If you're not sure if coaching or mentoring are right for you - or what to expect from such a relationship - then help is at hand...

Before you start looking

Professional coaching and mentoring, like all professional services, attracts a commensurate fee. If the coach or mentor is creative they will work with you to strike a balance between your ideal requirements and what you are able to afford right now. It is not just the cost of the programme that must be taken into consideration, but also your motivation to change and how much time you are prepared to commit both to the coaching or mentoring process and also to achieve ‘assignments’ in between.

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Questions to ask yourself

• What personal benefits or performance improvements are desired? If it is a company programme think about what you want personally as well as what the company is likely to expect you to achieve.
• Who will be paying for the programme, will it be you or your company?
• How much are either you or your company able to spend, in total, on your development?
• What proportion of this budget can be allocated to coaching or mentoring?

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Structure and length of the programme

Ideally a programme should be designed to suit your precise needs in terms of structure, content, style of delivery and overall duration. This may sound a bit vague, but a programme could last from a few weeks to many years. There is a great deal of flexibility in coach or mentor programme design and it will usually depend on your needs.

If you feel there is a discrepancy between what you want to achieve and your available budget or time, consider breaking down your objectives into individual goals or steps which you can approach individually. One way of doing this is to focus purely on the issue of finding enough free time and/or capital to engage in this process at the level you would like. When this has been achieved you can move forward onto some of the other goals you would like to achieve.

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Delivery method

Whether the programme is face-to-face, email, telephone or video based or a mixture or these this is likely to impact on both the cost and the effectiveness of the programme. Email and telephone on are often less expensive than programmes conducted entirely face-to-face. Video-conferencing is becoming more accessible with simple PC solutions although the best video-conferencing equipment, which allows real-time streaming of images (just like you see on the television), is still very expensive and may only be available in a business centre or large organisation. The more affordable solutions give a clear, but slightly 'jerky' image stream.

Email and telephone coaching and mentoring are, however, considered by some coaches and mentors to be insufficient for all coaching needs and it may not be appropriate or desirable to conduct a programme either totally or in part over the telephone or by email. There is strong debate about the effectiveness of different methods and it depends on what you, as the client, feel comfortable with and what works best for you. Ultimately, a programme should be designed and delivered creatively and flexibly to meet your needs personal preferences and learning style.

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Qualifications & Experience of the Coach or Mentor

There are now a number of excellent training options for coaches and mentors and those new to the profession have a wide range of options to choose from. Most of the professionals delivering services do not, however, possess one of these newer coach/mentor specific qualifications as they are a relatively recent training option. In these cases it is worthwhile examining formal qualifications and experience.

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Relevant training and backgrounds for Coaches and Mentors

Listed below are some of the academic and professional qualifications which are applicable to coaching and mentoring:

• Coaching and Mentoring
• Business/occupational psychology
• Sports psychology
• General psychology
• Management
• Management Development
• Training and Development
• Management & Leadership
• Human Resources Development
• Personal Development

If you are considering employing a coach or mentor for the specific transfer of skills it is worthwhile looking at other qualifications and experience that qualify them to coach you.

It is also worth considering the profile of your coach or mentor. Some enjoy considerable media attention. This may take the form of speaking on the conference circuit, publishing books or being a well-known business leader. Others coaches and mentors have built highly successful businesses but are unknown outside their client circle. Again, finding the right coach for your needs is the most important issue and should transcend this fact.

NB If your coach or mentor is not registered with The Coaching & Mentoring Network, where all qualifications listed have been verified, we strongly recommend that it is good practice to gain direct evidence that people possess the memberships and qualifications they claim to have.

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References & testimonials

Many coaches and mentors will ask previous clients to provide references and testimonials and will happily make these available to you. Talking to a coach or mentor's previous clients is probably the best way to find out about the benefits of coaching and mentoring and the style and skills of the specific professional in question. Coaches and mentors also use a variety of styles and tools that may or may not suit you so it is worth asking about this area specifically.

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Contracts with the coach or mentor

A written agreement or ‘contract’ is very important as this document will set out in writing what services you have agreed to pay for and what outcomes and deliverables you are entitled to expect for the money you have paid.

The agreement will also outline issues such as termination and what monies you will owe if you decide not to continue with the programme, as well as the compensation or reduction of fees you may be entitled to if elements of the programme are not delivered. It also outlines the etiquette and expectations both parties can expect from each other.

Coach and mentors registered with The Coaching & Mentoring Network are bound by a code of practice to use formal agreements and coaching contracts.

More about coaching contracts

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Do I really need a professional coach or mentor?

Coachs and mentors can also be found within the circle of friends, family or colleagues and it is not strictly necessary to engage in a formal programme. People are, however, tending to opt for formal programmes as, although it is possible to mentor someone who is close to you, it takes a high degree of maturity and expertise to do so effectively.

The Sunday Times runs a regular column called Me and My Mentor. This looks at a different mentoring relationship each month. Along with professional mentors, philanthropic mentoring relationships are also featured, where husbands & wives, mothers & daughters, business partners & friends have mentored each other successfully.

Many people in our society do not have access to those who do possess the maturity, willingness or skills to coach or mentor them, so formal community or professional mentoring programmes are, in the vast majority of cases, the best option.

If you do have someone close to you who is able to objectively and non-judgementally assist you in your development then you are very fortunate and should make full use of this unique and wonderful opportunity.