How do you report confidential information without compromising your coachee's autonomy?

As an executive coach, you may face situations where you need to report confidential information to your client's organization, such as performance issues, ethical breaches, or legal risks. However, doing so may jeopardize your coachee's trust, autonomy, and privacy. How can you balance your obligations to both parties without compromising your coaching ethics and boundaries? Here are some tips to help you navigate this dilemma.

1 Understand the context

Before you start coaching, you should clarify the expectations and agreements between you, your coachee, and the sponsor (the person or entity who pays for the coaching). This includes defining the scope, goals, and outcomes of the coaching, as well as the level and frequency of communication and feedback. You should also establish the limits of confidentiality and the circumstances under which you may need to disclose information to the sponsor or other stakeholders. Make sure you document these agreements in writing and review them regularly with all parties involved.

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Tonya Echols PCC, CPC, CDE®

Managing Principal | Executive Coach | Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist | Educator
(edited)
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As ethical professional coaches, confidentiality must be clearly defined upfront with the sponsor and coachees both in writing and in discussion. Depending on the reporting responsibility of the coach based on licenses they hold, legal or regulatory requirements of the local, regional, or federal entities of the parties in the coaching engagement, and any other potential threats to personal or public safety, all confidentiality guidelines must be definitively stated and agreed upon before entering the coaching program.

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Tolu Akande, MCC

Talent & Coaching Strategist | Executive Coach | Speaker | Doctoral Candidate | Internal Coaching Enthusiast & Researcher
(edited)
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In the coaching agreement, establish, maintain and reinforce client confidentiality. Consider placing client led update meetings into the coaching agreement where the client can lead and share (at their comfort level) the progress of the coaching engagement. This allows the coach to not violate any confidentiality concerns and allows the client to provide relevant updates to the sponsor.

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2 Respect your coachee's autonomy

As a coach, your role is to support your coachee's development and growth, not to judge, control, or report on them. You should respect your coachee's autonomy and empower them to make their own decisions and actions. This means that you should not share any information that your coachee does not want you to share, unless there is a clear and compelling reason to do so. If you have concerns about your coachee's behavior or performance, you should first address them with your coachee and explore the options and consequences together. You should also encourage your coachee to communicate directly with the sponsor or other relevant parties, rather than relying on you as a mediator or messenger.

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Amy Rich, ACC

Executive and Leadership Coach @ Oceanwave Coaching | Helping Fellow Engineering Leaders Transform Their Vision Into Reality | USENIX Board President | Author | Enthusiastic Globetrotter
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Avoid triangulation by empowering the client and sponsor to communicate directly with each other. If need be (and if you've contracted this up front), you can help mediate a discussion of this nature. You should be very explicit about your role and what the boundaries of confidentiality and responsibility are in the contract that all parties agree to before the engagement beings.

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3 Communicate with transparency and integrity

If you do need to report confidential information to the sponsor or other stakeholders, you should do so with transparency and integrity. You should inform your coachee in advance and explain why, how, and what you will report. You should also seek your coachee's consent and input, and respect their preferences and concerns. You should only share the information that is relevant, accurate, and necessary for the purpose of the report, and avoid disclosing any personal or sensitive details that may harm your coachee's reputation or privacy. You should also maintain a positive and constructive tone and focus on the facts, not opinions or judgments.

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4 Seek guidance and support

Reporting confidential information can be a challenging and stressful situation for both you and your coachee. You may face ethical dilemmas, emotional reactions, or conflicts of interest. You may also need to deal with the consequences and implications of your report, such as changes in the coaching relationship, expectations, or outcomes. Therefore, it is important to seek guidance and support from your peers, mentors, supervisors, or professional associations. They can help you reflect on your situation, provide feedback and advice, and ensure that you adhere to the coaching standards and code of ethics.

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Amy Rich, ACC

Executive and Leadership Coach @ Oceanwave Coaching | Helping Fellow Engineering Leaders Transform Their Vision Into Reality | USENIX Board President | Author | Enthusiastic Globetrotter
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If you find yourself in an ethical quandary because you didn't define the contract well enough up front, then coaching supervision is an excellent way to obtain input from others who act as a sounding board and can help you set aside bias.

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5 Review and learn from your experience

Finally, you should review and learn from your experience of reporting confidential information. You should evaluate the impact and effectiveness of your report, and how it affected your coachee, the sponsor, and the coaching process. You should also solicit feedback from your coachee and the sponsor, and acknowledge their perspectives and feelings. You should also identify the lessons and insights that you gained from this experience, and how you can apply them to improve your coaching practice and skills.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Priya Venkatesan

Global Executive Coach (ICF-MCC, EMCC-SP) | Thought Partner | Strategic Thinking | Influence | Presence
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Executive briefing in the presence of both sponsor and clients removes ambiguity on what gets reported. Needless to say that coach embodying confidentiality in every interaction is important.

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How do you report confidential information without compromising your coachee's autonomy?

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1 Understand the context

2 Respect your coachee's autonomy

3 Communicate with transparency and integrity

4 Seek guidance and support

5 Review and learn from your experience

6 Here’s what else to consider

Executive Coaching

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How do you report confidential information without compromising your coachee's autonomy?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand the context

2 Respect your coachee's autonomy

3 Communicate with transparency and integrity

4 Seek guidance and support

5 Review and learn from your experience

6 Here’s what else to consider

Executive Coaching

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