Organisational coaching

and mentoring

CMI LEVEL 7 COACHING AND MENTORING

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Contents To analyse the issues involved during the adoption of organizational coaching and mentoring .......... 2

Obstacles to coaching and mentoring from the operational managers’ perspective ........................ 2

Strategies to overcome of minimize the operational managers’ issues ............................................. 6

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT OUTSOURCING ..................................................................................... 6

BRIDGE THE GAPS ........................................................................................................................... 7

Develop changes through the coaching and mentoring process ........................................................... 8

A strategy to monitor the impact of coaching and across the organization ...................................... 8

GREAT VALUE FROM MONITORING AND EVALUATION ................................................................. 8

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATION ............................................................... 9

KEY QUESTIONS WHILE MONITORING AND EVALUATING STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

PLAN ................................................................................................................................................ 9

FREQUENCY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION .......................................................................... 9

REPORTING RESULTS OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION ............................................................ 9

DEVIATING FROM PLAN ................................................................................................................ 10

CHANGING THE PLAN .................................................................................................................... 10

A NOTE ABOUT CELEBRATION ...................................................................................................... 10

A methodology for operational managers who under-perform in coaching and mentoring .......... 11

Coaching When Performance Issues Exist .................................................................................... 11

Second Example of Performance Coaching .................................................................................. 11

6 Coaching Steps ........................................................................................................................... 12

A methodology for operational managers who over – perform in coaching and mentoring .......... 13

Determine the need for continual high level support for coaching and mentoring ............................ 19

A method to identify and recognize coaching and mentoring successes ......................................... 19

A strategy in response to a less than positive coaching and mentoring experience ........................ 23

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To analyse the issues involved during the adoption of organizational

coaching and mentoring

Obstacles to coaching and mentoring from the operational managers’ perspective hilst effective coaching and mentoring can play a valuable part in organisations there are barriers to it

being considered and used operationally. These perceived or actual barriers in organisations are

valuable to understand and more importantly address in order to increase the likelihood of success

for any coaching and mentoring strategy or localised implementation. Below are some examples of

the barriers, this however is not an exhaustive list.

The ‘Free Management Books’ website identified the following elements as barriers to organisations

not being able to maximize the benefits or outputs from coaching:

• The organizational culture

• Lack of understanding of the value of coaching

• Not seen as a priority for the business

• Resistance from senior management

• Low levels of skills and experience within the organization

• Lack of time and resources

Ehrich and Hansford, (1999) identify a number of ‘barriers to coaching and mentoring’

• incorrect matching of mentors/coaches and learners

• lack of top-down support

• resentment felt by those not involved in the scheme or the perception of favouritism

• creation of false promotional expectations

• overdependence of the mentor or mentee

• gender issues

• blurring of role boundaries and so on

Other barriers often cited are:

• Leadership and management styles of the organisation – a smaller organisation, or family

based business may well have more directive approaches to leadership and management,

which make the introduction of a different ‘style’ more difficult.

• Credibility of internal coaches and mentors

• Demand for coaching vs. capacity to deliver

• Cost of external coaches

• Lack of engagement with stakeholders when introducing coaching

• Little understanding of the impact and benefits of coaching

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• Treating coaching and mentoring as an ‘addition’ rather than integrating into already existing

operational approaches and practices.

• Poor communication skills

• Conflicting relationships

• Lack of commitment from learner

• Poor support from managers to those undertaking coaching

Overcoming barriers to coaching and mentoring

It is important that when considering using coaching and mentoring in organisations locally or more

broadly, to understand and address the potential barriers to coaching and mentoring in both

approaches and communications.

Early engagement – working with and communicating to your key stakeholders early on to both ‘sell’

the idea of coaching and achieve their support of it. Getting a senior leader to undertake the coach

training with others from the organisation will add both kudos and an evangelist for the approaches.

• Maximise coaching that already exists – if Executive Coaching is in place or a senior leader is

receiving some coaching, look to capitalise on this and use the value in coaching that they

have identified to demonstrate the organisational benefits in embracing coaching and

mentoring.

• Clarify what coaching and mentoring is – forming a common understanding or what coaching

and mentoring means for your organisation will create a common language and approach to

it.

• Integrate it – understanding where and how coaching and mentoring can be integrated into

already existing practices. Researching the value of bringing coaching into sales, leadership

and talent development and mentoring into career development.

• Clear processes – determine how your coaching and mentoring will work in your organisation,

defining the process, selection, support, development and supervision. This will reassure the

organisation that there will be consistency and ‘control’ over how and where it is deployed.

• Anticipate barrier conversations – knowing your leaders and business will enable you to have

answers and evidence to overcome hesitancy over barriers and how you will approach or

minimise the risk.

• Go guerrilla! – if you have people in the organisation who are already trained coaches getting

them to work on a formal or informal meeting basis to do coaching can provide valuable and

relatable evidence as to the possibilities of coaching and mentoring in your organisation.

• Be selective – when considering running a coaching programme to develop coaching and

mentoring skills, identify participants who are coaching supporters or who already have a high

degree of communication skills already, or those who have received coaching previously

themselves. This will make the programme more effective and you already will have a number

of coaching protagonists to use in the business.

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In a poll taken in one of our recent webinars, 41% of attendees said a lack of participant understanding

of what is entailed in a mentoring program was their biggest obstacle to implementing a mentor

training program at their organization. Whether you have only recently considered starting your first

mentoring program, or you’ve previously had a program in place that didn’t work out, getting your

participants to understand what you need them do to can be a huge obstacle. And if your biggest

obstacles are something else, don’t worry: you’re probably not an isolated case, and there are simple

best-practice steps you can take towards a solution.

Barrier to Mentoring #1: Not Enough Resources

Anxiety around a lack of resources is mostly due to:

▪ Needing to create a mentoring program

▪ Not knowing how to do it

▪ Being pushed to do it by an impossible date

A mentoring program is not something that you can just throw together in a short amount of time and

expect to produce results. This common misconception often prevents a program from getting off the

ground before it even has a chance to begin.

Solution: Make sure you have a solid plan in place to alleviate this initial anxiety. This plan should

contain both a process that outlines how you intent to proceed, and a methodology that confirms not

only what you are doing but also why you are doing it. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Barrier to Mentoring #2: Leadership Won’t Buy In

Another misconception about mentoring is that it is a waste of time and money. Leadership wants to

be sure nothing takes away from the bottom line and mentoring is not always valued within this

equation, often because of the way it’s presented – that is to say, as a “nice to have” program.

Solution: Pitch mentoring as an organizational strategy with built-in KPIs and measurements to prove

your success.

▪ Identify exactly what organizational objectives you can tie to mentoring

▪ Tie your objectives to your strategy

▪ Indicate your success metrics to prove mentor training as something that should be taken

seriously

Barrier to Mentoring #3: Participants Won’t Know What to Do

What is a mentor? What is a mentee? What is mentoring overall? Don’t let the combination of no

training or guidance and your participants’ misunderstanding of what their roles are result in an

unsuccessful program and floundering mentors and mentees.

Solution: Communicate your expectations continuously throughout the mentoring program.

Make sure everyone is on the same page right when you begin to position mentoring within your

organization. It is easier to start in the right place rather than to go back and make corrections when

habits and patterns have already set in.

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The job is not finished after you implement the program. Obstacles may arise that can throw your

mentor training off-track, such as a new member with different ideas or problems within a mentor-

mentee partnership. To avoid this, be sure to spot check throughout the program to ensure that

everyone is still on the same page. The first spot check should be done at about 6-8 weeks into the

program.

Barrier to Mentoring #4: Misconceptions about Mentoring

▪ “I won’t be able to work it in to my schedule.” Time is a big issue that always comes up with

potential mentors. While they may have interest, they often think that they do not have

enough time. However, mentoring is not a life-long commitment. It requires a commitment

of about 8-12 months and is a time-efficient program that is beneficial to every party involved.

▪ “Mentoring has little of no value for career or personal life.” Mentoring is not just for long-

term career development or promotion. It also helps participants’ understanding of their

organizational culture from different perspectives.

▪ "Mentoring is not an organizational strategy." If there is a choice between something directly

business-related and something related to mentoring, the common choice would be to pick

business. However, if you are in a mentor-mentee partnership, you are already working on

business. It has a definitive value (if you’re being sure to measure and report) and ties into the

organizational strategy (if you’ve planned correctly from the beginning).

Solution: Set expectations at the beginning by providing a strategic planning workshop and role

profiles in order to set participants straight on the common misconceptions listed above, and further

answer what the places and roles of mentors, mentees, and managers are in your mentoring program.

Both mentors and mentees need a clear job description to understand the skills needed and to make

sure they are qualified for their position. Additionally, don’t forget to make sure the managers know

how they fit in to the mentor-mentee partnership because their guidance is the key to its success.

Just giving a kick-off session is not enough to sustain the program. You would not ask anyone to go

into a new role without training and guidance, and this is especially true in mentoring. Not just for the

mentors and mentees, but also for the manager so that they can fully support the mentor-mentee

partnership.

Barrier to Mentoring #5: External Pressures

Many times, external pressures such as the economy, budget cuts, and organizational issues

negatively affect the process of getting your mentoring program started.

When these types of situations exist, that is when you need mentoring the most. External pressures

call for development from your organization, which is normally sustained through mentoring.

However, when it comes to budget cuts, usually the first thing to go is training and development.

Solution: Track, report and measure. This process is four-fold.

▪ Ensure that leadership and management take the program seriously

▪ Prove your success and ROI

▪ Point to specific problem areas and where you can improve

▪ Keep your program from being cut

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There are two kinds of measurement you should be sure to use:

▪ Qualitative: This kind of measurement measures subjective experience. For

example, if participants are asked to express through a survey whether they

got something beneficial out of the program or whether they were happy in

their mentor-mentee partnership, these are two qualitative measures.

▪ Quantitative: Quantitative measurements show the direct effect of the

program’s ROI on the organization’s strategy. For example, if an organization

knows that it previously took 18 months for individuals in a certain job role to

get up to speed, and that they were able to reduce that time to 13 months

through mentoring, the money saved in that five months is very measurable.

The other way that mentoring can be measured is by comparing training costs

with mentoring costs. Substantial savings can often be seen with the

organizations that choose use mentoring either instead of training, or to

supplement or reinforce training.

Whether you are beginning a new mentoring program or revamping an old one, don’t let your first

obstacle be fear. Instead, determine what obstacles you are sure to face and put a plan and process

in place to overcome them.

Strategies to overcome of minimize the operational managers’ issues Managing outsourced projects is almost always more difficult than people expect. The learning curve

— for operations managers, your firm and the supplier — that goes into the making of a smooth,

successful relationship is often very difficult.

These are some ways to get to the facts about what outsourcing can and can’t do and how to

overcome some common hurdles.

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT OUTSOURCING The conventional wisdom about managing outsourcing relationships involves a number of

misconceptions, particularly that outsourcing makes managing the outsourced component easier and

cheaper and doable with less management and personnel.

The following are some particularly common outsourcing myths:

• External suppliers reduce the number of personnel working on your project. This is false.

You will have fewer people working directly for you, but you’ll have to hire a number of

employees to coordinate the outsourced work. The supplier has to do the same. And there

are still people who need to do the actual work. In the end, the number of people working on

the project will increase.

• Managing an external supplier is easier than managing internal suppliers. You may think this

at first, when the supplier wants your business. But, after the initial honeymoon, you’ll soon

realize that your firms may not have the same goals and that you don’t have the same control

over people in other firms that you do in your own firm. Only the CEOs of both firms can

resolve disagreements.

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Of course, you can always fire the supplier, but you’ll end up harming your own firm because you

won’t have anyone to supply your component. The end result is that you have to manage external

suppliers much more by persuasion than you would within your own firm.

• You need fewer middle managers and can flatten your organization. It’s only going to look

like your organization is flattening. The people who will manage these outsourced products,

components, or services need to manage uncertainty, persuade and cajole, and hold perhaps

hundreds of people accountable.

This sounds very much like the job description for a middle manager. The only difference is that the

people being managed aren’t at your firm but at the supplier. Moreover, there are counterparts to

your supplier management personnel at the supplier. So rather than flattening the organization, you’ll

probably add at least one layer of management!

Going into a partnership believing that everything will be easy is a recipe for failure. But take heart;

we’ve worked with dozens of firms that have great outsourcing partnerships. How did they do it? By

taking the time, being patient, and setting realistic expectations.

BRIDGE THE GAPS A number of issues can make managing an outsourcing partner especially difficult. Here are some of

the challenges you need to address when developing an outsourcing relationship:

• Culture: Nations have their own distinct cultures. Initially, this can lead to many mistaken

assumptions and crossed signals. A yes answer from a person from some nations may not

indicate agreement but merely that she understands what you’re saying. Other cultures tend

to be very abrupt and blunt, which can be interpreted as anger or frustration when it’s nothing

of the sort.

In short, expect to be surprised at the number and variety of misunderstandings that occur when

working with different cultures. The one bright side to this is that you’ll get better at intercultural

communication after a while, especially if you continue working with the same counterpart. And

learning about new people, places, and customs can be one of the joys of working across national

borders.

• Geography: Studies confirm that trying to coordinate with people in different time zones is

difficult. For example, you’re likely to have only a one- to two-hour window of overlapping

work time each day to communicate by phone between North America and Asia. E-mails

aren’t any different because they just sit overnight before you can read them.

In such situations, they may experience up to a 12-hour time lag each way, so resolving even a simple

problem by e-mail often takes a day.

• Industry: Different industries have different cultures as well. For example, one automotive

firm tried to outsource some of its electronic control modules to a well-respected consumer

electronics contract manufacturer. However, the contract manufacturer came from an

industry in which high quality for its products was 99 percent good.

The supplier had difficulty reaching automotive standards of reliability, which are much higher,

especially considering that a typical car has about 3,000 parts, and even if only 1 percent of the parts

are defective, that means that 30 parts aren’t working, which is likely to cripple the machine. In short,

if your suppliers come from a different industry, don’t make the assumption that they understand

your requirements.

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• Language: You’ll most likely be communicating with your suppliers in one language (such as

English). Fortunately, most suppliers have this capability. However, if the supplier’s first

language is not the same as yours, communication will be hard. Remember, you’re probably

having a discussion with your counterpart at the supplier in the first place because of some

misunderstanding or technical difficulty. Communicating technical information across

languages can be particularly challenging.

Develop changes through the coaching and mentoring process

A strategy to monitor the impact of coaching and across the organization Practice coaches and their supervisors need an efficient and effective way of tracking the coach’s

progress with each individual practice and across the portfolio of practices. Depending on the coach’s

strengths, biases, and personality, it may be easy for a practice-coach relationship to wander off in

directions that are not consistent with the overall goals identified in the improvement effort. A

systematic monthly review of the progress of each team in the practice coach’s portfolio will allow the

leader to assess and provide support.

AHRQ’s Developing and Running a Practice Coaching Facilitation Program: A How-To Guide includes

specific areas to monitor when supervising practice coaches:

• Assisting coaches in developing and maintaining facilitative relationships with their practices;

• Assisting coaches in maintaining effective boundaries with their practices;

• Providing coaches the content knowledge needed for an intervention;

• Assisting coaches in monitoring their panel of practices’ progress through the stages of the

intervention model; and

• Providing professional development for coaches.

Part of the coach’s time should be allocated to tracking the progress of their practices beyond the

outcomes identified in the improvement effort. It is recommended that coaches keep regular progress

notes on their practices, noting practice team level of function and challenges and opportunities.

These progress notes allow supervisors to understand on a deeper level what is going on within the

practice and provide feedback and support to coaches. Practice facilitation programs should consider

developing a practice “registry” to track key indicators across all practices in the improvement effort.

Examples of registries can be found in the AF4Q Practice Coaching Manual and AHRQ’s How-To Guide.

GREAT VALUE FROM MONITORING AND EVALUATION As stated several times throughout this library topics (and in materials linked from it), too many

strategic plans end up collecting dust on a shelf. Monitoring and evaluating the planning activities and

status of implementation of the plan is -- for many organizations -- as important as identifying strategic

issues and goals. One advantage of monitoring and evaluation is to ensure that the organization is

following the direction established during strategic planning.

The above advantage is obvious. Adults tend to learn best when they're actually doing something with

new information and materials and then they're continuing to reflect on their experiences. You can

learn a great deal about your organization and how to manage it by continuing to monitor the

implementation of strategic plans.

Note that plans are guidelines. They aren't rules. It's OK to deviate from a plan. But planners should

understand the reason for the deviations and update the plan to reflect the new direction.

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RESPONSIBILITIES FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATION The strategic plan document should specify who is responsible for the overall implementation of the

plan, and also who is responsible for achieving each goal and objective.

The document should also specify who is responsible to monitor the implementation of the plan and

made decisions based on the results. For example, the board might expect the chief executive to

regularly report to the full board about the status of implementation, including progress toward each

of the overall strategic goals. In turn, the chief executive might expect regular status reports from

middle managers regarding the status toward their achieving the goals and objectives assigned to

them.

KEY QUESTIONS WHILE MONITORING AND EVALUATING STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

PLAN 1. Are goals and objectives being achieved or not? If they are, then acknowledge, reward and

communicate the progress. If not, then consider the following questions.

2. Will the goals be achieved according to the timelines specified in the plan? If not, then why?

3. Should the deadlines for completion be changed (be careful about making these changes -- know

why efforts are behind schedule before times are changed)?

4. Do personnel have adequate resources (money, equipment, facilities, training, etc.) to achieve the

goals?

5. Are the goals and objectives still realistic?

6. Should priorities be changed to put more focus on achieving the goals?

7. Should the goals be changed (be careful about making these changes -- know why efforts are not

achieving the goals before changing the goals)?

8. What can be learned from our monitoring and evaluation in order to improve future planning

activities and also to improve future monitoring and evaluation efforts?

FREQUENCY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION The frequency of reviews depends on the nature of the organization and the environment in which

it's operating. Organizations experiencing rapid change from inside and/or outside the organization

may want to monitor implementation of the plan at least on a monthly basis.

Boards of directors should see status of implementation at least on a quarterly basis.

Chief executives should see status at least on a monthly basis.

REPORTING RESULTS OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION Always write down the status reports. In the reports, describe:

1. Answers to the above key questions while monitoring implementation.

2. Trends regarding the progress (or lack thereof) toward goals, including which goals and objectives

3. Recommendations about the status

4. Any actions needed by management

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DEVIATING FROM PLAN It’s OK do deviate from the plan. The plan is only a guideline, not a strict roadmap which must be

followed.

Usually the organization ends up changing its direction somewhat as it proceeds through the coming

years. Changes in the plan usually result from changes in the organization’s external environment

and/or client needs result in different organizational goals, changes in the availability of resources to

carry out the original plan, etc.

The most important aspect of deviating from the plan is knowing why you’re deviating from the plan,

i.e., having a solid understanding of what’s going on and why.

CHANGING THE PLAN Be sure some mechanism is identified for changing the plan, if necessary. For example, regarding

changes, write down:

1. What is causing changes to be made.

2. Why the changes should be made (the "why" is often different than "what is causing" the changes).

3. The changes to made, including to goals, objectives, responsibilities and timelines.

Manage the various versions of the plan (including by putting a new date on each new version of the

plan).

Always keep old copies of the plan.

Always discuss and write down what can be learned from recent planning activity to make the next

strategic planning activity more efficient.

A NOTE ABOUT CELEBRATION I've been involved with many strategic planning activities. Rarely, when a plan is completed, do

organizations really acknowledge the success they have achieved. Instead, planners are often so

focused on "progress" and problem solving, that they're too eager to move on to the next version of

the plan.

Celebration is as important as accomplishing objectives -- maybe more. Without a sense of closure,

acknowledgement and fulfillment from a job well done, the next planning cycle becomes a grind.

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A methodology for operational managers who under-perform in coaching and

mentoring

The first step in any effort to improve employee performance is counseling or coaching. Counseling or coaching is part of the day-to-day interaction between a supervisor and an employee who reports to her, or an HR professional and line managers.

Coaching often provides positive feedback about employee contributions. Employees need to know when they are effective contributors. By providing this positive feedback, you are also letting the employee know the actions and contributions that you'd like to reinforce so that you see more of them.

Coaching When Performance Issues Exist

At the same time, regular coaching brings performance issues to an employee's attention when they are minor. Your coaching feedback assists the employee to correct these issues before they become significant detractions from her performance.

The goal of performance coaching is not to make the employee feel bad, nor is it provided to show how much the HR professional or manager know. The goal of coaching is to work with the employee to solve performance problems and to improve the work of the employee, the team, and the department.

Employees who respond positively to coaching and improve their performance can become valued contributors to the success of the business. Employees who fail to improve will find themselves placed on a formal performance improvement plan, known as a PIP. This sets up a formal process wherein the manager meets regularly with the underperforming employee to provide coaching and feedback.

At the meetings, they also evaluate how well the employee is performing in achieving the performance goals that were enumerated in the PIP. Generally, by the time an employee has received a PIP, Human Resources staff are significantly involved in both the meetings and in the review of the employee's progress and performance.

Employees who fail to improve when on the PIP are likely to find their employment terminated.

Second Example of Performance Coaching

In a second example of the use of performance coaching, managers can use performance coaching to help employees who are effective contributors improve and become even more effective contributors. Done well, coaching can help an employee continuously improve their skills, experience, and ability to contribute.

From years of observing managers coaching, the time managers spend in performance coaching with their best, most contributing employees is time well spent. It is more likely to produce increasing results for the organization and for the manager's department and priorities.

It is ironic that many managers find that they spend the majority of their time with their troubled, or underperforming employees. This is despite the fact that the most significant value from their time and energy investment comes from the opposite priority.

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Coaching is an effective tool for managers to deploy in their efforts to help employees succeed, and especially help employees increase their skills and their potential opportunities for promotion or lateral moves to more interesting positions.

6 Coaching Steps

Use these six steps to provide effective supportive coaching to your reporting employees.

• Show confidence in the employee's ability and willingness to solve the problem. Ask him or her for help in solving the problem or improving their performance. Ask the employee to join in with you with the goal of increasing the employees' effectiveness as a contributor to your organization.

• Describe the performance problem to the employee. Focus on the problem or behavior that needs improvement, not on the person. Use descriptions of the behavior with examples so that you and the employee share meaning. Ask for the employee's view of the situation. Do they see the same problem or opportunity that you do?

• Determine whether issues exist that limit the employee's ability to perform the task or accomplish the objectives. Four common barriers are time, training, tools, and temperament. Determine how to remove these barriers. Determine whether the employee needs your help to remove the barriers—a key role of a manager—or if he is able to tackle them by himself.

• Discuss potential solutions to the problem or improvement actions to take. Ask the employee for ideas on how to correct the problem, or prevent it from happening again. With a high performing employee, talk about continuous improvement.

• Agree on a written action plan that lists what the employee, the manager, and possibly, the HR professional, will do to correct the problem or improve the situation. Identify the core goals that the employee must meet to achieve the appropriate level of performance that the organization needs.

• Set a date and time for follow-up. Determine if a critical feedback path is needed, so the manager knows how the employee is progressing. Offer positive encouragement. Express confidence in the employee's ability to improve. Recognize, however, that the only person who is in charge of their performance improvement is the employee. As much as you try to help, he is the one in charge.

You can help your reporting employees improve their current performance, or in the case of an already effective employee, help them become more effective. Performance coaching is a powerful tool when managers take advantage of its usefulness.

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A methodology for operational managers who over – perform in coaching and

mentoring Both coaching and mentoring are processes that enable both individual and corporate clients to

achieve their full potential.

Coaching and mentoring share many similarities so it makes sense to outline the common things

coaches and mentors do whether the services are offered in a paid (professional) or unpaid

(philanthropic) role.

• Facilitate the exploration of needs, motivations, desires, skills and thought processes to assist

the individual in making real, lasting change.

• Use questioning techniques to facilitate client’s own thought processes in order to identify

solutions and actions rather than takes a wholly directive approach

• Support the client in setting appropriate goals and methods of assessing progress in relation

to these goals

• Observe, listen and ask questions to understand the client’s situation

• Creatively apply tools and techniques which may include one-to-one training, facilitating,

counselling & networking.

• Encourage a commitment to action and the development of lasting personal growth & change.

• Maintain unconditional positive regard for the client, which means that the coach is at all

times supportive and non-judgemental of the client, their views, lifestyle and aspirations.

• Ensure that clients develop personal competencies and do not develop unhealthy

dependencies on the coaching or mentoring relationship.

• Evaluate the outcomes of the process, using objective measures wherever possible to ensure

the relationship is successful and the client is achieving their personal goals.

• Encourage clients to continually improve competencies and to develop new developmental

alliances where necessary to achieve their goals.

• Work within their area of personal competence.

• Possess qualifications and experience in the areas that skills-transfer coaching is offered.

• Manage the relationship to ensure the client receives the appropriate level of service and that

programmes are neither too short, nor too long.

Useful definitions

The common thread uniting all types of coaching & mentoring is that these services offer a vehicle for

analysis, reflection and action that ultimately enable the client to achieve success in one more areas

of their life or work.

Here are some published definitions we particularly like…

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There is also an increasing trend for individuals to take greater responsibility for their personal &

professional development and even those who are employed in large organisations are no longer

relying on employers to provide them with all or their career development needs. There has been an

increase in the number of individuals contracting coaches and mentors on a private basis. Some are

looking for a career change, but many are also seeking to maximise their potential with an existing

employer or achieve greater balance with their work and home lives.

Executive Coaching & Mentoring

There is a great deal of overlap between business and executive coaching or mentoring. Many people

will offer either service, but there is a growing body of professionals in the UK who are calling

themselves executive coaches and mentors and are differentiating themsleves in the marketplace.

The key differences between business and executive coaching and mentoring are that Executive

coaches and mentors typically…

• Have a track record in professional and executive roles

• Work exclusively with the ‘high-flyers’ or with those who have potential to be a high flyer

• Work at board or CEO level within high profile or ‘blue-chip’ organisations

• Offer total confidentiality

• Work with potential ‘captains of industry’ and high profile business leaders

Performance Coaching and mentoring

Many coaching clients will seek coaching or mentoring for performance enhancement rather than the

rectification of a performance issue. Coaching & mentoring have been shown to be highly successful

intervention in these cases. When an organisation is paying premium rates for development services,

performance is usually the key pay-back they are looking for. Even if an executive or manager receives

support in balancing work and home life, it will be with the aim of increasing their effectiveness and

productivity at work and not for more altruistic reasons.

Performance coaching derives its theoretical underpinnings and models from business and sports

psychology as well as general management approaches.

Skills coaching & mentoring

Skills coaching has some commonalities with one-to-one training. Skills coaches & mentors combine

a holistic approach to personal development with the ability to focus on the core skills an employee

needs to perform in their role. Skills coaches & mentors should be highly experienced and competent

in performing the skills they teach.

Job roles are changing at an ever increasing rate. Traditional training programmes are often too

inflexible or generic to deal with these fast moving requirements. In these instances one-to-one skills

coaching allows a flexible, adaptive ‘just-in-time’ approach to skills development. It is also possible to

apply skills coaching in ‘live’ environments rather than taking people away from the job into a

‘classroom’ where it is less easy to simulate the job environment.

Skills coaching programmes are tailored specifically to the individual, their knowledge, experience,

maturity and ambitions and is generally focused on achieving a number of objectives for both the

individual and the company.

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These objectives often include the individual being able to perform specific, well-defined tasks whilst

taking in to account the personal and career development needs of the individual.

One-to-one skills training is not the same as the ‘sitting next to Nelly’ approach to ‘on the job training’.

What differentiates it is that like any good personal or professional development intervention it is

based on an assessment of need in relation to the job-role, delivered in a structured (but highly

flexible) manner, and generates measurable learning and performance outcomes. This form of skills

training is likely to focus purely on the skills required to perform the job function even though it may

adopt a facilitative coaching approach instead of a ‘telling’ or directive style.

Personal coaching & mentoring

Personal or ‘life coaching’ servcies have grown significantly in the UK, Europe and Australia over the

past decade. Personal coaches may work face-to-face but email and telephone based relationships

are also very common. These coaches and mentors operate in highly supportive roles to those who

wish to make some form of significant change happen within their lives.

Coaches offer their clients a supportive and motivating environment to explore what they want in life

and how they might achieve their aspirations and fulfil their needs. By assisting the client in

committing to action and by being a sounding-board to their experiences, coaching allows the

individual the personal space and support they need to grow and develop. The coach’s key role is often

is assisting the client to maintain the motivation and commitment needed to achieve their goals.

In many cases personal coaching is differentiated from business coaching purely by the context and

the focus of the programme. Business coaching is always conducted within the constraints placed on

the individual or group by the organisational context. Personal coaching on the other hand is taken

entirely from the individual’s perspective.

How do coaching and mentoring compare with related professional services?

Traditional forms of training

• Wholesale transfer of new skills, e.g. change in procedures, new systems (e.g. software

application training), new job function.

• Programmes are mostly generic and not tailored to individual needs. Delegates generally have

to complete standard modules, so there is little room for tailoring the programme to account

for existing knowledge, skills or preferences.

• Not always sufficiently similar to the ‘live’ working environment to ensure effective skills

transfer.

• Best suited to transfer of knowledge and certain skills rather than the development of

personal qualities or competencies

Counselling

• Explore personal issues and problems through discussion in order to increase understanding

or develop greater self-awareness.

• The aim of counselling is to lead the client toward self-directed actions to achieve their goals.

N.B. Coaching and counselling share many core skills. However, professional counsellors work with

personal issues in much greater depth than would generally be explored within a coaching context.

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Coaching/mentoring

• Development activities are designed to suit client’s personal needs (whether aspiration or

performance related) and learning styles.

• Fine tunes and develops skills.

• Can focus on interpersonal skills, which cannot be readily or effectively transferred in a

traditional training environment.

• Provides client with contacts and networks to assist with furthering their career or life

aspirations.

• Performed in the ‘live’ environment or off-line.

• Highly effective when used as a means of supporting training initiatives to ensure that key

skills are transferred to the ‘live’ environment.

• Coaches and mentors transfer the skills to the client rather than doing the job for them.

Consultancy

• Focus is on developing organisational practices, processes and structure.

• Role generally more strategic and often used to instigate and design broad ranging change

programmes

• Consultancy frequently involves expert advice about specific issues and organisational

processes.

• Consultants are often brought in to provide specific ‘solutions’ to business problems and

needs

• Consultant leads the job for the organisation: whilst upskilling the employee/client may be a

contractual part of the service, it is not generally the primary goal.

N.B. The term consultant coach is often used when the coach is external to the organisation and

therefore offering services on an ‘external’ or ‘consultancy’ basis. This is not, however, the same as

consultancy per se.

Coaching and mentoring has been offered by consultancy companies for many years, even though it

is not specifically ‘consultancy’ It is only recently that people have begun drawing a distinction which

in some cases, like the distinction between coaching and mentoring, is not useful in distinguishing

between them.

Is coaching just therapy by another name?

Coaching is not necessarily ‘therapy’ by another name although the key theoretical underpinnings,

models and techniques found their origins in the field of psychology and associated therapies

like gestalt & cognitive behavioural therapy which have broad ranging applications in both

organisational and personal contexts.

The key difference between coaching and the therapies is that coaching does not seek to resolve the

deeper underlying issues that are the cause of serious problems like poor motivation, low self-esteem

and poor job performance. Coaching and mentoring programmes are generally more concerned with

the practical issues of setting goals and achieving results within specific time-scales.

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Coaching and mentoring is generally commenced on the premise that clients are self-aware and

‘whole’ and have selected coaching or mentoring because they do not require a therapeutic

intervention. It is possible for someone who has underlying issues to experience success within a

coaching context even if the underlying issues are not resolved. If, however, a client becomes ‘stuck’

and the coaching or mentoring programme is not achieving desired results, then a psychological or

therapeutic intervention may be necessary for the client to move forward and achieve their goals.

Coach & mentor training programmes which are typically quite short are not aimed at qualifying

coaches to conduct an assessment of whether someone may be in need of a therapeutic intervention,

rather than a coaching or mentoring one. This is driven in part by the professional restrictions and

barriers that have traditionally been placed around psychology and the therapies, but is mostly due

to the fact that psychological assessment is a complex process that does require specialised training.

Professional coaches & mentors do, however, stay ever alert to the possibility that a client may have

or may develop issues or problems for which coaching or mentoring on it’s own, is not sufficient.

Client progress is always monitored and coaches and mentors watch for signs which may indicate that

a client requires an assessment by a trained therapist. Some coaches will on-refer a client to an

appropriate therapist if this is felt to be useful. Other coaches will conduct a coaching programme in

parallel with a therapeutic intervention.

Most coaches & mentors are keen to maintain the professional boundaries between coaching &

mentoring and the traditional therapies and will collaborate with therapists when a client requires this

form of intervention.

The traditional therapies, psychology and counselling and their relationship to coaching

Contrary to popular belief, therapy is not ‘backwards focused’ and does not conform to the stereotype

of spending 20 years attending weekly sessions to discuss childhood experiences. Therapy is, if

anything, an extension of what happens in a coaching relationship, it is forward focused and aimed at

life improvement or enhancement. It is about moving on and breaking free from problems and issues

that have held people back and prevented them from getting all they can from their lives. Another

popular misconception is that in order to undergo therapy one must be ‘crazy or neurotic’ which not

the case is.

Therapy is also time-limited and based on an assessment of needs. It is quite rare now to encounter

therapies that involve open-ended interventions that last for many years. Therapists are highly

trained, with 4 years of full-time undergraduate training followed by 1-2 years full-time post-graduate

study and from 3-5 supervised full-time practice before being considered ‘qualified’. Therapists,

counsellors & clinical psychologists must usually engage in professional ‘supervision’ for the whole of

their career to ensure that a high standards are maintained. Psychologists who apply therapeutic

approaches are also ethically and professionally bound to work with clients only if measurable value

can be demonstrated, this means that if people do not actually NEED therapy, it is not ethical for

providers to continue providing the services.

Because of this relationship between coaching and psychology & the therapies, some professionals

offering coaching services are, in fact, therapists, counsellors or psychologists. This means it is possible

to offer the appropriate level of service depending on immediate needs and client preferences.

It is increasingly common for the titles such as ‘positive’ or ‘coaching psychology’ to be used make it

easier for clients to find service providers who take a psychological focus within their work as a coach.

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Anyone seeking life improvement, and who is willing to work at the deeper issues could benefit from

contracting a coach or mentor who does have a traditional therapeutic background in the first

instance. If the client is not sure what type of service would benefit them the most, they should be

encouraged to secure a professional assessment by an appropriately qualified provider.

In some countries such as the UK, there is goverment regulation in place for psychologists. A small

number of restricted titles have been identified by the Govt for the purpose of ensuring that the public

can be assured that any professional using these titles is appropriately registered under the regulatory

framework.

Titles restricted by the UK Goverment to protect the public include Clinical Psychologist, Counselling

Psychologist and Occupational Psychologist. More general terms like psychologist, therapist and

counsellor are not restricted titles, so anyone is able to use thee to market their services. The titles

‘coaching psychologist’ and ‘positive psychologist’ are, for example, not

restricted. As this is the case, when selecting a coach or mentor with therapeutic, counselling or

business focused psychological skills it is important to ensure they are registered with an appropriate

regulatory body.

Determine the need for continual high-level support for coaching and

mentoring

A method to identify and recognize coaching and mentoring successes Coaching and mentoring are used today by most companies to develop their new employees.

Whether it’s the executive-level workers or the overall staff, coaching and mentoring are

increasingly being recognized by human resource managers as an important factor in employee

development.

This type of employee growth is beneficial for both parties (whether it’s the coach/mentor or the

apprentice/student) and for the company; that’s why the interviewer might be interested in hearing

your insights on this new trend. He or she might ask you to share an experience where you became a

mentor or a coach of someone; how did you influence that person, and what improvements did you

see in that person’s knowledge or skills after you coached him or her?

Why is the interviewer interested on your coaching and mentoring skills?

• Because he wants to know if you’re capable of teaching and sharing your knowledge with

other people;

• Because he wants to see if you’re willing to teach and share your knowledge and skills to other

people;

• Because he wants to gauge your coaching/mentoring/teaching skills; and

• Because he wants to assess your ability to interact with other people, especially if these

people become your apprentice/s.

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How do you answer this question?

• Prepare your answers beforehand. Think and try to remember if there was an instance in your

life where you were able to help someone achieve his or her goal because you mentored him

or her. Especially if you are applying for a managerial position, you should have at least

experienced mentoring someone already. However, if you are applying for an entry-level

position, you can share your experiences with your juniors when you were in college. Was

there ever a situation when you were able to help someone because you coached him or her?

If so, prepare to explain that story.

• While answering, keep your response direct, brief, and simple. Don’t include unnecessary

comments, especially when they have nothing to do with you being a mentor. What really

happened is what you’re going to tell the interviewer. Don’t add superfluous details or

exaggerations just to enhance your image.

• Focus your explanation on the improvements you saw in that person after coaching him or

her. You can actually list the improvements that you noticed even before the interview so that

you will feel well-prepared. Put emphasis on how much you think your guidance helped that

person, but don’t be too conceited about it.

• Justify your answer by providing examples. State other situations where that specific person

(your apprentice) was able to use what you taught him or her. Answers are more believable

when they have justification, so remember to prepare an explanation for your answer.

Having a coach or a mentor can help promote your development as a worker. On the other hand,

being a coach or a mentor can help you achieve self-fulfillment. There’s nothing better than knowing

that you were able to help someone be successful.

Mentoring is a tricky thing: most people want it, but don’t know how to get it. Mentoring is also

loosely defined. Just because someone gives you advice, doesn’t mean they are your

mentor. Mentoring is a responsibility; a commitment that requires valuable time and focused

attention to assure the mentee’s goals are progressing forward. If you have one steady mentor that

is adding value to your career and life, you’re fortunate. Although finding a mentor is difficult and

making it work is even more challenging – the rewards are abundant.

As a mentor of two younger professionals, I must prepare myself for each conversation. When

someone outside of your immediate family depends on you for advice, wisdom and know-how – it

comes with tremendous responsibility. They depend on you and watch your every more. They are

curious and feel connected to you. The more I mentor, I realize this relationship is more serious than

most think – especially given the uncertainty and lack of trust that clouds our society. How you find

a mentor, reaping its rewards and paying it forward represents the many facets of this relationship.

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21

Here are five ways to secure a meaningful mentor and make it matter:

1. Know Your Needs and Be Committed

Once you know what you want from a mentor, you can begin your search. Much like you match job

opportunities with your qualifications, you must do the same with a mentor. Only you know what

your goals, desires, dreams and aspirations are and what type of person can help you get there.

Commit yourself to the search and don’t get distracted. While I realize that finding a mentor can

happen serendipitously - you must create the opportunity. Here are a few questions to ask yourself

if you are stuck:

• Do I associate myself with the right people? Do they add-value to my career?

• Do I belong to the right networking groups? Am I challenging myself or do I just go with

the flow?

• How did my colleagues find their mentors?

• What did it feel like the last time I had a boss who invested in my growth and who helped

me figure things out?

These questions will help calibrate your thinking and get you on the right track. Be committed and

take your time. Understand why a mentor would be important for you and equally begin to think

what value you can add to this relationship.

Mentors do not have to be from the same industry, gender or generation. Open your mind to new

possibilities by working outside of your comfort zone.

2. Invest and Be Responsible

Now that you know your needs and what you can bring to the table, begin to explore where your

mentor can be found. For example, five years ago – I made a career shift and decided to become an

author/thought-leader. I had the credentials but didn’t have the right network. I also needed to find

a person or two that had experienced what it meant to be a thought-leader. I decided to invest and

attend a conference where a notable thought-leader (whose story was similar to mine) was delivering

a keynote. After his speech, he offered the following to the audience of 500 people, “If you need any

help in your journey – I will give you my card if you send me a one-sentence overview that tells me

how you think I can help you.” I was 1 of roughly 100 people that obtained his card. As I found out

later, I was the only person that sent him an email that was clear, focused and responsible. Not only

did Robert become a mentor, he invited me to a CEO Forum where he introduced me to several

people. Two of them are my mentors today.

You must invest in yourself to find the right mentor. Know your needs and how someone can serve

in this capacity. You must be honest with yourself. Learn to be vulnerable.

3. Be Accountable to Yourself and Others

To this day, Robert has been a tremendous mentor. Throughout this journey he has taught me many

lessons about mentoring. His top lesson: be accountable to yourself and others that can benefit from

the lessons learned. In other words, don’t be selfish – and share your hard work and progress. Your

mentor is not a “shrink” – she is someone who is helping you progress forward in your career. Be

mindful that your mentor is monitoring your progress and when you slip, they begin to reevaluate the

time they commit to this precious relationship.

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For example, my mentor Rich and I have a special bond. He knows me well and pushes my

buttons. He works to make me better by stretching my thinking; introducing me to new ways of doing

things better. Not only do I accept the challenge (even when I may not agree with it), but after seeing

the results – I then share my experience with others that can benefit from them. Because Rich is

responsible with his role as my mentor, he is not selfish and opens new doors of opportunity as he

takes note of my progress; opportunities that have allowed me to meet new potential mentors along

the way.

4. Be Selfless and Create Opportunities for Your Mentor

Making the mentor relationship work requires you to equally create new opportunities for your

mentor. The mentor-mentee relationship represents two-sides of the same coin (this is an unwritten

rule in mentorship). Make it a point to create opportunities for your mentor. They can also use your

help, regardless of their success. Get to know their business and their personal goals more

closely. Listen and take note of their needs. Be selfless. A good mentor appreciates it when you can

reciprocate.

Think of ways you can add-value to the relationship beyond sharing the success stories you have

created from their goodwill. Buy them a book, send them a link to an article, connect them with a

friend or someone that can add-value to their goals. Create opportunities for your mentor and

manage them closely. This is why the best mentoring relationships last a lifetime. Because what is

being formed is a special kind of trust that you both greatly appreciate and respect.

5. Make the Relationship Endless

This is more difficult than you might think. As time passes on, your life evolves, your needs change

and the desire for a new mentor may become apparent. However, the mentors that helped you grow

and prosper should never be ignored. In fact, there exists the likelihood that you will have outgrown

the need for a particular mentor. This is when you reach the point of role reversal. This is another

unwritten rule – but the most important one.

Though you may now have different mentors, the relationships you formed with those from the

previous chapters in your life must remain active. For example, my friend Mark will always be

considered a mentor from the earlier years in my career. Though he may not be the right mentor for

my needs today, I continue to live the lessons that he taught me and remind him of how he has shaped

my life and success. Today, Mark is one of my best friends. His wisdom is still enriching and valuable

– but it is the relationship we now have that extends within our families that makes it special.

How you set-forth the expectations of what you seek from a mentor on the front end, allows you to

effectively manage the mentor relationship. You are better equipped to create the opportunity to

find many mentors and make them matter. It takes time and requires a commitment to know your

needs, act responsibly, be accountable and selfless and to assure the relationship lasts a lifetime. This

approach allows you to cultivate a perpetual harvest of mentors that benefit you and those around

you greatly.

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A strategy in response to a less than positive coaching and mentoring experience Coaching and mentoring use the same skills and approach but coaching is short term task-based and

mentoring is a longer term relationship.

The CIPD differentiates between coaching, mentoring and counselling. It is helpful to understand

these differences as, although many of the processes are similar, they are generally delivered by

individuals with different qualifications and different relationships with their client.

The difference can be summarised as follows:

"A coach has some great questions for your answers; a mentor has some great answers for your

questions."

Coaching vs. Mentoring

Mentoring Coaching

Ongoing relationship that can last for a

long period of time

Relationship generally has a set duration

Can be more informal and meetings can

take place as and when the mentee needs

some advice, guidance or support

Generally more structured in nature and meetings

are scheduled on a regular basis

More long-term and takes a broader view

of the person

Short-term (sometimes time-bounded) and

focused on specific development areas/issues

Mentor is usually more experienced and

qualified than the ‘mentee’. Often a senior

person in the organisation who can pass on

knowledge, experience and open doors to

otherwise out-of-reach opportunities

Coaching is generally not performed on the basis

that the coach needs to have direct experience of

their client’s formal occupational role, unless the

coaching is specific and skills-focused

Focus is on career and personal

development

Focus is generally on development/issues at work

Agenda is set by the mentee, with the

mentor providing support and guidance to

prepare them for future roles

The agenda is focused on achieving specific,

immediate goals

Mentoring revolves more around

developing the mentee professional's

career

Coaching revolves more around specific

development areas/issues

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Coaching and mentoring processes

Individual and management development can take place in many forms, some delivered by managers

and some by internal or external coaches, or mentors. Robert Dilts defines the different activities as

follows: -

Guiding: the process of directing an individual or a group along the path leading from present state to

a desired state

Coaching: helping another person to improve awareness, to set and achieve goals in order to improve

a particular behavioural performance

Teaching: helping an individual or group develop cognitive skills and capabilities

Mentoring: helping to shape an individual’s beliefs and values in a positive way; often a longer term

career relationship from someone who has ‘done it before’

Counselling: helping an individual to improve performance by resolving situations from the past.

Differences between counselling and coaching

Counselling, is a highly skilled intervention focused on helping individuals address underlying

psychological problems.

Coaching vs. Counselling

Counselling Coaching

Broader focus and greater depth Narrower focus

Goal is to help people understand the root

causes of long-standing performance

problems/issues at work

The goal is to improve an individual’s performance

at work

A short-term intervention, but can last for

longer time periods due to the breadth of

issues to be addressed

Tends for be a short-term intervention

Counselling can be used to address

psycho-social as well as performance

issues

Coaching does not seek to resolve any underlying

psychological problems. It assumes a person does

not require a psycho-social intervention

The agenda is generally agreed by the

individuals and the counsellor

The agenda is typically set by the individual, but in

agreement/ consultation with the organisation

Other stakeholders are rarely involved Other stakeholders are involved