Coaching supervision is more than just a best practice—it is an essential process for professional growth, ethical integrity, and maximizing impact. Supervision provides a structured space for deep reflection, where coaches can examine their practice, navigate challenges, and refine their approach to better serve their clients.
A key framework used in coaching supervision is the Seven-Eyed Model, developed by Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet. This model takes a multi-dimensional approach to supervision, looking beyond the immediate coach-client interaction to consider broader influences, unconscious dynamics, and systemic factors.
What Is Coaching Supervision?
Coaching supervision is a collaborative and developmental process where coaches engage with an experienced supervisor to:
- Gain deeper self-awareness and identify patterns that may influence their coaching.
- Explore ethical challenges and ensure their practice aligns with professional standards.
- Understand the relational dynamics between themselves and their clients.
- Enhance their coaching effectiveness, refining interventions and techniques.
- Prevent burnout, creating a sustainable and fulfilling coaching career.
Supervision is not remedial—it is a continuous learning process that benefits both new and experienced coaches by fostering growth, resilience, and professional excellence.
The Seven-Eyed Model of Supervision
The Seven-Eyed Model, created by Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet, is one of the most widely used approaches in coaching supervision. It takes a systemic perspective, helping coaches examine their work through seven interconnected “eyes” or lenses of awareness.
Each eye provides a different viewpoint, creating a holistic approach to supervision.
- The Client: Understanding Their World
The first lens focuses on the client’s experience—their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and challenges. It explores:
- What is the client bringing to the coaching sessions?
- How do they perceive their progress?
- What emotions or resistance might be underlying their words?
By stepping into the client’s perspective, the coach can refine their approach to better align with the client’s needs and aspirations.
- The Coach’s Interventions: Examining Technique & Approach
Here, the focus shifts to how the coach is working with the client—their techniques, interventions, and communication style. Questions include:
- Are the coaching interventions effective?
- Is the coach using the right techniques for this particular client?
- Are there alternative approaches that could be more impactful?
By critically examining what the coach does, supervision helps refine the “how” of coaching, improving effectiveness.
- The Coach-Client Relationship: The Invisible Dance
This eye looks at the dynamics of the relationship between coach and client. It explores:
- Is there mutual trust and rapport?
- Are there signs of dependency, resistance, or unspoken tensions?
- Are unconscious biases, transference, or countertransference at play?
Often, subtle relational patterns emerge in coaching. For example, a coach might unconsciously rescue a client, or a client might seek excessive validation. By bringing these dynamics into awareness, the coach can ensure a balanced and productive relationship.
- The Coach’s Internal Process: Self-Awareness & Triggers
This lens encourages the coach to turn inward, examining their own thoughts, emotions, and reactions during coaching. It asks:
- What am I feeling during sessions, and why?
- Are my own biases or experiences shaping my coaching?
- Am I fully present, or am I being distracted by personal concerns?
Recognizing personal triggers and assumptions enhances self-awareness, allowing the coach to be more present and neutral.
- The Supervisory Relationship: A Mirror for Growth
The supervisory relationship is often a reflection of the coach-client relationship. This eye examines:
- How does the coach relate to the supervisor?
- Are any patterns repeating (e.g., defensiveness, over-reliance, avoidance)?
- What can the coach learn about themselves through their interactions in supervision?
By observing these dynamics, the coach gains valuable insights into their coaching style and relational patterns.
- The Supervisor’s Self-Reflection: The Supervisor’s Own Lens
Just as coaches must reflect on their internal processes, supervisors must also engage in self-reflection to ensure their guidance is neutral, ethical, and effective. This eye explores:
- What biases or assumptions might I (the supervisor) be bringing into this supervision session?
- Am I reacting emotionally rather than supporting the coach’s learning?
- How can I ensure I’m providing objective, non-judgmental guidance?
This layer of self-awareness ensures that supervision remains a safe and constructive space for the coach.
- The Wider System: Coaching in a Global Context
This final lens shifts the focus outward to consider the broader context that affects both the coach and the client. It explores:
- How do societal, cultural, or economic factors shape the coaching experience?
- What role does the organization, family, or community play in the client’s challenges?
- How does coaching relate to the sustainability of the planet?
Coaching does not happen in isolation—it takes place within the larger system of life on Earth. At Masterful Me, we recognize that our work as coaches is interconnected with the sustainability of our planet. The choices we make, the conversations we hold, and the leaders we support all contribute to shaping a world that is either more or less sustainable for future generations.
This lens invites us to reflect on:
- How can coaching support more sustainable leadership and decision-making?
- Are we fostering awareness of long-term sustainability in the way individuals, teams, and organizations operate?
- How can coaching contribute to a more responsible, conscious, and sustainable society?
By considering environmental, social, and economic sustainability, coaching supervision takes on a wider ethical responsibility, ensuring that coaching is not just about individual growth but also about creating a better world for all.
Supervision at Masterful Me
At Masterful Me, we believe that great coaches never stop growing, and that coaching should be aligned with a broader vision of sustainability and responsibility. Our supervision programs, based on the Seven-Eyed Model, offer structured, insightful sessions that support:
- Individual Supervision – One-on-one deep dives into your coaching practice.
- Group Supervision – Peer learning, shared reflections, and diverse perspectives.
If you’re ready to refine your coaching and take your practice to the next level, contact us to learn more about our coaching supervision sessions.
