Supervision is often imagined as a one-directional process: the experienced academic guiding the early-career researcher. But just as we ask our students to reflect, adapt, and grow, we must also be willing to do the same. Supervision is a complex, evolving practice — and good supervisors are those who remain open to learning.
Despite its importance, supervisory practice can be surprisingly isolating. Few of us receive formal training before taking on our first doctoral student, and even fewer are given space to reflect on our approaches once we begin. This can lead to unexamined habits, inherited models, or silent struggles — particularly when we encounter challenging scenarios that fall outside the familiar.
Structured reflection is one way to break this isolation. This might involve writing supervision logs, revisiting supervision agreements with a fresh eye, or simply setting aside time each term to ask: What’s going well? What could be better? Where am I unsure?
Peer reflection is just as valuable. Institutions that offer mentoring programmes for new supervisors, or communities of practice for ongoing discussion, foster a sense of collective responsibility for doctoral education. These settings allow us to test ideas, share dilemmas, and access wisdom that isn’t found in policy handbooks.
Mentorship plays a crucial role here. A more experienced supervisor can offer not only procedural guidance but also emotional reassurance — especially when difficult situations arise. What do you do when a student becomes unresponsive? How do you manage disagreements in a supervisory team? These are not questions easily answered in isolation. Mentorship allows us to navigate them with humility and perspective.
Reflection also involves hearing from our students. While formal evaluation of supervision is often limited or inconsistent, informal feedback — when invited genuinely — can offer important insight. Asking students how they experience our feedback, how they would prefer to meet, or what support they need at different stages of their project can lead to small but meaningful changes.
“Supervising the supervisor is not about surveillance — it’s about growth.”
Finally, ongoing professional development should be normalised, not seen as remedial. No matter how long we’ve been supervising, there is always more to learn — about inclusive practice, co-authorship ethics, viva preparation, or student mental health. Engaging in such development is not a sign of weakness; it is a commitment to quality, care, and professional integrity.
Supervising the supervisor is not about surveillance — it’s about growth. When we take time to reflect, to connect with colleagues, and to seek out mentorship, we model the very behaviours we hope to cultivate in our students: curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to learn.
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