Coaching as a solution

I have been a qualified executive coach for almost 5 years but I have provided formal supervision and coaching within my role as a leader for over 25 years. I love the concept and value of coaching as a way to assist and develop people. To me, coaching is just interpersonal skills built into an entire industry, which can be difficult to navigate and this can put people off.

Coaching is a great way to access professional support and insight in a way that suits you and your situation. It is about the relationship you build with the coach, your aims and goals. Many of us would benefit from an objective and critical friend to help us traverse challenging situations or support us to explore our emotional triggers through reflective practice approaches. This is the value of a coaching relationship.

Beyond the Conversation: Coaching, Supervision and Ethical Practice in Action

I recently had the opportunity to engage in a development coaching session with a professional colleague who recently expanded their role to include an internal advocacy role for a staff network. The focus of our development session was one that is becoming increasingly unavoidable in practice: the ethical application of AI agents and assistive technologies.

What stood out immediately was not the technology itself, but the context in which it is being used.

Like many professionals, the colleague I was speaking with had already, although reluctantly, begun integrating AI into their workflow. It was improving efficiency, supporting content development and offering ‘critical friend’ style analysis. On the surface, it was working well.

But the purpose of the session was not to explore what AI can do.

It was to step back and ask:

• How are decisions being made about its use?

• Where does responsibility sit when AI is involved?

• What risks are being introduced and how are they being managed?

• How does this impact others directly and indirectly?

This is where coaching and supervision become essential.

Why Coaching and Supervision Matter

There is a growing assumption that professional development comes from:

• training

• tools

• access to information

In reality, the most meaningful development happens in structured reflection.

Coaching and supervision create the space to:

• slow down decision-making

• examine assumptions

• challenge inconsistencies

• and reconnect practice with ethical responsibility

During the session, we were able to move beyond surface-level discussion into something much more practical.

Not:

• “Is AI useful?”

But:

• “Where is AI being used in place of judgement?”

• “What happens when outputs are taken at face value?”

• “Who is accountable for decisions where AI has influenced the outcome?”

These are not theoretical questions. They are active realities in day-to-day work. Where technological solutions are a necessity but often do not come with an instruction manual, clear guidance and policy is written in retrospect to fit the practice already happening rather than preemptively directing the practice before the technology is rolled out.

What Became Clear

By the end of the session, the colleague hadn’t disengaged from AI. That was never the aim.

Instead, the outcome was:

• clearer boundaries on when and how it is used

• greater awareness of risk and limitations

• a more structured approach to reviewing outputs

• stronger alignment between values and actions

• a robust ethical process which can be reused

This is the value of coaching and supervision:

Not advice. Not instruction.
But structured support to improve how decisions are made in practice.

Through understanding the colleagues’ reasons for using AI and their concerns about the risks, we were able to devise a strategy which reflected their organisational policies, set workable parameters and supported them in their overlapping roles.

By focusing on ethical practice, I supported them to build an AI Agent which reflected the requirements of the colleague’s organisation, understood their role, the specific purpose of using AI and established relevant ethical parameters. None of these measures are 100% effective safeguards but using AI is the same as using any other tool; it is essential that we understand the risks and take appropriate precautions to protect ourselves and others.

Technology & Ethics

Now it would be remiss of me to share an article on the use of AI and assistive technologies without mentioning the ongoing ethical questions about the application of AI into our daily lives.

I would argue that the ethics or lack thereof, within the foundations, structures and controls of AI and related technology is a significant concern. There is a plethora of questions we need to understand to truly determine if our engagement with AI is or ever can be 100% ethical but that’s another article for another day, which will be coming soon.

A Short Guide: Ethical Use of AI in Professional Practice

Based on both the session and wider DRose work, there are a number of principles that can support ethical use of AI.

These are not technical requirements.
They are practice expectations.

1. Maintain Accountability

AI does not take responsibility; people do.

If you are:

• using AI to inform decisions

• generating content

• supporting analysis

You remain accountable for:

• accuracy

• interpretation

• outcomes

2. Understand Limitations

AI generates outputs based on data patterns, not professional judgement.

This means:

• it can reflect bias

• it can miss context

• it can produce confident but incorrect responses

Outputs should always be:

• reviewed

• tested

• and contextualised

3. Be Transparent in Use

Where AI contributes to:

• decision-making

• communication

• documentation

There should be clarity around:

• how it has been used

• where human input has shaped outcomes

4. Protect Data and Privacy

Using AI tools requires careful consideration of:

• what information is being shared

• where it is being processed

• and who has access

Confidential or sensitive information should never be used without clear safeguards.

5. Retain Professional Judgement

AI should support thinking, not replace it.

Decisions should:

• remain human-led

• be grounded in context

• reflect professional responsibility

6. Review Impact, Not Just Output

The key question is not:

“Is this output good?”

But:

“What impact will this have?”

This includes:

• who is affected

• whether harm could result

• whether outcomes are equitable

Where This Connects to DRose Coaching and Supervision

The development work we did reinforced something that sits at the core of DRose work:

Ethical practice cannot be embedded through tools alone.

It requires:

• structured decision-making

• ongoing reflection

• accountability in application

Coaching and supervision provide:

• space to explore real scenarios

• challenge thinking safely and constructively

• apply ethical frameworks to lived situations

This is particularly important in areas like AI, where:

• practice is evolving quickly

• governance is still developing

• and expectations are often unclear

Ethical Practice

AI itself is not the issue.

The issue is how we maintain our ethical practice as systems and technology evolve.

How do we engage with AI and assistive technologies within systems, decisions and responsibilities, while preserving safety, accountability and oversight?

Without structured reflection, there is a risk that:

• efficiency increases

• but accountability weakens

Coaching and supervision offer a way to address that.

Not by removing innovation but by ensuring that practice remains clear, consistent and accountable as it evolves.

DRose developmental coaching supports professionals through decision-making, transitions or as a place to explore next steps. Our coaching provides professionals with structured space to step back from day-to-day demands and examine how they think, decide and act in practice. It supports clearer decision-making, strengthens accountability and helps identify gaps between intention and application. Rather than offering answers, effective coaching enables individuals to challenge assumptions, refine judgement and respond more consistently to complex situations, improving both the quality and impact of their work.

To find out more about our coaching options, visit our Professional Services page.