive content and don’t want to do it wrong.”
REFRAME: Education programs can and should bring in expertise from BIPOC coaches and educators to help transform their programs. So what can coaching educators do?
Here are some starting points:
- Prioritize the expertise and experience of Black and BIPOC coach educators – Many coaching education programs were founded by white coaches and lack diversity. Black and BIPOC coach educators can share experiences and provide a safe space for BIPOC participants to share their experiences. Welcome Black educators as thought-partners who can help transform your program. Compensate them for this intellectual labor.
- Discuss the impact of race in the coaching engagement – Encourage non-BIPOC coaches to explore how they will create psychological safety for BIPOC clients and think through when they will refer a client to a culturally and racially competent BIPOC coach.
- Give participants the tools to disrupt their own and their clients’ white fragility – Ensure that coaches have unpacked their own anxiety about discussing racism so they do not inadvertently send signals that it makes them uncomfortable. Strengthen coaches’ racial stamina for difficult conversations about race through peer coaching. Provide readings on white fragility, white allyship and anti-racism.
- Challenge racism – Provide learning opportunities to equip coaches with tools to challenge subtle and explicit racist statements by their clients, and to identify common beliefs that may lead to microaggressions and discrimination against BIPOC employees.
- Build knowledge of the cultural and structural context of Black lives – While African Americans are steeped in white history and culture, many white people are only recently becoming aware of how race and racism shape Black lives. Provide a supplemental film and reading list for your students, starting with the resources at the end of this article.
- Provide coaches with tools for managing secondary racial trauma – Make sure that coaches who will work with clients who have experienced racial trauma and discrimination understand what vicarious/secondary trauma is and how to resource themselves when working with clients.
This is not a complete list, but should provide a useful starting point. What comes up for you when you consider the invitation to shift your coaching program from race-avoidant to anti-racist? What next steps will you take?
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