Session 38 - Managing Diversity
CC Level 1: AWARENESS
The coach recognises that every client is different.
Respects cultural, personal, generational and individual differences.
Listens to different opinions without judging.
Recognises that the client is influenced by their environment and circumstances.
Becomes aware of their own biases, assumptions and prejudices.
Recognises that the client may also have assumptions or biases.
Shows curiosity rather than making assumptions.
Asks basic questions to understand the client's context.
Main question: "Am I aware of and respectful of this client's differences and context?"
Key word: NOTICE
CSC Level 2: EXPLORATION
The coach moves from simply noticing differences to actively exploring them.
Explores how culture, background, generation, relationships and environment affect the client.
Explores how the client's system affects them and how the client affects their system.
Explores the impact of assumptions, prejudice and bias on behaviour.
Helps the client recognise connections between beliefs, assumptions and behaviour.
Uses questions to challenge assumptions without imposing the coach's own views.
Adapts the coaching approach to accommodate the client's differences and needs.
Explores the client's values and worldview in relation to their situation.
Is comfortable discussing contextual and cultural differences.
Main question: "How are these differences, assumptions and circumstances influencing the client's thinking and behaviour?"
Key word: EXPLORE
CMC Level 3: DEEP SYSTEMIC UNDERSTANDING
The coach works confidently with complexity rather than looking for simple explanations.
Understands that the client cannot always be separated from their wider system.
Explores the interaction between the client, relationships, organisation, culture, society, beliefs and circumstances.
Explores the client's worldview and the coach's own worldview.
Recognises that the coach's own assumptions can influence the coaching relationship.
Remains open to being changed or influenced by the client's perspective.
Explores deeper assumptions behind cultural and contextual differences.
Can work with ambiguity without forcing the client into a neat solution.
Looks at patterns and relationships rather than isolated behaviours.
Personalises the coaching while maintaining awareness of the wider system.
Demonstrates genuine curiosity about the client's unique world.
Main question: "How are the person, their beliefs, their behaviour and their wider system interacting with one another?"
Key word: INTEGRATE
The simplest way to remember the three levels:
CCC: I SEE the difference.
CSC: I EXPLORE the difference and its impact.
CMC: I UNDERSTAND AND WORK WITH the complex interaction between the client and their system.
Another way to distinguish them:
CCC = "I recognise diversity."
CSC = "I explore the impact of diversity."
CMC = "I work systemically with diversity, worldview, assumptions and complexity."
For assessment purposes, the progression is:
Level 1: Awareness
Level 2: Exploration
Level 3: Integration
The key mistake to avoid is treating the levels as three completely different competencies.
They are the same underlying capability becoming progressively deeper.
Level 1 is recognising.
Level 2 is actively exploring.
Level 3 is working with the complexity and interconnectedness of what has been discovered.
20 things to do as a Master-level COMENSA coach
Stay genuinely curious about the client's unique world rather than assuming you understand it.
Explore the client's worldview and how it shapes their interpretation of events.
Notice your own assumptions, biases and emotional reactions during the session.
Explore how the client's environment influences their thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
Explore how the client influences the people and systems around them.
Look for patterns and relationships rather than focusing only on isolated problems.
Adapt your coaching approach to the individual client's needs, culture and context.
Explore cultural, generational and contextual differences without stereotyping.
Invite the client to examine assumptions they may be taking for granted.
Explore the meaning the client gives to words such as success, respect, failure, leadership or family.
Remain comfortable when the situation is complex or ambiguous.
Allow the client's perspective to challenge your own thinking.
Explore multiple perspectives before moving towards conclusions.
Notice how power, relationships and organisational dynamics may influence the situation.
Help the client distinguish between facts, interpretations, assumptions and beliefs.
Explore the relationship between the client's behaviour and the responses they receive from others.
Remain non-judgemental even when the client's values or worldview differ from your own.
Use silence and reflection to allow deeper awareness to emerge.
Help the client discover their own meaning rather than supplying your interpretation.
Continuously ask yourself, "What am I not seeing about this client's context?"
20 things not to do as a Master-level COMENSA coach
Do not assume you understand the client because you have experienced something similar.
Do not stereotype the client based on age, gender, culture, profession or generation.
Do not assume that every member of a generation thinks or behaves the same way.
Do not impose your own worldview on the client.
Do not tell the client what their real problem is.
Do not label the client's behaviour without exploring its meaning.
Do not judge the client's values or choices.
Do not rush to provide solutions when the situation is complex.
Do not reduce a systemic problem to an individual personality problem.
Do not assume that your interpretation of the client's situation is correct.
Do not defend yourself when the client challenges your perspective.
Do not use questions to manipulate the client towards your preferred answer.
Do not confuse coaching with advising, counselling or fixing.
Do not ignore cultural or contextual factors because they make the conversation more complicated.
Do not pretend to understand a cultural experience you have not experienced.
Do not make assumptions about why another person is behaving in a particular way.
Do not force the client into a neat solution simply because ambiguity makes you uncomfortable.
Do not allow your personal beliefs to become the standard against which the client is measured.
Do not overlook your own contribution to the coaching relationship.
Do not stop at the first explanation; remain curious about what else may be happening.
20 things to say as a Master-level COMENSA coach
"I'm curious about how you see this situation."
"What meaning are you giving to what happened?"
"What assumptions might you be making here?"
"What else could be true?"
"How might the other person see this situation?"
"What are you noticing about yourself as we explore this?"
"How might your environment be influencing what you're experiencing?"
"And how might you be influencing that environment?"
"Where do you think that belief comes from?"
"What experiences have shaped the way you see this?"
"What does respect mean to you in this particular context?"
"What might you be assuming about the other person's intentions?"
"What happens when you hold that belief?"
"What happens when you see the situation from a different perspective?"
"What are you not yet considering?"
"How does this situation fit into the bigger picture of your life or work?"
"What is the relationship between what you're thinking and what you're doing?"
"What are you learning about yourself through this situation?"
"What would change if you looked at this without needing to find a right or wrong answer?"
"Given everything we've explored, what are you now seeing that you couldn't see before?"
The Master-level difference is particularly important:
Basic coach: "What happened?"
Developing coach: "How did that affect you?"
Master coach: "What is happening between you, your beliefs, your behaviour, other people and the wider system, and what are you now becoming aware of?"
Below are 20 COMENSA-style multiple-choice questions on Managing Diversity. They are designed to test judgement and application rather than simple memorisation, similar to the way a competency assessment might distinguish between basic, competent and master-level coaching behaviour.
A client expresses a viewpoint that is very different from your own values. What is the BEST response from a coach?
A. Explain why your perspective may be more realistic.
B. Avoid discussing the difference because it could create tension.
C. Listen openly and explore what the viewpoint means to the client.
D. Tell the client that coaching requires objective thinking.
E. Change the subject to something less controversial.
Correct answer: C
Why: Managing diversity requires the coach to hear and accept different points of view without judgement. The coach does not need to agree with the client but must remain curious and respectful.
A client makes a statement that reveals a possible unconscious bias. What should the coach do FIRST?
A. Tell the client that their statement is biased.
B. Ignore it to maintain rapport.
C. Explore the thinking and assumptions behind the statement.
D. Give the client a lesson about diversity.
E. Challenge the client immediately.
Correct answer: C
Why: A skilled coach creates awareness rather than imposing judgement. Exploring the client's assumptions allows the client to examine their own thinking.
A coach notices that they have a personal assumption about a particular group of people. What demonstrates strong managing-diversity practice?
A. Pretending the assumption does not exist.
B. Avoiding clients from that group.
C. Becoming aware of the assumption and monitoring its influence.
D. Telling the client about the assumption immediately.
E. Asking another coach to work with the client.
Correct answer: C
Why: Effective coaches are aware of their own biases and prejudices and actively ensure these do not negatively influence the coaching relationship.
A client comes from a cultural background unfamiliar to the coach. What is the MOST appropriate approach?
A. Treat the client exactly like every other client.
B. Research the culture and assume the information applies to the client.
C. Ask respectful questions and allow the client to explain their own experience.
D. Avoid discussing culture.
E. Follow the coach's normal communication style.
Correct answer: C
Why: Diversity is individual as well as cultural. The coach should remain curious rather than making assumptions based on generalisations about a group.
During a coaching conversation, the client says, "People like me don't get opportunities here." What is the BEST coaching response?
A. "That's probably because the organisation is biased."
B. "You shouldn't think that way."
C. "Tell me more about what makes you experience it that way."
D. "You need to become more positive."
E. "Have you considered leaving the organisation?"
Correct answer: C
Why: This response creates space for the client's experience without confirming or dismissing the client's interpretation. It allows the coach to explore context, assumptions and systemic factors.
Which behaviour BEST demonstrates awareness of the client as part of a system?
A. Focusing exclusively on the client's personality.
B. Exploring how relationships, culture, leadership and organisational context affect the client.
C. Telling the client how other people should behave.
D. Concentrating only on the client's stated goal.
E. Ignoring external influences because coaching focuses on the individual.
Correct answer: B
Why: COMENSA's higher levels of competency involve recognising the client within a wider system and understanding how contextual factors influence the client's experience.
A coach disagrees strongly with a client's political, cultural or social viewpoint. What should the coach do?
A. Convince the client to reconsider.
B. Remain neutral and explore the client's perspective.
C. Tell the client that the viewpoint is inappropriate.
D. End the coaching relationship.
E. Avoid asking questions about the issue.
Correct answer: B
Why: Professional coaching requires the coach to remain non-judgemental and client-centred. The coach's personal beliefs should not become the focus of the coaching.
A client says, "My manager doesn't listen to women." What should the coach avoid doing?
A. Asking for specific examples.
B. Exploring how the client experiences the situation.
C. Exploring possible alternative perspectives.
D. Immediately agreeing that the manager is sexist.
E. Asking what the client wants to do about the situation.
Correct answer: D
Why: The coach should not automatically validate an interpretation as fact. A master-level coach explores the client's experience while remaining open to different explanations and perspectives.
Which question BEST demonstrates cultural curiosity?
A. "Why does your culture behave like that?"
B. "Is that normal in your culture?"
C. "How does your cultural background influence the way you see this situation?"
D. "Don't you think your culture is holding you back?"
E. "Wouldn't it be easier if you adapted to our culture?"
Correct answer: C
Why: The question invites the client to describe their own experience rather than making assumptions or judging their culture.
A coach notices that a client's language, tone and communication style are different from their own. What is the BEST response?
A. Encourage the client to communicate more like the coach.
B. Assume the client lacks confidence.
C. Adapt the coaching approach while remaining authentic.
D. Speak more slowly to the client.
E. Avoid challenging the client.
Correct answer: C
Why: Managing diversity includes adapting appropriately to the client's needs while maintaining professional boundaries and authenticity.
Which behaviour is MOST characteristic of a master-level coach managing diversity?
A. Treating everyone identically.
B. Memorising cultural differences.
C. Recognising how bias, context, power and systems may influence the coaching relationship.
D. Avoiding difficult conversations.
E. Remaining completely detached from the client.
Correct answer: C
Why: Mastery involves deeper awareness of the interaction between the individual, the coach, bias, context, relationships, power and wider systems.
A client from a minority group says they feel they must "fit in" at work. What is the MOST useful coaching approach?
A. Tell them to become more assertive.
B. Tell them to accept organisational culture.
C. Explore what "fitting in" means to them and the impact it has on them.
D. Tell them discrimination is illegal.
E. Advise them to find another job.
Correct answer: C
Why: The coach should create awareness rather than prescribe a solution. Exploring the client's meaning, experience and choices keeps the coaching client-centred.
A coach realises that they have been unconsciously giving more speaking time to confident clients. What demonstrates the BEST professional response?
A. Continue because confident clients benefit more from coaching.
B. Ignore the pattern.
C. Reflect on the bias and consciously adjust their coaching behaviour.
D. Tell quieter clients they need to speak more.
E. Ask only confident clients for feedback.
Correct answer: C
Why: Managing diversity requires ongoing self-awareness. The coach must recognise how their own behaviour may unintentionally favour certain clients.
Two people interpret exactly the same workplace event very differently. What should the coach do?
A. Determine which interpretation is objectively correct.
B. Encourage both clients to adopt the same interpretation.
C. Explore the different perspectives and meanings attached to the event.
D. Tell the less experienced person what really happened.
E. Avoid discussing the difference.
Correct answer: C
Why: Diversity includes different perspectives, experiences and meanings. The coach's role is to facilitate awareness rather than determine whose perspective is correct.
A client says, "I don't want to talk about my race, gender or culture." What should the coach do?
A. Insist because diversity is part of coaching.
B. Respect the client's choice and continue working with what the client considers relevant.
C. Explain why discussing it is necessary.
D. Assume the client is in denial.
E. Refer the client elsewhere immediately.
Correct answer: B
Why: Respecting diversity includes respecting the client's autonomy and boundaries. The coach should not impose a diversity conversation simply because they believe it would be useful.
Which statement BEST describes unconscious bias?
A. A deliberate decision to discriminate.
B. A conscious belief that someone chooses to hold.
C. An automatic assumption or preference that may influence behaviour without conscious awareness.
D. A legal definition of discrimination.
E. A cultural tradition that everyone shares.
Correct answer: C
Why: Unconscious bias can influence perception, interpretation and behaviour without the person deliberately intending to discriminate. Awareness is therefore an important coaching competency.
A coach notices that a client's understanding of success is strongly influenced by family expectations. What is the BEST coaching response?
A. Tell the client to ignore their family.
B. Tell the client to follow their own dreams.
C. Explore how family expectations influence the client's definition of success.
D. Explain that family expectations are unhealthy.
E. Ask the client to choose between family and career.
Correct answer: C
Why: The coach explores the client's system and context without judging it. The objective is to increase the client's awareness and ability to make conscious choices.
Which behaviour would MOST clearly demonstrate poor management of diversity?
A. Asking open questions.
B. Checking assumptions.
C. Adapting communication.
D. Treating differences as problems that need to be corrected.
E. Exploring different perspectives.
Correct answer: D
Why: Diversity should not automatically be viewed as a problem. A coach should recognise differences, respect them and explore their meaning rather than attempting to make the client conform.
A coach discovers that their own cultural assumptions may be influencing how they interpret a client's behaviour. What is the MOST sophisticated response?
A. Ignore the assumptions.
B. Ask another coach to interpret the client.
C. Become aware of the assumptions, suspend judgement and test interpretations through curious questioning.
D. Tell the client what the coach thinks is happening.
E. Research the client's culture and make a decision.
Correct answer: C
Why: This demonstrates advanced self-awareness. The coach recognises that their interpretation may be influenced by their own worldview and uses curiosity rather than assumption.
Which response BEST demonstrates the highest level of managing diversity?
A. "I treat every client exactly the same."
B. "I don't allow my personal beliefs into coaching."
C. "I respect cultural differences."
D. "I continually examine my own biases, explore the client's context and perspectives, and consider how wider systems and power dynamics may influence the coaching relationship."
E. "I have worked with many different cultures."
Correct answer: D
Why: This represents the most comprehensive level of competence. It combines self-awareness, awareness of client diversity, non-judgement, contextual awareness, systemic thinking, bias awareness and consideration of the wider environment.
A useful way to remember the COMENSA progression is:
Level 1: "I recognise and respect difference."
Level 2: "I explore difference, context and my own assumptions."
Level 3: "I deeply examine bias, context, systems, power and consequences, and use this awareness to create deeper client awareness."
For a COMENSA test, the strongest answer is often NOT the one that sounds the most politically correct. It is usually the answer that demonstrates curiosity, neutrality, self-awareness, respect, client autonomy and awareness of the wider system.