What is Coaching and Mentoring?

Transformational leadership is the process of gaining performance above expectations by inspiring staff to reach beyond their potential. But what do you use to make that happen in your organization? Do you have a coaching and mentoring program? A coaching and mentoring program can help your employees reach their full potential.

Understanding Coaching and Mentoring

A coach and mentor provides meaning in a job. This person leads by example and inspires others. It’s important to have a coach and mentor at an individual level, whether this person is inside the organization (and who then advocates for us) or not.

You may be wondering, why have a coach and mentor in addition to just having a good manager? Ideally, a great manager is all of the above.

“A coach and a mentor has no other agenda except to see that you grow. And that they will give you the very honest truth without worrying about hurting your feelings. They want you to grow. They want us to be better. And so, as a manager, leader, supervisor—our number one goal is to be a coach and to help our employees and staff members get to a place that is way beyond anything they expected.” Mary Anne Kennedy explained in a recent CER webinar.

“When a staff member feels that their leader is a coach and a mentor (because they are leading by example, because they are providing meaningful work, they inspire me and others)—they get it. The coach part of us gets it.” Kennedy told us.

What is Coaching and Mentoring?

So, what is it anyway? It is no different than anything you would do on a team. Any team requires someone to take the lead. Here are some characteristics of coaching and mentoring:

• It can be formal or informal. Formal might include scheduled 1:1 meetings, performance reviews, etc. Informal coaching includes actions that inspire, and leading by example.
• It is a critical leadership tool to improve performance and encourage employees to perform better.
• It encourages, motivates, advises and develops staff.
• It creates a culture that encourages and supports professional growth. In other words, it is not punitive in nature. Instead, it helps identify opportunities for growth. “Coaching is also a philosophy of employee management. The philosophy leads you to create a climate in your department that encourages and supports professional growth. Again, it’s not supposed to be punitive. In this sense, coaching provides your employees with extra training and assistance they need to take charge of their jobs, their careers.” Kennedy explained.

Here are some of the things coaching does, as outlined by Kennedy during the webinar:

• “Coaching empowers employees to succeed.”
• “Coaching also informs: lets the employees know what they’ve done well and what they need to improve.”
• It teaches employees how to improve by providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
• “It supplements and reinforces the more formal aspects of your training program.”
• “Coaching recognizes and builds on employee accomplishments.”
• It assists in helping in solving job-related problems and improving communication skills.
• It motivates employees and helps them develop a greater level of competence and a greater level of confidence so that they can have a greater contribution to their group, department, or organization.
• It helps develop employee skills and abilities—making it possible for them to grow and advance.
• It empowers them to take charge of their careers and their own accountability.
• It creates a culture that encourages and supports professional growth.

Do you have a coaching and mentoring culture in your organization?

The above information is excerpted from the webinar “Boss-Building Strategies: Essential Steps for Developing a Better Leader.” To register for a future webinar, visit CER webinars.

Mary Anne Kennedy is the principal consultant at MAKHR Consulting, LLC, a full-service human resources advisory firm. MAKHR Consulting provides the full spectrum of HR services and programs, including all aspects of talent acquisition – from the full cycle recruitment process to succession planning and performance management.