Ethics in Coach Training
With this edition of the newsletter, we begin a series on exploring and working with different Ethical dilemmas. While there has been a great focus on ethics in coaching, there is an urgent need for coach educators and coach trainers to invest in a dialogue and shared learning around ethics and ethical dilemma(s) in coach education and coach training. The ACTO ethics committee has done extensive work on ethical aspects of coach education and training, which we will be showcasing over the next few months.
As coach trainers, we do encounter the following ethical challenges as well as polarities while fulfilling our purpose.
- Potential students also look for coaching schools that can help them get coaching work assignments or support them in setting up a flourishing coaching practise. How may one support this without promising the same as part of the recruitment process? How may this need to have a successful coaching business come in the way of rigorous training?
- Through a coaching program, the faculty often plays multiple roles such as a mentor, offering coaching supervision, training and of course coaching. What are the norms one must adopt? Is there a role separation? How must the director of coaching regulate and facilitate effectiveness of these roles? Are role boundaries and clarity on role expectations needed?
- Potential students often ask – Which coaching school should I join? How do we respond? What is our intention behind answering their questions?
- How does the coach education team apply coaching and coaching principles towards building the operating culture in the coach training school? What are we accountable and responsible for beyond delivering programs and positively impacting our students?
We invite you to explore these and other emergent ethical nuances to our work. Please do write to us and also watch out for more on this space in our upcoming newsletter.