Organisational coaching - Global Edulink · 2018-10-24 · • Maximise coaching that already...
Transcript of Organisational coaching - Global Edulink · 2018-10-24 · • Maximise coaching that already...
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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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