Should You Avoid Bias in Coaching?

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Should you avoid bias in coaching?Should you avoid bias in coaching?

Every coach grapples with this question at some point.

The answer isn’t as straightforward as it seems.

While many might instinctively say “yes,” we explore the nuances of bias and how it can actually play a positive role in coaching.

Whether you’re an independent coach or working within a company or organization, this episode is packed with insights to help you embrace your unique coaching style while still being the best support for your clients.

Let’s get into it!

Work With Us. We may bring some bias. 

Brea Roper
Communication | Woo | Activator | Futuristic | Connectedness

If you need a Strengths Hype Girl, for yourself or your team, connect with Brea at brearoper.com. She’s ready to deliver an inspirational keynote, empowering training, or transformational workshop. If you’re looking for an expert guide to support your internal Strengths efforts, reach out today!

Lisa Cummings

Strategic | Maximizer | Positivity | Individualization | Woo

To work with Lisa, check out team workshops and retreats at the Lead Through Strengths site. For 1:1 strengths or life coaching, check out the Get Coached link. For independent coaches, trainers, and speakers, get business tools support with our Tools for Coaches membership.

Takeaways on Bias in Coaching Sessions

  • Bias Isn’t Always Bad: We often think of bias as a negative trait, but in coaching, it can actually be a powerful tool. Our personal biases—rooted in our strengths and experiences—can enhance our coaching effectiveness.For instance, if you have a strong belief in your clients’ potential, that bias can help them borrow your confidence as they work toward their goals. Embracing our biases can lead to more authentic connections with our clients.
  • Awareness of Preferences: As coaches, it’s crucial to recognize our own preferences and how they shape our coaching style.Understanding our preferences helps us create a coaching environment that aligns with our strengths while also being transparent with our clients about how we operate. This clarity can help clients determine if we’re the right fit for them.
  • The Balance Between Coaching and Expertise: Sometimes, coaches feel pressured to avoid giving direct advice, fearing it may introduce bias. However, there are moments when sharing our expertise is not only appropriate but necessary.It’s about finding the right balance—knowing when to ask powerful questions and when to provide guidance based on our knowledge and experience.

Take Action and Decide How You Want to Approach Bias in Coaching

  • Reflect on Your Biases: Take time to identify and acknowledge your own biases and preferences as a coach. Consider how these may influence your coaching style and interactions with clients.
  • Communicate Your Preferences: Clearly articulate your coaching preferences and styles to potential clients. This transparency can help clients determine if you are a good fit for their needs.
  • Balance Coaching and Expertise: Recognize when to lean into your expertise and provide direct advice versus when to facilitate a coaching conversation.
  • Leverage Positive Bias: Use your positive biases, such as belief in your clients’ potential or your focus on strengths, to support and encourage them. Allow clients to borrow your belief in their capabilities to help them progress.
  • Embrace Differences as Strengths: Foster an environment where diverse perspectives and biases are seen as advantages. Encourage open discussions about biases within teams to enhance collaboration and understanding.

AI-Generated Transcript for Podcast Episode 166: Should You Avoid Bias in Coaching?

Lisa: Hi, I’m Lisa.

Brea: And I’m Brea.

Lisa: And today’s topic is all for coaches. And it’s this question: Should you avoid bias in coaching? What say you, Brea?

Brea: Well, this sounds like it’s going to be a juicy topic. That’s what I say. I think it’s not so clear black or white this time. I feel like there’s a lot of gray here.

Lisa: Right. And I think people will be listening. You tell us, listeners—did you say, “I don’t even know if I want to listen to this one because, of course, the answer is yes, I should avoid it?” I don’t even need to listen. Skip.

Brea: Yeah. I mean, that was my first thought. Like, well, of course, you should. That’s my, you know, what all of the gold-star coaching programs are going to tell you.

Lisa: Yeah, I feel like you get the message both ways. You should avoid bias in coaching, and you should avoid bias in all areas of life altogether. And I think a good discussion is warranted. Why don’t we start with where bias would be bad?

Whether you have an independent coaching practice or you’re an internal coach in a workplace, I have two things that feel like bias that you should be on watch for. One, I have an agenda for you. I want you to own your own business, not stay in corporate. I want you to have bigger goals for your revenue.

I want you—those are my wants, not yours. That could bring a huge bias. So having an agenda for you could be a warning sign where you really should avoid that bias in coaching. The other is when my preferences blind me as a coach.

Brea: I’d like to talk more about that. Sometimes, as an independent coach with my own business practice, where I’m the business owner and I’ve got a business model and a strategy to make a profit, my preferences play into that big picture. That’s very different from being an internal coach at a company where my only job is to show up for 30 minutes and coach. So maybe we could talk about preferences a little more.

Lisa: That’s an example. Say I’m your customer and I come to your coaching business, and you have some preference. Give us an example of what that actually sounds like. I think with this idea of avoiding bias, we’re going to get people caught up in semantics.

Brea: Yeah. Everything from how many coaching calls I want to do in a day, a week, or a month, to how long I want them to be. Do I want video? If so, is there a certain platform that is easier for me?

I strongly prefer Zoom over things like Teams or Google Meet. Just because I’ve been using Zoom for as long as I’ve had my business—almost eight years. So, I’m very familiar with Zoom. That’s a functional bias of ease of use.

Lisa: Yeah, they create clarity for you. And something that’s simple and practical can be an area that allows the customer to decide if you’re a good fit for them. You could think of putting out biases to the world like an exercise in saying, “Here’s how I show up best.” If these are a good match for you, we’re getting off to a great start.

Brea: Yep, that’s right. And it’s interesting because all of this comes from our strengths, right? There are coaches out there who appreciate having an agenda as a structure. Some coaches have a general outline of their sessions.

Some coaches use slide decks. I prefer to just show up, meet them as they are in the moment, and go with a casual flow. I don’t do worksheets during sessions. That awareness of personal bias is so key.

Lisa: You’re actually getting me to think beyond preferences into advice-giving when your client really wants it. Say you’ve been delivering CliftonStrengths for ten years in a specific industry. Now a client asks, “Hey, coach, give me your recommendations on how we should implement this.” And coaches get wrapped up in avoiding bias.

Brea: Isn’t that ironic? Because that in and of itself is a bias, isn’t it?

Lisa: Boom. Yes! And if a client comes to you because you have expertise but you refuse to share it, you’re just going to be frustrating. Sometimes, you are a person with an expert perspective. Not every part of every conversation is a coaching moment.

Brea: Yeah. I love that. I think I run my business and life that way. Every interaction I have with others is just me, Brea Roper, human being.

Lisa: Yes. And another reason why the answer to “Should you avoid bias in coaching?” might be no. What if you are a specialty coach? Like an accountability coach?

Or take this: I once heard of a woman who was a deltoid coach. Literally, a shoulder deltoid coach.

Brea: What do you mean?

Lisa: Like, she helps people with deltoid strength, mobility, and appearance. That’s her specialty. She’s going to have a system, a structure, a bias. And that’s good.

Brea: Yeah, similar to strengths coaching. I intentionally lean into the bias of focusing on strengths. If that’s what the client wants, that’s a good thing.

Lisa: Right. And that is a cognitive bias, right? We’re wired to figure out what’s wrong as humans. But what if we leaned into a positive cognitive bias?

Brea: Yes! And I think most people immediately associate bias with negativity. Recognizing that we can use bias for good is crucial.

Lisa: Yes! One last example: Sometimes clients don’t believe in themselves. I let them borrow my belief in them. I’m biased toward their success.

Brea: You are so good at believing in people. That’s what we’re talking about—being aware of our own strengths and using them when needed.

Lisa: Yeah. Sometimes clients say, “I want to start my coaching business, but I don’t know if I can cut it.” They don’t believe in themselves yet, but they expect their clients to believe in them. I help bridge that gap with my belief in them.

Brea: Yeah. And bias plays into communication, too. My communication strength hears something differently than your strategic strength. That impacts our responses.

Lisa: Yes! And in workshops, that always comes up. The way we ask questions and interpret answers reflects our biases. Instead of running from bias, let’s explore it.

Brea: So cool. And recognizing our different cognitive patterns only helps if we’re aligned toward the same goal. Our differences are advantages.

Lisa: Yes! Your phrase, “Differences are advantages,” sums it up perfectly. Recognize bias, use it with purpose, and turn it into an advantage.

Brea: Absolutely. And if someone wants to work with me, they can find me at brearoper.com. Lisa, where can they find you?

Lisa: leadthroughstrengths.com—check out Tools for Coaches for independent or internal coaches.

Brea: Amazing. And in closing, avoiding bias for the sake of avoiding bias only disconnects you from authenticity. Recognize it, use it with purpose, and let your differences be your differentiators.

Lisa: Agreed! Strength snaps!

Brea: See you next time!

Lisa: Bye!

Brea: Bye!

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