By Laura Stephens Reed
In the clergy groups to which I belong, questions about how to supervise staff come up often. Most of us weren’t taught during seminary how to do it. And while our work environment is a professional one, pastors want to embody church in all our modes of leadership. That means we can’t just get supervision tips wholesale from the secular business world.
That’s why a coaching approach to supervision can be a great resource. Coaching offers a theologically-sound dynamic of power with others and the ability to work together toward the church’s vision. It promotes increased understanding of self and others, making good communication, enabling deepened relationships, making collaboration, supervisee growth, and mutual encouragement and accountability more possible. It contributes to a shared mission in which each staff member claims a distinct, motivating role, helping everyone feel supported and ready to bring gifts, ideas and energy to their work. And it ensures that employees know what they need and have those resources needed in order to do their jobs well, giving staff ownership of and confidence in their work.
Here’s are some steps toward taking a coach approach to supervising:
Consider how you want to show up as a supervisor. What is your authentic leadership style, and how do you embody it? Often supervision feels forced to us if we’ve not seen it modeled in a way we want to emulate or if we’ve never done it ourselves. While we will have to lean into discomfort at times because of the responsibility we bear as pastors, much of the time we can work with supervisees in ways that honor our unique strengths and personalities.
Arrange your meeting space. The choice and arrangement of physical space says more than we might think about how we’re approaching a supervision conversation. If the discussion is taking place across the desk in our office, that conveys our power and authority. If we talk face-to-face or side-by-side without a physical barrier or on the supervisee’s/neutral turf, we communicate the desire for openness and an invitation to collaboration.
Agree on the focus of supervisory conversations. Nothing makes a supervisee more nervous than not knowing what direction a check-in with the supervisor will take, and that anxiety could very well hinder fruitful discussion. Before or at the beginning of those meetings, we can share what we want to talk about and what our hoped-for outcomes are and also give space for supervisees to name what it would be helpful for them to put on the table for conversation.
Decide what is coachable and what is non-negotiable. In pure coaching, the one being coached has full say over the agenda of conversations and their outcomes. In supervision, though, we as pastors hold a bigger picture – the mission and vision of the congregation – to which we are responsible. Coachable aspects are ones in which supervisees have the freedom to make choices about what they do and/or how they do it. There will be some parts of a supervisee’s work, though, that aren’t up for debate. As supervisors we must know which is which so that we give as much room for agency and growth without making some pieces of the job seem malleable when they actually are not.
Get curious. A little bit of genuine wondering can go a long way toward understanding supervisees and their situations, making employees feel valued,and giving us as supervisors essential information that we can use to make everyone’s work easier, better resourced, and/or more life-giving. Questions about the logistics of a supervisee’s circumstances and responsibilities are good, as are queries about employee’s deeply-held values, the ways he or she wants to be able to show up in their role, and his or her hopes for professional development.
Listen with your ears, eyes and heart. Words convey meaning. So do body language, tone of voice and changes in the pacing of speech. Don’t be afraid to ask about any of these modes of communication. “I notice that you are using the word [x] a lot. What does that word mean for you?” “It seemed to bring up some emotion for you when you talked about that. Do you feel comfortable sharing what is going on in you right now?” “You said that you’re okay with doing [y], but you crossed your arms and leaned back as you said it. That makes me wonder what you’re thinking about this.”
Work together on clear action plans. Powerful supervision conversations end with both parties knowing what steps will be taken (by one or both people), when, and with what support and accountability. Coaching this part of supervision meetings involves both supervisor and supervisee contributing options with an eye toward a way forward that both meets the employee’s needs and fits well into the larger picture of the staff and congregation.
Navigate dual roles with intentionality. This is perhaps the trickiest part of supervising in a church context. Some of the people on our staffs might be church members, meaning we are both their supervisor and their pastor. That reality requires thoughtfulness and clear communication on our part: “Supervision is about how we’re working together to fulfill our vocation as a congregation. Pastoral care is making you and your joys and challenges the primary focus of a conversation. Know that I care about you always, and right now I have on my supervisor hat.” Even so, it might still be hard sometimes to know what role to inhabit. It’s okay to name that struggle aloud and, if you deem it appropriate, to ask supervisees what they need from you in the moment.
Supervision, like coaching and pastoring, is more art than science. Consider what the suggestions above might look like in your context and craft your own approach. And as you do for all your pastoral work, ground yourself in God and delight in what the Holy Spirit might do through both your planning and your willingness to dance in the moment.