A Coach, a Mentor... a What?
By
Published in Success Now, Issue 13 Jul/Aug/Sep 1999
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Mentoring can claim a 3000 year headstart on coaching, but both are proving
powerful aids to personal and organisational change and development.
Thinking of a mentor might conjure up visions of a white bearded wiseman in
flowing robes and sandals or Telemachus' adviser in Homer's Odyssey. The image
of a coach is somewhat different: someone critically observing a top athlete,
stopwatch in hand. How can either of these be of any relevance to a company
on the eve of the new Millenium? Evolved from these origins, business coaching
and mentoring are now widely recognised for their impact in leveraging personal
and organisational development. For anyone who needs convincing, imagine having
someone alongside you who is motivated solely to help you succeed; someone immune
from but aware of company dynamics and politics; someone who takes time to listen
and to guide you without any personal or political agenda other than the success
of you and your company. There are few who would not benefit from such a relationship.
Although there are some key differences between coaching and mentoring, the
edges are undoubtedly blurred. Mentoring is often referred to as the 'transfer
of wisdom'. It is the process by which an individual learns from someone who
has worn the same shoes and travelled the same path, someone metaphorically
older and wiser. Often the mentor will work in the same organisation, as Marion
Gillie, partner at Sheppard Moscow, specialists in organisational development,
confirms 'The traditional definition of a mentor is usually somebody more senior
in your own organisation, taking an interest and helping your career path'.
Coaching, on the otherhand, concerns itself with amplifying the individual's
own knowledge and thought processes. It is about creating a supportive environment
in which to challenge and develop critical thinking skills, ideas and behaviours.
Whilst the strength of mentoring lies in the mentor's specific knowledge and
wisdom, in coaching it lies in the facilitation and development of personal
qualities. The coach brings different skills and experience and offers a fresh
perspective - a different viewpoint. In both cases one-to-one attention is the
key. 'It has to do with focused and intensive development absolutely grounded
in the business in a way that even an in-house, tailored training programme
often can't deliver', says Marion Gillie. 'You can, in a one-to-one, focus on
intra-personal issues to a far deeper level than in group environments which
can only look at the superficial'.
Based on these definitions, most coaches and mentors agree that a good coach
will also mentor and a good mentor will coach, as appropriate to the situation
and the relationship. In considering the best fit, therefore, the two approaches
should be regarded as synergistic and complementary, rather than mutually exclusive.
Organisations implement coaching and mentoring at all levels of a company structure,
from graduate recruits to the Chairman. However, as with any programme or initiative,
success is dependent ultimately on a high degree of senior level buy-in and
commitment. Without such support, programmes risk death through lack of co-ordination
and focus or even disruption by power groups or individuals seeking political
gain.
For the Senior Executive
In employing a coach or mentor, the senior executive needs to consider a number
of factors. The first key consideration is the objective - what am I hoping
to achieve? Coaching and mentoring services are often required at times of significant
organisational or personal change, for instance on promotion to board level.
Many new Directors face a variety of challenges, from how to behave with former
peers who are now subordinates through to operating more strategically. Whether
the requirement is driven by the individual or the company, the choices are
numerous. For instance, is it appropriate to engage a member of the same organisation,
a peer within a different company via an exchange scheme or professional mentor
or coach? There are no hard and fast rules: there are benefits and drawbacks
to each.
An internal mentor can be a powerful aide in providing admittance to parts
of the organisation otherwise inaccessible. Their strength comes from their
detailed and specific internal knowledge but this can evidently pose some issues
in terms of company politics and matters of confidentiality. A mentor who comes
from another organisation brings different benefits, particularly in offering
alternative perspectives and insights. The downside is that mentoring relationships
are not always easy to establish and maintain and can peeter out if they are
not formalised at the outset and managed appropriately.
The alternative is to employ a professional coach or mentor. The benefits are
gained from working with an individual who is highly skilled as well as experienced
in managing such relationships. Drawbacks are that an external coach may not
be able to leverage opportunities for networking and inside track promotion.
The growth of coaching as a means of organisational development and training
is not insignificant with many prestigious organisations opting to fund one-to-one
programmes for entire senior or middle management teams. Others provide board
members with a personal, external mentor or coach to facilitate improvements
in key interpersonal skills such as communication and co-operation within a
team environment. Using this approach, a leading china manufacturer is gaining
considerable benefit in examining, understanding and evolving how the board
members operate as a cohesive team.
For the senior executive, the coach is an ideal sounding board and a powerful
facilitator for personal growth along with behavioural and attitudinal change.
He or she is an objective partner who will support and yet challenge views,
behaviours and attitudes in a constructive manner. Above all, the executive
gains an ally whose primary motivation is their success.
Organisation-wide Coaching Programmes
Whilst it has been established that a fine line differentiates coaching from
mentoring at senior management level, the distinctions are clearer when one
examines company-wide schemes.
Coaching programmes are generally implemented at times of change or rapid growth.
Results can be phenomenal. Companies developing a strong coaching culture demonstrate
a strong commitment to empowering their employees to learn and grow. These companies
are rewarded with greater loyalty, involvement and commitment, which in tangible
terms are manifested in increased motivation, effectiveness and professionalism
of both individuals and groups.
Whilst an increasing number of organisations are introducing coaching as the
basis of their staff development programmes, a small number of forward-thinking
companies have gone one step further. One such company is Mitel Telecom. Four
years ago they replaced their hierarchical management structure with a coaching
model. Mike Ford, Sales Director, explains 'We established that the traditional
hierarchy was too costly and that we needed a flatter structure. There's no
right or wrong, but we felt that the only successful management style for us
moving forward was coaching. It means that we share a lot more information on
strategic things like business planning and new ventures with our staff early
on, before final decisions have been made. Whilst this can mean more to-ing
and fro-ing the result is almost always an improved idea'. The benefits have
also been realised in employee attitudes. 'We have high levels of motivation
and morale and when you have that you have better performance. The coach gives
all the power to the people in the team. Their role is totally unselfish - they
are there purely to make their people better in terms of both skills and performance.
As a result, our people are able to make their own decisions and have the courage
and confidence to do so - it saves me an awful lot of time!'
Whilst many organisations recognise the advantages of this approach, the realities
of cost-cutting and rationalisation have limited the time individual managers
can invest in their people. Introducing external coaches can be effective alternative,
enabling the company to adopt the coaching model in-house gradually over a period
of time with support from an experienced team of facilitators.
Coaching is designed to empower each individual to understand their potential
and to identify how they can achieve it. Through developing a sound understanding
of the protegé, the coach knows when to support and when to stretch,
when to challenge and when to guide. Working on a one-to-one basis, coach and
coachee collaborate to set and achieve key development objectives, taking into
account the needs of the organisation as well as the experience, maturity, knowledge
and career path of the individual. Coaching encourages the creation of goals,
which can then be broken down into manageable, measurable steps. To support
this, coaching is delivered on a 'little and often' basis through a combination
of face-to-face sessions, telephone and email feedback and 'on-the-job' observation.
A coach will require each individual to examine and adapt their approach and
to seek fresh ideas for boosting performance and personal job satisfaction.
Attachmate Sales UK, part of the world's largest privately owned software company,
is just one organisation which has benefited significantly from coaching and
exceeded revenue targets last financial year to prove it! Fundamental to this
success have been the retention, motivation and development of key staff. Ian
Wells, Country Manager, believes that '[Coaches] help us develop our staff at
a pace that suits the changing needs of our business - and we can bounce ideas
off them whenever we want. In addition, my staff like the personal attention
that coaching brings, and consequently are motivated to use their coach to challenge
their approach and technique far more than they would with traditional training'.
Sue Smith, Commercial Director of Hanover Computer Systems, providers of IT
solutions in the AS400 and PC arenas, points out another key benefit of employing
an external coach. 'Our coach has become a member of the team. As with other
outsourcing projects, the contractor has the incentive to maintain focus and
enthusiasm for the job in hand - where an employee might not! Of course the
ultimate goal is to have a happy, overachieving professional salesforce, which
we are steadily working towards'.
Organisation-wide mentoring Schemes
Whilst coaching programmes are to do with empowerment and motivation of the
individual, mentoring is concerned primarily with the transfer of key skills
and with the provision of a formal structure for guidance through the company's
procedures, culture and politics. Graduate mentoring schemes are one of the
most common with graduates often mentored by a member of a previous year's intake.
Such a mentor is able to hand-hold the new starter through their first months
and may even continue to provide support for many years to follow. >From guidance
as to whom to approach for specific requirements to how to complete company
paperwork, the mentor is on-hand to answer questions and transfer their knowledge.
Mentoring schemes are not just for new-hires though, they can be highly effective
throughout the organisation.
In an age where 'a job for life' is no longer an option for either company
or employee, organisations need to ensure that they retain staff as long as
practical and that they manage the transfer of skills and knowledge throughout
the business. Evidently the objective should be for the mentee to become as
knowledgeable as the mentor. Many technology-based companies recognise the importance
of mentoring and particularly peer-based 'buddy' systems to share and develop
technical expertise. Interestingly, in the case of global corporations, such
approaches are driven by the demands of organisational structure, such as 'follow-the-sun'
worldwide help desks which require that the same level of technical support
be seamlessly delivered from a number of support centres across the globe.
Implementation
It is unfortunate that coaching and mentoring relationships do not typically
occur automatically. Both require careful consideration of requirements, expectations
and objectives. Format, content and timescales need to be formally agreed. They
are dependent on mutual respect and empathy between both parties and underpinned
by a shared commitment to achieving results.
For this reason, it may be appropriate to use a third party to assist with the design and implementation of the scheme, whether it be based on a coaching or mentoring model. This could be a specialist within the HR department or one of the many organisations offering mentoring and coaching services, from the 'big players' to the independent 'one person' practices. Finding the right match is important: not only must there be rapport between the two parties but the external mentor or coach must also immerse themselves in the culture and understand the challenges facing the organisation The internal mentor, meanwhile, must demonstrate strong and appropriate communication and interpersonal skills. If these factors are not present, programmes remain superficial and short-lived, with little opportunity for measurement. Assisting companies in finding the right approach is a new Web-based service. The Coaching & Mentoring Network offers free on-line access at to a growing database of coaches and mentors both in the UK and overseas and operating in a variety of fields.
In conclusion, both coaching and mentoring have much to commend them. Benefits may be gained from utilising different approaches across the organisation. A newly appointed MD may employ a mentor to assist him in his development into the role, he may also create an internal mentoring scheme within the R&D department and implement an external coaching programme for the sales division.
Whatever the schemes may be called, one-to-one development can be a powerful organisational and personal development tool, assisting forward-thinking companies maximise success in the new Millennium. The key is to define the aim and objective and to implement a programme designed from the outset to achieve specific measurable benefits. In terms of the original question of coaching or mentoring or both? As Marion Gillie of Sheppard Moscow emphasises 'The labels don't matter - it's the process the counts'.
Anna is a co-founder and director of the and Lauriate
Coaching Ltd which specialises in designing and delivering corporate coaching
and mentoring programmes.
She is a conference presenter and writes regularly on coaching and mentoring for professional journals including
the Institute of Sales & Marketing Management, Success Now and is the regular
Sales Coach for Infomatics.
She has been assessed and awarded Fellowship of the Institute of Sales and Marketing
Management (FInstSMM).
Anna can be contacted at
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