What – How – Why?
I am an ‘EXECUTIVE COACH AND LEADERSHIP MENTOR’ which means that:
I will help Senior Managers take advantage of their opportunities and improve their performance to deliver better results
WHAT?
HOW?
I will do this by Coaching senior managers to understand their strengths and realise their ability to turn their perceived challenges into opportunities.
I will help newly appointed 1st line managers develop their people management skills to deliver better results.
I will do this by Mentoring 1st line managers with practical guidance based on experience and research.
I am able to do this because I am an ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) Level 7 Masters qualified Executive Coach, a member of ICF (International Coach Federation) and have a passion for helping people realise their potential
I can draw on many years of experience, managing and leading multi-cultural and multi-functional teams, ranging from blue chip international organisations to tech start-ups.
WHY?
EVERYTHING I DO, IS RESULTS FOCUSSED, PRAGMATIC SUPPORT
WHY COACHING?
To assist overall performance management.
To prepare and support people through a period of change.
To support other Learning and Development tools used in the organisation.
HOW TO BE COACHED?
Decide whether to have an internal or external qualified Coach.
I recommend external as this reinforces the confidentiality and objectivity that is critical to a successful coaching programme.
The qualified, professional coach will:
- Ask questions and listen, without judgement.
- Provide ‘in the moment’ feedback.
- Reflect to the coachee.
- Help set goals and outcomes for the coaching.
- Encourage action and hold the coachee to account.
- Foster coachee led learning.
- Work on the present to create the future.
- Focus on taking action.
- Holding the space for the coachee to explore and experience.
- Ensure transparent communication from the leadership to all involved in the coaching process.
- Ensure a 3-way meeting between the coach, coachee and line manager, to clarify all expectations.
WHY MENTORING?
To assist overall performance management.
When performance is being hampered by a lack of skills.
When an individual is in a role that will benefit from focused 1:1 development.
To support other Learning and Development tools used in the organisation.
HOW TO BE MENTORED?
Decide whether to have an internal or external qualified Mentor.
I recommend external as this provides a ‘neutral’ environment in which the client is more likely to be ready to practise new skills and not fear any failure. However, as compared to coaching I do not believe it is quite so critical to have an external Mentor as the internal Mentor might better understand the specific skills required in specific roles.
The professional Mentor will:
- Share their relevant experiences.
- Guide the mentee through a process.
- Connect to their networks.
- Provide a sounding board.
- Help the mentee explore and navigate organisational politics.
- Provide ‘in the moment’ feedback.
- Help set career goals.
- Work back from the future to create best career path.
- Focus on planning for the future.
- Ensure transparent communication from the leadership to all involved in the mentoring process.
- Ensure a 3-way meeting between the Mentor, mentee, and line manager, to clarify all expectations.
The implementation of Coaching and Mentoring has many similarities, as outlined above.
The key difference is the Rationale for using Coaching or Mentoring. The purpose is different and therefore the organisation or individual must spend enough time to think through why they will benefit from Coaching or from Mentoring.
It is ideal if the professional Coach is also capable of Mentoring in some specific fields too (e.g. Leadership) as that Coach can then work with the organisation/individual to help them determine which managers will benefit from Coaching and which from Mentoring, or indeed which from both.
It follows that the people who will benefit from each are different.
COACHING AUDIENCE:
- Individual who wants to improve their performance through a commitment to their CPD.
- Individual who is facing a period of significant change in the working environment.
- Individual whose performance has recently and inexplicably deteriorated.
- Individual who has a low confidence and motivation level.
MENTORING AUDIENCE:
- Individual who wants to improve their performance through a commitment to their CPD.
- Individual with a defined management skill gap that is affecting performance.
- Individual who is being developed for a new role requiring new skills.
- Individual who has not responded to other training methods (e.g. Shadowing, training course etc)
Both Coaching and Mentoring can be appropriate tools for any organisation because:
Coaching: is the ideal tool for senior managers who have already received extensive skills training and are at a stage of their career development where they will rely most heavily on self-learning. They have the skills for their roles but can be facing other issues that are inhibiting their development and performance.
Encouraging self-awareness through coaching will help all managers challenge themselves to achieve more.
Mentoring: is the ideal tool to deliver more skills-based development for less experienced managers. Such mentoring would be wasted on the more experienced managers who are already delivering good leadership and management results.
However, there will be many opportunities where a Coaching session can incorporate an element of Mentoring too, but this should only be done at the initiative of the Coach/Mentor and with the client’s approval.
