Bringing Diversity and Inclusion into Coaching Practices

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Coaches want to help others. So it’s no wonder that there is growing interest in diversity and inclusion.

It’s important to state that coaches are not infallible to the same issues many other sectors face. Namely a denial that any issue exists, a lack of taking responsibility of the issues faced or a general reluctance to act. Fortunately, greater understanding is being built (albeit slowly).

If you’re a coach, you may be feeling overwhelmed with the subject. After all, how can a mere individual do much in the face of large systemic issues? Here are some practical ideas which will help.

what is diversity and inclusion?

Let’s start with some definitions. Diversity is about difference. In this context, it is about understanding that people come from all walks of life, and will have different experiences, physical characteristics and upbringings (to name a few). Diversity is about recognising that people are shaped by a number of different characteristics, for example, gender, class, race, sexuality, disability and many others. In the UK, there is a legal obligation against discrimination for those covered as a ‘protected characteristic‘ under the Equality Act.

Inclusion is about actively bringing people into the conversation. It is not enough just to have people who look and sound different, but it is also important to allow them to have their voices heard. Inclusion is by no means a given, and without inclusion, diversity is actually disruptive rather than a benefit.

What are the issues of diversity within the Coaching industry?

recent report conducted by Charmaine Roche and Jonathon Passmore highlights that like many other industries, coaching suffers issues of systemic racism. Although this report hones in on race, many of the conclusions I believe will be representative of issues typically faced from other protected characteristics (though with notable differences depending on the group).

Issues highlighted include suffering ‘race-based trauma’, including the idea that we are not able to talk about race, meaning many people feel silenced over a key part of their identity. This is particularly important where issues of race are active barriers to success – for example when looking for corporate coaching, black women have difficulty accessing the marketplace. There is also a gross underrepresentation of ethnic minority coaches in the public space, with many known coaches white, male.

There is no doubt more to be uncovered of where the industry needs to be improved, though the research is ongoing.

What are the challenges for coaches?

The coaches I know are conscientious individuals who are trying to make the world a better place. They are also juggling the difficulties of making a viable coaching practice through a sustainable business model.

To add diversity and inclusion into the mix can feel overwhelming. After all, it is a large, systemic issue which can feel difficult to change. Furthermore, many coaches face the same issues people in society feel around this subject. In many western countries, we feel uncomfortable asking about people’s background, or even broaching topics such as race, disabilities or sexuality. Coaches therefore have a space for learning in becoming more comfortable in dealing with these topics, whilst also learning more about them along the way.

What are the solutions?

I would like to highlight a number of different ways coaches can address diversity and inclusion. Different coaches are at different stages of their career, as such advice varies depending on what stage each coach is at.

For those that have established coaching practices, they can follow many of the points I mention in an article I wrote for small businesses on diversity and inclusion.

Small steps include looking at how your marketing is currently being used. Are you inadvertently using exclusionary language, and could this be replaced by gender neutral language? Solutions include looking at different ways to advertise, for example in local ethnic-group newspapers, or through different social media platforms to deliberately find different audiences.

You can also look at building additional programmes and/or subsidised rates for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This can help address the gap between those who have the means to pay for coaching, and those who do not. Naturally care will need to be made on how this is presented to avoid a sense of tokenism, however well-run schemes can work well to bring more diverse groups into existing programmes.

If you wanted to take a further step, you could also look at creating a new programme particularly focused around supporting under-represented groups. This can avoid the discomfort minorities can feel when being the ‘only one in the room’. Care needs to be taken here though that a different approach is taken. Some schemes which are created with noble intentions can end up tone deaf due to the lack of knowledge from the trainer. From my experience, I have gone to training led by white women that had little understanding about the issues that people of colour had faced, despite being to a group of ethnic minorities. This led to a real sense of frustration as the information given was not really addressing the real issues.

I believe there is also an opportunity for a wider re-think of how we want to work as coaches. Niching is a hotly debated topic. From a diversity perspective, niching is actively targeting one group over another. I know this works for many coaches, so I do not want to suggest that niching is an inherently bad thing. I also think that niching is a more targeted way towards fast-tracking a successful business.

Nonetheless, I believe that there is a more holistic way to present ourselves as a coach which embraces a diversity-friendly approach. The term ‘psychographics’ talks about marketing based upon traits that are more metaphysical. For example, these relate to people’s beliefs, opinions, interests and values, rather than their particular physical characteristics or demographics.

Many larger organisations hold wider values which bring a diverse organisation together. Whilst often supplemented by diversity-positive statements, this means that it does not focus about people’s individual characteristics, rather it looks at how people can be brought together based upon what they believe.

I believe that coaching practices can embrace this idea by moving away from specific niching, and instead bringing people based upon their personal values. This will open up a much richer space of people being attracted.

What do you think? Are there other ways coaches can approach the topic of diversity and inclusion?

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