Words of Wisdom:
By Yvonne Thackray
“Ethics 101” is how one of my peers thought after reading this piece. “It is thought-provoking and inspiring for us to think back to. And I like the idea of not providing exact answers but being open for a coach to think about it. We are transforming, not transacting.” For this quarter’s WoW, I thought revisiting ethics might be helpful to us as coaches as we continue integrating new tools, models, and processes into our practice. There is much to explore regarding coaching ethics, and it might be interesting to share a professional anecdote from my practice of one of the ways coaches bring up ethics.
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A coaching peer with nearly two decades of experience in leadership development, a doctorate, and a therapist recently approached me with an ethical dilemma. The situation involved another coach raised in their corporate-sponsored programme, and it was clear to them that this should not be happening. With their permission from our email exchange, I am sharing their question and my response to their puzzle.
The Challenge: Participants were provided coaching in a leadership training course, and during a one-on-one session, the coach discovered that their client was also receiving coaching elsewhere from the same person who was coaching the client’s direct manager. This situation raised concerns about a potential hidden agenda behind the coaching, especially given their observations and experiences working with this organisation. The complexity of this situation was evident when they asked me, out of the blue, “Would you kindly enlighten me on the following: Is this not unethical in terms of conflict of interest? I checked the code of ethics, and in my mind, it is -Here is the link (number 10) https://coachingfederation.org/ethics/code-of-ethics. In therapy, it certainly would be…“
My response:
It’s lovely to hear from you, and thank you for reaching out to ask about this—I’m both honoured and surprised. Your question about your ethical challenge is essential and a testament to your commitment to ethical coaching practices. There is a clear distinction between right and wrong practices in coaching, but the situation isn’t always black and white. The ICF Coaching Code of Ethics, especially guideline 10, “Am sensitive to the implications of having multiple contracts and relationships with the same Client(s) and Sponsor(s) at the same time in order to avoid conflict of interest situations“, emphasises that coaches must take responsibility for their actions. Some coaches may only engage in independent contracts to avoid these conflicts, while others choose to manage multiple contracts effectively. In these cases, coaches should establish clear guidelines for transparency with all stakeholders and prioritise ethics over commercial interests.
To expand on what I mean, and if you’re interested…
What I mean here is that a coach should have the capacity and competency to manage multiple contracts and relationships as long as they can preserve strong boundary management and confidentiality agreements, which doesn’t impact the quality of coaching the coach will be providing independently to each of their clients, regardless of the relationship between the two and when they are with the sponsor behave as the representative of the overall coaching programme and not just as a coach. At the same time, the coach needs to stay alert and diligent and ensure they haven’t gone beyond their abilities and strayed out of their boundaries, and they keep their practice in check through regular peer coaching/supervision or supervision.
The ability to do all of that is shaped by a coach’s intent of what they each define the purpose for coaching to be and the coaching knowledge base that supports their practice (which may not be fully rooted in psychology or solely psychology) – in how they enable their clients to find solutions to move forward to fulfil their potential (however, this is defined by the coach) which is different for therapy which has its definition and intent. Furthermore, the knowledge base for each (coaching and therapy) rests on subtly different principles, although there are more known similarities than differences.
In your situation, it’s clear that coaching a direct report whilst coaching their manager would be unethical. However, another coach might believe they can manage this conflict of interest and adhere to their ethical code, which is in direct contradiction. Still, it’s essential to consider how these actions could impact the coaching relationship and trust between the coach and client. I regret that I cannot provide a clear-cut response due to the limited information about the situation. This complexity underscores the importance of your question.
I’ve written some additional thoughts on the case itself, which I’ll share as an addendum (and can be read at the-goodcoach). If you already have the answer you’re looking for, then there is no need to continue reading. Please ignore what I share next, as I am consciously aware that I may be overstepping my boundaries of your invitation to ‘enlighten me’.
For now, I hope the perspective I have shared has been useful.
warmly, Yvonne
Afterwards, they responded, “Thank you so much for getting back and taking such care in your answer! I see your point. The wording indeed leaves things in grey areas. As you probably know, I am a therapist, so I am very sensitive to boundaries, level of involvement, transference and countertransference.” As for myself, I recognised that there aren’t as many spaces where we can have these types of ethical conversations to consider the right course of action that aligns with our personal, professional, and business conscience and examines our feelings, assumptions, and facts.
In this situation, if you were the coach/supervisor, how might you have chosen to respond?