I’m sometimes asked what assessments I am qualified to use as a coach. My answer is that I rarely use assessments in a coaching relationship. Not that I don’t think they are useful. They can be a great window into self-awareness, when debriefed well. But if I were to start a coaching assignment by debriefing
Tag: Power dynamics
The antidote to power-play: supervisees, it’s your turn
We addressed the actions that supervisors can take to move out of game-playing. How about the supervisee? It takes two to make a relationship work, especially if you aspire to it feeling more like a partnership that a dictatorship. Managing upwards can seem counter-cultural, but there’s a real need for both parties to take responsibility
The antidote to power-play? Supervisors, listen up
We’ve discussed how easy it is for the supervisor/supervisee relationship to be consciously or sub-consciously ambushed by power play. Even if the supervisor isn’t intentionally wielding that power, there can still be a little voice in the supervisee’s head saying that “he/she is more senior than me, therefore has the power to make or break
Games that supervisors play
Last week, we started to explore the power dynamics that can get in the way of a successful supervisor/supervisee relationships if we don’t pay attention to them. We also explored the games that supervisees play in an attempt to balance the power. Catch up here: The power dynamics of the supervisor/ee relationship Games that supervisees play to
Games that supervisees play to regain their power
Let’s talk about the games that (some) supervisees play as a way to cope with the imbalance of power. See if any of these sound familar. I know I have played one or more of these cards in my time, albeit subconsciously (I’m having a hard time admitting that I have ever done any of these
The power dynamics in supervisor/supervisee relationships
I write a lot about the power of conversation. So let’s talk about something that can get in the way of those courageous conversations . That is the power dynamic between a supervisor and supervisee. First off, there’s the power vested in the supervisor, purely because of their rank – and they can pull rank at
