522 mentoring

Action plan for own development: targets/goals, short term (up to six months), long term (minimum of 18

Coaching: helping another person to improve awareness, to set and achieve goals in order to improve a particular behavioural performance.

Coaching can take many forms, life coaching, business coaching, performance coaching etc. As with mentoring and counselling it is about helping the individual to gain self awareness, but it is goal focused and action is required so that the individual can move forward. The goal setting process has two components: skill development and psychological development. The outcome sought is that the "coachee" will achieve the goals set, and

Coaches need to have certain skills and knowledge to undertake the role. In my opinion a coach needs to be patient, supportive, interested, aware of others as well as self, attentive and perceptive. Such elements underpin effective coaching and a genuine interest in the person being coached.

One definition of coaching is “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.” (Coaching for performance, Sir John Whitmore 1992). Or to expand on this; Simply defined, coaching is one person guiding another through a process, leading to performance enhancement. The applications can vary, support to achieve a specific project, helping an individual to do better what they already do well, or developing a skill they don't yet possess.

The first coaching model to be critically appraised will be the GROW model. GROW is an acronym for Goals, Reality, Options and Will/Way forward. The GROW model was created by John Whitmore and popularised from his book in 1992, the model proceeds through the four phases, each edging the client closer to their desired goals realistically. Each phase consists with around three or four open questions initiating thought by the client as to what he or she wants and how they will get there. A major advantage of the GROW model is that the questions are fairly simplistic, although they would have to be conducted in a way which followed Whitmore’s techniques they are straight to the point.

To be a good mentor you have to have great qualities like being helpful and being really good at giving good constructive criticism. Whomever you're mentoring should receive information that is both positive and negative. You want to makes sure you give pros and cons so that your mentee can learn from them. (Patterson) Some social activities that you can do in mentoring programs include talking about life experiences, having lunch together, and visiting the mentor's home for a bonding experience. (Wexler) Although most mentoring programs usually have short durations and are claimed to be a “waste of money,” they are beneficial to girls because they prevent peer pressure, diseases, and pregnancies; encourage girls to be more mannerable, respectful, and ladylike; and results in kids being more likely to graduate high school and attend college.

The main difference between a Coach and a Mentor is that, the mentor has a deep personal interest, personally involved for example a friend who cares about the person and the long term development. Whereas a coach develops specific skills for the task, like challenges and performance expectations at work.

Watt, L. (2004). Mentoring and coaching in the workplace: an insight into two leading leadership

This report will determine the value of coaching and mentoring; highlight some factors to consider when developing coaching and mentoring and show models and methods

Mentors serve as a confidant, counselor, guide and advisor to a participant. They share an understanding of the organization, its mission, and the formal and informal operating processes, and share experiences which contributed to their own success, setting an example for the participant to follow. They assist the participant in career development ideas or for pursuing career opportunities. Mentors encourage participants to become more efficient and productive in their career field through self-development and other activities, and suggest appropriate training and developmental opportunities to further the progress of the participant toward leadership positions. The Mentor will provide input to the participant 's supervisor in developing their Individual Development Plan (IDP), helping the participant to set clear, realistic career goals and periodically reviews progress, making constructive suggestions on career development. Vitally important, the Mentor must ensure the mentoring relationship remains visibly and consistently professional. Mentors must ensure that their meetings are for clear purposes related to mentoring, that there is visible progress by the participant toward legitimate mentoring goals, and that office relationships between the mentor and participant

There are fundamental personal qualities, coaching competencies and skills that are needed to become a good coach.

Mentoring is influencing somebody by virtue of one’s manners and expertise. Mentoring involves the influence of a person in terms of his character and knowledge on the life of another person. Mentoring is permanent. Each and every member of the team can have a separate mentor. Coaching is teaching somebody by virtue of one’s experience. A’ becomes the coach of another person ‘B’ when he teaches the nuances of an art or science to ‘B’. Coaching is not permanent. Coaching is normally given to teams as well such as sporting teams. If I were to set up a coaching program, I would advise the CEO to make sure that all mentors are at least two levels above the employee; have a broader experience in the company and the ability to place them into assignments

The chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK (CIPD 2009) reports that 79% of survey respondents are using coaching within their organisation and that 77% say coaching has been increasing in recent years. It is therefore no surprise that the large UK-based customer facing organisation, where I am hypothetically working as a human resources manager, has made a commitment to deliver coaching and mentoring to improve performance over the next two years. The aim of this report is to highlight how coaching and mentoring differs from training, and to also explain how the use of coaching can

The next part of active listening rest on a self-aware coach who distinguishes his or her bias, thoughts, limitations and strengths, a coach who does not permit his/her biases interfere with the complete conceptualization of what the client is saying and feeling. Coaching is about expanding people’s capacity to create the desired future. Coaching is also about taking the client