Coaching Tip: The Problems of the Two-hatted Coach.

Originally Submitted on 4/6/99.

Introduction

One of the major points that we often make when extolling the advantages of having a coach is that the coach is objective. It follows that as coaches we must be extremely careful to protect our objectivity.

The Coaching Tip

We often point out that family members and other loved ones, even professional bosses and mentors, however well-meaning, have their own agendas that may not be congruent with the client's best interests. This, we proclaim, is one important reason why hiring a coach, who can be totally objective, is beneficial.

So as to preserve this objectivity, we might do well to learn a lesson from the ethical constraints of therapists, which advise of the dangers of the "two-hatted" relationship. A "two-hatted" relationship is one in which an individual is playing more than one role, which can often lead to ethical dilemmas. Pressures to get into two-hatted relationships are often particularly intense from well-meaning advisors when a coach is just beginning to build a practice and does not have a referral engine in place.

For example, if, while still working full time, I were to be hired as a coach by a colleague from work, I am wearing one hat as that person's coach, and another as a person whose paycheck comes from our mutual employer. Both are paying me, and both believe that with that they are buying a level of loyalty. Suppose that my client is clearly an asset to the company, one that my boss would hate to lose. Suppose that s/he is also obviously capable of taking on greater responsibility, and yet there is no path for growth with our employer. Now, as a coach, my responsibility would be to encourage my client to grow and move on. As a loyal employee, I know that this would be a great loss to my employer, and perhaps difficult to replace. Where should my loyalties fall? This type of issue presents ethical dilemmas that cannot help but create difficulties in one or both aspects of our lives.

There are many other examples of two-hatted relationships, including coaching both a husband and his wife separately; coaching your own significant other; coaching a good friend (this may not harm the friendship, but it will certainly change its nature); or coaching someone who you also sponsor in a 12-step program.

Any situation in which your loyalties may tend in a direction other than one hundred percent toward your client's benefit may be ethically questionable. Any situation in which you perceive the client from a point of view other than as a client requires great care.

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