What to Expect in Your First Year as a Coaching Supervisor: 7 Steps For Steady Progress

Starting your journey as a coaching supervisor can feel both exciting and daunting.

You’ve moved from being a coach to becoming the coach behind the coach, responsible for supporting the growth and professional development of other coaches.

The first year in this role is pivotal, shaping your identity as a supervisor and laying the foundations for a sustainable, rewarding practice.

But, full of enthusiasm as you may be, this can be a challenging time.  As you seek to achieve some level of consistency it can be challenging to face the knock back of prospective clients or the sense of not being fully-developed as a coaching supervisor.

So in this article, I’ll share 7 key steps to help you navigate your first year in style!

1. Establishing Your Identity as a Coaching Supervisor

Your first year as a coaching supervisor is all about discovering who you are in this new role.

It’s essential to define your unique supervisory style and build trust with the coaches you work with.

As a new supervisor, you may encounter feelings of self-doubt or imposter syndrome—this is normal. Take the time to reflect on what you bring to the table as a supervisor.

One thing we can say about you as a coaching supervisor: you have fantastic experience of coaching! That’s why you’re a supervisor.  Don’t forget that. Sure, supervision is different from coaching but, ultimately, the coach is working with you, not some abstract concept called a supervisor.  Remember that you are enough.

Think about the core values you want to uphold and how your previous coaching experience influences your approach.

Authenticity is key here; the more aligned you are with your strengths and beliefs, the easier it will be to establish credibility with your supervisees.

2. Attract Your First Supervision Clients

One of the most common concerns for a new coaching supervisor is, “How do I find clients?”

It can feel like a chicken-and-egg situation—you need clients to gain experience, but clients may prefer experienced supervisors.

Here are some strategies to get started:

• Leverage Your Coaching Network: Reach out to past coaching colleagues who might benefit from supervision. Your established reputation as a coach can help transition relationships into supervisory ones.
• Contact Your Coaching Educators: Why not contact the school where you trained as a coach, or perhaps somewhere you undertook coaching CPD? Perhaps they will have an opportunity for you to coach their new students or alumni.
• Showcase Your Unique Value: Focus on what makes you different. Perhaps it’s your specific experience in certain industries, or a niche coaching skillset that sets you apart from more experienced supervisors. For instance, if you have coached extensively in the financial sector, this will make you more attractive as a supervisor to other coaches in that sector.
• Overcome the ‘Experience Barrier’: While you may not have years of supervisory experience, highlight your coaching credentials, your understanding of supervision models, and your fresh, current perspective. Many coaches are looking for supervisors who are up-to-date with the latest developments in the field.
• Include Your Supervision Service on Your Website: I’ve noticed many supervisors worry about how they are going to integrate their new supervision work with their coaching since the client base is likely to be different.  There’s no one way to go about this but unless there is a compelling reason not to, then go ahead and add your supervision service to your website and any other public facing sites like social media.
• Build Visibility: Write articles, offer free workshops, or create content on social media to demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself as a credible coaching supervisor. Give talks and makes videos to share on social media.
• Engage with Coaching Bodies: Many coaches seek supervision through professional bodies. Joining these networks and getting listed as a supervisor can help you reach potential clients.
• Price Accordingly: This is my least favourite option as it can be a slippery slope, but maybe you need to adjust your fees at the start whilst you get established.

3. Continue Building Supervisory Skills

As you step into your role as a coaching supervisor, remember that learning doesn’t stop when you qualify.

Developing your supervisory skills will be an ongoing process.

In particular, some of the newer skills from coaching supervision include:

• Providing Constructive Feedback: It’s important to provide feedback that is both supportive and developmental, helping coaches to see their blind spots and grow.
• Identifying and Navigating Ethical Dilemmas: Supervisors and coaches often face complex ethical issues and it is the role of the supervisor to explore these, and not shirk from what can be an uncomfortable conversation.
• Developing Your Authoritative Muscle: Remembering Heron’s facilitative versus authoritative interventions, we know that most new supervisors err on the side of facilitation. Make sure to stretch yourself and step into your authority when it’s needed.

Keep learning and seek opportunities for professional development, such as attending supervision courses or engaging in your own supervision with a more experienced coaching supervisor.

4. Continue Your Reflective Practice

Confidence in supervision builds over time, but one of the best ways to accelerate your growth is through reflective practice.

Here are some suggestions:

• Supervision of Supervision: Just as coaches benefit from supervision, supervisors benefit from being supervised by a more experienced practitioner. This not only supports your professional growth but helps you navigate challenges in your practice.
• Peer Support Networks: Build connections with other supervisors—peer support can provide a sounding board, helping each other process challenging experiences and celebrate successes.
• Reflection vs. Rumination: It’s easy to get stuck in self-doubt when things don’t go perfectly. Reflect on experiences, but don’t dwell excessively on perceived mistakes—view them as learning opportunities.

5. Navigate the Practicalities of Supervision

Setting up and managing a supervision practice comes with its own set of challenges.

In your first year, you’ll need to balance the demands of your new role with practical considerations:

• Time Management: Whether you’re combining supervision with your existing coaching practice or other commitments, managing your time effectively will be key.  Use your preferred time management approach and ensure that you factor in this new demand on your time. There are still only 24 hours in a day!
• Boundaries: It’s important to set clear boundaries with your supervisees regarding availability, session times, and expectations outside of supervision hours.
• Administration: Don’t overlook the administrative side of supervision, including contracts, invoicing, and maintaining records. You will want to be able to separate out the supervision from coaching to see how each service is doing.

6. Overcoming Emotional Challenges

Every new coaching supervisor faces emotional challenges.

You may encounter uncertainty, difficult feedback, or even feelings of isolation.

Here are some tips to help you through:

• Dealing with Uncertainty: You won’t always have all the answers, and that’s okay. Embrace uncertainty as a part of the learning process but also remember your support networks and supervision of supervision.
• Handling Supervisee Resistance: Sometimes, supervisees may resist feedback or find it difficult to engage. Stay patient and work through the resistance with curiosity.
• Coping with Isolation: Supervision can sometimes feel isolating. Seek peer support from other supervisors, attend supervision groups, or join professional bodies to stay connected.
• Frustration At Lack of Clients: Just like when you became a coach, there is rarely a queue of clients waiting for you to qualify.  It can be a slow journey but persevere. Set some small goals such as one client per month, or paying off your course fee in the first year through supervision fees.  Such wins can be very motivating.
• Imposter Syndrome: It’s very common for even the most experienced coaches to be thrown into self-doubt when they become a coaching supervisor. Again, seek peer support and supervision and just remember that confidence comes with time and experience.

7. Looking Ahead: Building a Sustainable Practice

As you work through your first year, you are sure to grow in confidence, gradually gaining clients and finding your style as a coaching supervisor.

Now is the time to look ahead and start shaping your vision for a sustainable supervision practice.

• Create a Vision: What do you want your supervisory practice to look like in the long term? Define your goals for the future.
• Set Goals: Set both short-term and long-term goals to continue developing as a supervisor, from expanding your client base to deepening your skills.
• Prepare for Year Two: Reflect on what you’ve learned and identify areas for growth, ensuring your second year builds on the foundation you’ve laid.

Conclusion

Your first year as a coaching supervisor is a journey of discovery, learning, and growth.

You’ll face challenges, but with reflection, resilience, and a commitment to continuous development, you’ll emerge with a solid foundation for your supervision practice.

Keep building your confidence, stay curious, and remember that every challenge is an opportunity for growth.

Finally, as you move forward, embrace the process and trust in your ability to thrive as a coaching supervisor.