| The current trend is for an increase in
coaching and mentoring in the
workplace.
Coaching and mentoring, whether
on an executive level or for overall
staff, are increasingly being
recognised as important in employee
development. It is acknowledged
by senior management in many organisations
that their company will thrive
if they offer some form of coaching
and mentoring to their staff.
We are particularly aware at how
much this trend for coaching and
mentoring has grown in the UK,
as this is where most of our clients
are based.
We work with companies who automatically
assign a mentor to new employees,
some who leave it up to the employee
to seek out a coach for themselves,
some who don't or won't see the
advantage of having coaches for
their people and just about everything
in between.
Fortunately, many more companies
are giving their people an understanding
of the benefits of coaching and
mentoring, of which there are
many, and more people are training
and acquiring qualifications in
coaching and mentoring than ever
before.
What Coaching and Mentoring Training
is available?
People can get a professional
qualification in coaching and
mentoring, a certificate in coaching
and mentoring; there are many
courses offering training in coaching
development, creative mentoring,
career coaching, face to face
training, on-line training, workplace
mentoring, becoming a coaching
and mentoring consultant, building
a coaching network, business approaches
to coaching and mentoring, distance
learning, management mentoring,
staff coaching, in house training
courses, 'out' house training
courses. There are basic courses
and advanced coaching and mentoring
training and qualifications.
The list truly is endless!
It seems as though everyone from
business schools to the corner
shop is getting on the coaching
and mentoring bandwagon.
This isn't a bad thing.
How do I know what to do?
The only problem is that for someone
who has never used a coach or
mentor before, it can all be very
confusing.
For those who want to train to
become a coach or mentor, the
choices can seem daunting: 'Where
do I begin?'
For companies who want to initiate
a coaching and mentoring programme,
they want reassurance of the tangible
benefits and return on their investment.
What we aim to do here is to give
you a brief overview, understanding
and insight into just exactly
what coaching and mentoring means,
some coaching and mentoring theory
and to give our view on what it
takes to be a good coach or mentor.
Coaching and Mentoring overview
Is there a difference between
Coaching and Mentoring?
We're going to cop out here and
say there probably can't be a
definitive answer to this. The
two terms seem to be increasingly
linked and are often used interchangeably.
These happen to be our definitions,
but we're sure you'll find a bunch
of others if you look around.
Coaching: we see a business, corporate
or executive coach in much the
way we see a sports coach. This
person sets specific goals and
objectives, sees what you need
to do to achieve them and works
with you on target setting, professional
and personal development, expansion
of your skills base and offers
practical and relevant advice
and guidance.
Mentoring: a mentor can almost
be seen as a wise, experienced
friend or favourite aunt or uncle
type person. A mentor leads by
example and is a role model. They
might be very good at helping
you see the big picture and understand
the politics of the organisation
you work for.
A coach can be a mentor and a
mentor can be a coach, or the
role can be rolled into one. The
key is that whatever term you
use, the person being coached
or mentored gets unbiased support
and guidance.
Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring
When you work with a coach or
mentor you will benefit in many
ways:
Have a safe place to offload
Develop skills you already have
Learn new skills
Gain insight into yourself and
the people you work with
Get unbiased, confidential support
Gain fresh perspectives on your
issues
Get advice, suggestions and options
Coaching and Mentoring Theory
We're probably the wrong company
to ask about coaching and mentoring
theory. As a matter of fact, we're
not too hot on theory since we
believe that you can't pigeonhole
people and impose a template of
how coaching and mentoring should
look.
On one level, we suppose that
you could say that having a counselling
skill is a good 'theoretical'
place to start. The principles
that a good counsellor needs to
have are equally true for good
coaches and mentors:
Maintains confidentiality
Excellent listening and responding
skills
Non-judgemental
Objective outlook
Advises rather than tells
Has the 'mentee's' best interests
at heart
Coaching and Mentoring Development
Coaching and Mentoring Training
As we said earlier, the list is
endless when it comes to 'stuff'
around coaching and mentoring.
There are stacks of training courses,
programmes, qualifications, certificates
and workshops all claiming to
provide you with the skills needed
to become a coach and/or mentor.
We can't say which of these is
any good. There are some essentials
to look for when finding the right
training for you.
No promises about outcomes
It shouldn't cost the earth
It needs to have a high degree
of integrity
It should be practical and experiential
You should feel a compatibility
with the people running it
You should be given lots of individual
suggestions on how to develop
yourself as a coach/mentor
Trust your tummy! Meet up before
you sign up and ask lots of questions.
An example of someone who's 'doing
it'
We can, however, give you an insight
into one of the people within
Impact Factory who is a coach
and mentor and the range of skills
she has which help her do the
job.
Jo Ellen Grzyb, one of the founding
partners, has an eclectic background,
which we believe is a good place
to start when thinking about training
to become a coach and mentor.
We say this because the more experience
you have, obviously, the more
you bring to the job.
Jo Ellen has worked in the business
and arts communities in one form
or another, and on both sides
of the Atlantic, for 30 years.
She trained as a psychotherapist
and ran career development courses
for a number of years before founding
Impact Factory with Robin Chandler
14 years ago.
She has had years of personal
psychotherapy and has a monthly
session with her own supervisor.
She has also changed careers a
number of times and has real insight
into how to 'take the plunge'
and move one when something isn't
working well.
She writes, appears on radio and
telly.
She's a brilliant networker and
isn't particularly self-deprecating
about what she can offer people.
Through all her years of experience,
one consistent theme has been
her focus on enabling other people
to do their work better.
Most importantly, she has never
sat around waiting for someone
else to make it happen for her
- she's just gone and done it,
success or failure being far less
important than the doing.
All of that makes her excellent
in her role as a coach and mentor.
So what's the point?
Why we've given you that thumbnail
sketch is that we get lots of
enquiries from people wanting
to become coaches and mentors
who are looking for someone else
to make it happen for them.
That ain't going to work.
If you want to train as a coach
and mentor, you need to take a
good, impartial look at yourself
to see if you've got what it takes.
Remember earlier we said that
everyone seems to getting on the
coaching and mentoring bandwagon?
Well, we feel pretty strongly
that a lot of them should get
off. Having said that, the profession
is open for good, committed people.
You may be one of them.
Using a Coach or Mentor
How do I get one?
As we can see there's no shortage
of people wanting to become coaches
and mentors. But what if you want
to use one. Where do you begin?
Of course, the best place to look
is your workplace. If they already
have a corporate coaching and
mentoring programme that you aren't
accessing, get yourself to HR
ASAP and ask to be assigned one.
You could also look around your
company and identify someone you
think would make an excellent
coach or mentor and ask them if
they'd be willing.
Using either a formal or informal
approach is equally effective.
The key is working with someone
you like, admire and with whom
you feel comfortable.
Anything else I should be aware
of?
There are a few important things
that will help you make the most
of your coach or mentor.
Meet with them on a regular basis
- whether fortnightly, monthly,
quarterly, etc
Set clear objectives
Rely on them for guidance, not
answers
Be honest
A mentor isn't a dumping ground
Using a coach or mentor is one
of the best ways to develop yourself
and is a great way not to have
to go it alone.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact
Factory a training company who
provide Coaching and Mentoring,
Public Speaking, Presentation
Skills, Communications Training,
Leadership Development and Executive
Coaching for Individuals.
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