Could your efforts to be a more inclusive coach unintentionally limit the potential of the very people you’re trying to support?
The coaching industry is built around helping people grow, yet there’s a lesser-discussed side of racial bias where generosity, encouragement and good intentions can conceal unequal expectations. White saviourism can find its way into coaching relationships in ways that appear compassionate, even as they affect the opportunities, feedback and support clients of colour receive.
In this conversation, we explore the connection between white saviourism, deficit thinking and racial equity in coaching, including why the desire to help can sometimes interfere with a client’s agency and growth. We also examine the limitations of using AI to assess your business’s inclusivity when the assumptions shaping your decisions remain largely unexplored.
RESEARCH REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
- Kent Harber (1998): Feedback to Minorities: Evidence of a Positive Bias
- Kent Harber and colleagues (2009): The Positive Feedback Bias as a Response to Self-Image Threat
- Richard R. Valencia (1997): The Evolution of Deficit Thinking: Educational Thought and Practice
- Teju Cole (2012): The White-Savior Industrial Complex
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Have questions about coaching across racial difference or creating more equitable experiences for your clients? I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at [email protected]
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Come say hi on Instagram and let me know where you are tuning in from 👉🏾https://www.instagram.com/annie.gichuru
With Love,
Annie
