An implicit assumption within coaching and mentoring is that the coachee or mentee is motivated to change. That isn’t always the case and even when it is, there is a big difference between externally motivated change (doing something because you have to) and internally motivated change (doing something because you want to). Internally or intrinsically...
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Some years ago, a company, which I was chairman of, acquired its next largest rival at a time when the whole sector was in severe difficulties. The merged company survived and eventually flourished, while many other companies in the sector went out of business. Looking back on what we did right, one of the key...
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If you’d not heard of scientometrics before, you are probably in good company. I only just learned about it through a fascinating article (Samuel Arbesman, Truth Decay, New Scientist, 22 Sept 2012, p37-39) exploring how quickly “facts” in various branches of science turn out to be untrue. Many medical schools, says the author, routinely tell...
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As coaches and mentors, we expect our clients to have and to review regularly a Personal Development Plan. But how do we respond, if they ask us about our own Personal Development Plans as coaches? In a series of workshops with coaches, less than 30% overall say that they have one. Apart from maintaining credibility (more…)
When people glibly say that the mentoring relationship is confidential, what do they mean? In helping hundreds of organizations define confidentiality, here are some of the lessons I’ve learned: • Confidentiality is about confidence — trust in the other person’s discretion and judgement. The greater the level of co-confidence, the higher the level of honesty...
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A recurrent theme in my coaching supervision is the complexity of managing expectations and conversations with other stakeholders in the coaching relationship. The client’s line manager and HR, as well as, in some cases, important peers of the client, all have a view of what the coach should be doing – and this can create...
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How to help coaching/mentoring clients achieve powerful insights The Aha! moment is something that all coaches and mentors relish – the point when there is a sudden and seismic shift in a client’s perception about an issue. It’s almost impossible to predict when it will happen. Sometimes it happens within the coaching/ mentoring conversation; sometimes...
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One of the basic rules for growing and maintaining effective networks is to look out for interesting conversations. I was fortunate recently to encounter, on a guided walk through the mountains of Gran Canaria, the author of a fascinating study on networking within and between firms. His PhD thesis, published in 2009 explored HR practice...
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It’s a question that has occupied philosophers for centuries and one that coaches and mentors often encounter in their conversations with clients. Sometimes, it’s people in the client’s environment, who make stupid decisions; sometimes it’s the client him/herself. But a high proportion of the issues coaches and mentors help people deal with involve smart people...
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Studies have shown that overly altruistic motivations for coaching and mentoring tend to lead to more directive, unconsciously manipulative behaviours in the coach/mentor. “I want to put something back” or “I’ve got a lot of experience to share” may be altruistic in intent, but the underlying drivers are much more closely related to less noble...
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