Mentoring relationships, programmes, mentee/mentor skills, mentoring culture
Although mentors and coaches aim to be non-directive – listening and questioning, not telling – there are times, when a more direct, directive intervention may be needed. For example: Normally, we can make them aware of what they are doing by asking them to pause a moment and then using questions, such as: If that...
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Triple loop learning – helping the coachee think more deeply Finding time to think is a luxury for many people – and the more senior they are, the more essential it is for their performance. The problem is that we are so used to shallow, instinctive thinking that we have to work at thinking more (more…)
Read More Triple loop learning – helping the coachee think more deeply
Textbooks on coaching, in particular, talk about “presence” as a key characteristic of effective developmental conversations. Normally, when people talk of presence, they mean the way some people naturally command attention and respect – hence presence, in this interpretation, is a leadership competence. In coaching and mentoring, however, presence has a different meaning. It refers (more…)
Autism is often misunderstood, and while severe cases can be disabling, it’s inaccurate to view everyone on the autistic spectrum as disadvantaged. In fact, high-functioning autistic individuals often possess significant advantages. These can include: However, these abilities can sometimes come with challenges such as: Unlike neurotypical individuals whose brains filter out much of the surrounding (more…)
Read More Coaching and mentoring people on the autistic spectrum
Imposter syndrome affects 70% of adults at some point in their careers. Originaly associated mostly with women in senior positions, when it was identified in the late 1970s,in reality it affects both genders. A formal definition is that is “a colection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that (more…)
Read More Helping the coachee or mentee overcome imposter syndrome
Reverse mentoring is a practical and powerful way for senior professionals to learn from more junior colleagues. There are two primary contexts in which it’s applied: 1. Technical Reverse Mentoring This approach emerged in the 1990s to help senior executives keep pace with technological change, particularly in IT literacy. 2. Diversity-Focused Reverse Mentoring This type (more…)
Mentoring and coaching CEOs A (2018) article in Harvard Business Review proposes six dimensions that define how CEOs exert influence. All of these also seem highly relevant to other leaders – indeed to anyone, who has a large span of control and authority. For coaches and mentors, the dimensions provide a useful framework for reviewing (more…)
Having a helping hand in one’s career is usually beneficial. Boasting about your own achievements can easily backfire – it is far better, when someone else is promoting your cause for you! One option is to find a sponsor, but this comes with several drawbacks: An alternative, somewhere between mentor and sponsor, is to seek (more…)
The health sector has a long history of involvement with mentoring. The first supported mentoring programmes in Europe took place in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), aimed at supporting the integration and retention of young graduate recruits. The NHS and the Health sector continue to pioneer good practice. For example: The international medical charity (more…)
Read More The pivotal role of mentoring and coaching in health services
It makes mentoring a lot easier when the mentee knows exactly where they want to go in their career. The trouble is, many mentees – particularly those in the early stages of their careers – have only a general sense of direction (if that). They may see many different possibilities and may or may not (more…)
Read More What to do when the mentee has no clear career goals
