After my last Meaningful Moments on long term relationships, I had feedback from one of my ex-clients that he thought he might be using coaching as a crutch which made me think I should elucidate.
As I mentioned, with specific objectives in mind, coaching is normally a 6-month development activity. Normally this to help the coachee to the next stage of their career whether it be Team Leader, Manager or Director.
My definition of mentoring is to be there for people, particularly Directors who are in an isolated situation and want a trusted individual to be able to bounce things off, when they might be unsure of themselves. This statement caters for the individuals I mentioned, who most of the time were fine with his own thoughts, he only needing a mentor when: –
A They was trying to put a long-term strategy together
B They had a problem which he wanted to get out of his own head and have another perspective
C faced with situations where they might have been too soft and needed a wakeup call
Other circumstances where I think a mentor can be useful are:
A To put together a business plan
B to ensure the actions are taken to fulfil the business plan
C Accountability – to ensure the leader/entrepreneur is taking the actions he or she might feel uncomfortable taking and not putting it to the bottom of their priority pile
The examples I chose going back to 2008 and 2012 of having long term relationships are very rare. Those cases were very beneficial to all parties as there were many budding stars to bring through as managers and directors, as well as being there occasionally to provide support for the Managing Director in a mentoring capacity.
Normally there comes a time when value isn’t being obtained out of a coaching or mentoring arrangement and it is time for the coachee/mentee to stand on their own feet or sometimes go elsewhere for another perspective and that is OK. I have found many coachees come back a few years later when they have new challenges to face or get to another layer of management.
If you or somebody you know wants to know more about coaching or mentoring please either get in touch or pass on my contact details neil@nvwsolutions.co.uk or look at my website www.nvwsolutions.co.uk – Thank you
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