Once people have experienced a good mentoring relationship, they often seek to build a portfolio of mentoring relationships. These relationships often overlap in time and scope and may vary from short-term, relatively narrow focus to longer-term, broad focus. These relationships may be ad hoc, unplanned and vaguely defined (or not even seen as mentoring at...
The purpose of a Code of Conduct is to provide a guideline on what is acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour within a mentoring relationship. The suggested Code below applies both during and after the relationship – the obligations of both parties continue once the relationship has achieved its purpose. © David Clutterbuck, 2014...
There is a lot of vested interest by people, who promote particular services, to claim the moral high ground for whatever they do. So it is easy to find exactly the opposite distinctions being claimed with equal forcefulness. The reality is a lot more complex. Just as there is more than one model of mentoring, (more…)
Read More What is the difference between coaching and mentoring?
The term coach originated in the nineteenth century – the first recorded mention is in a novel by Thackeray in 1849. It is therefore a much more recent concept than mentoring, although it is possible to find links with a variety of ancient philosophies. A coach at this time was a form of tutor, working (more…)
First meeting agenda for coaching/mentoring The aims of the first coaching / mentoring meeting are to: Get to know each other and begin to establish trust and rapport Agree the broad purpose of the coaching/mentoring relations Agree the ground rules for the relationship Getting to know each other Many relationships struggle to get off the (more…)
Read More Making a success of the first coaching / mentoring session
Recommended good practice is to spend at least 15 to 20 minutes preparing for a coaching session. This time should be spent: Reviewing previous coaching conversations with this coachee and planning how to approach this session Reflecting on the questions, which might give them insight into the issue they are bringing for discussion today. (It (more…)
It is good practice to review your coaching relationship at regular intervals. This will ensure you keep a check on how the relationship itself is working and on what progress is being made on achieving the objectives you set at the outset (and how those objectives may have changed). Ideally, a first review would take...
Where and when you hold a coaching conversation can make a significant difference to the quality of the learning that takes place. Practical guidelines: © David Clutterbuck. All rights reserved...
Practical ways to determine when coaching will be useful The range of situations, when coaching can be helpful, is almost endless. Basically, any time that you see a colleague struggling, or trying to work their way through difficult choices, you can offer coaching. And any time you sense that an improvement in your skills, performance...
Here are some tips for the coachee to maximise the potential of being coached by your line manager: Acknowledge the coach’s potential to help: Everyone likes to feel useful and wanted. Making this explicit raises the boss’s sense of the value of spending time coaching you. See the coaching session as an opportunity to enhance...