I have seen regularly, as a coach supervisor and in my own journey, that letting go of mastery to dare to explore the unknown with clients is not a given. Being in control is more comfortable, even if it is not necessarily the most powerful! I share with you some of the elements of what I have observed.
Why explore the unknown? To bring out something new
In a coaching session, the client has often already thought of the situation he or she is about to address. Exploring the unknown will create a work space where unexpected insights will appear. This will allow the emergence of new and fully innovative paths for the client.
Avoid the temptation to work in the client's place and lock him into our reasoning
The coach's temptation, which is quite natural and which I observe regularly, is to want to help his client, to bring him/her elements of answer when we see them. Exploring the unknown means looking at the situation with the client, daring to let go of what you know as a coach. We thus avoid copying preconceived patterns on the client, on his situation and locking him into our own reasoning. We don't work in place of our client!
Working in complexity by letting go of control over content
Accompanying the client on his/her journey means daring to dive with him/her into the complexity of his situation. We can sometimes feel lost with our client and this is normal. Our role as coaches is then to let go of the control of the content (the client knows it very well) to focus on the framework of this exploration.
Adopting the posture of the anthropologist with the client's request as a heading
The anthropologist's stance allows you to follow the client's reasoning, to question his/her shadowy areas, his/her fears, to highlight his/her beliefs, to bring out his/her desires, to reveal the reflections, etc. In order to gain power, the most important element of the framework to rely on is the client's request. This allows us to focus on what is right for the client, to go through this unknown while keeping the course and to let emerge the newness that neither the client nor the coach had foreseen.
Develop your coaching posture through supervision
Daring to explore the unknown with a client sometimes requires the coach to identify and let go of old ways of functioning in order to experiment with new ones. Letting go of the known for the unknown can lead to fears. Supervision provides a safe and trusting space for coaches to experiment with new postures in order to be able to accompany their clients with confidence and effectiveness.
How do you experience the unknown with your clients?
If you too would like to develop your ability to explore the unknown with your clients and gain power, contact me to discuss your supervision needs.
Lucie Caron Bellanger
Coach supervisor - RNCP certified coach and PCC certified by ICF
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