Tuesday 4 October 2016

What is coaching and mentoring?

Coaching and mentoring are development techniques based on the use of one-to-one discussions to enhance an individual’s skills, knowledge or work performance. It is possible to draw distinctions between coaching and mentoring although in practice the two terms are often used interchangeably.
 

What is coaching?

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defines coaching as the targeting of high performance and improvement at work and usually focuses on specific skills and goals, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s personal attributes such as social interaction or confidence. The process typically lasts for a relatively short defined period of time, or forms the basis of an on-going management style. They say that although there’s a lack of agreement among coaching professionals about precise definitions, there are some generally agreed characteristics of coaching in organisations:
  • it is essentially a non-directive form of development, though this isn’t a hard and fast rule
  • it focuses on improving performance and developing individuals’ skills
  • personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work
  • coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals
  • it provides people with feedback on both their strengths and their weaknesses
  • it is a skilled activity, which should be delivered by people who are trained to do so. This can be line managers and others trained in basic coaching skills

Wikipedia describe coaching in a business setting as follows:
"Business coaching is a type of human resource development for business leaders. It provides positive support, feedback and advice on an individual or group basis to improve personal effectiveness in the business setting. Business coaching is also called executive coaching, corporate coaching or leadership coaching. Coaches help their clients advance towards specific professional goals. These include career transition, interpersonal and professional communication, performance management, organizational effectiveness, managing career and personal changes, developing executive presence, enhancing strategic thinking, dealing effectively with conflict, and building an effective team within an organization. An industrial organizational psychologist is one example of executive coach. Business coaching is not restricted to external experts or providers. Many organizations expect their senior leaders and middle managers to coach their team members to reach higher levels of performance, increased job satisfaction, personal growth, and career development. Research studies suggest that executive coaching has a positive impact on workplace performance. In some countries, there is no certification or licensing required to be a business or executive coach, and membership of a coaching organization is optional. Further, standards and methods of training coaches can vary widely between coaching organizations. Many business coaches refer to themselves as consultants, a broader business relationship than one which exclusively involves coaching.  (source)"

What is mentoring?

The CIPD define the process of Mentoring as one that involves the use of the same models and skills of questioning, listening, clarifying and reframing associated with coaching.

Traditionally, however, mentoring in the workplace has tended to describe a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses his or her greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff. They say that one key distinction is that mentoring relationships tend to be longer term than coaching arrangements. In a succession planning scenario, for example, a regional finance director might be mentored by a group level counterpart over a lengthy period to develop a sound understanding of dealing with the boardroom, presenting to analysts and challenging departmental budgets, all in a supportive environment.

Mentoring relationships work best when they move beyond the directive approach of a senior colleague ‘telling it how it is’, to one where both learn from each other. An effective mentoring relationship is a learning opportunity for both parties. This is particularly productive when used to encourage inclusive working practices and equal opportunities, for example where a senior female or ethnic minority leader mentors a more junior colleague from a similar background. Reverse mentoring (where a more junior colleague mentors a senior leader) can also be effective in encouraging sharing and learning across generations and/or between role levels.

The distinction with counselling

The NHS defines counselling as a type of talking therapy that allows a person to talk about their problems and feelings in a confidential and dependable environment. A counsellor is trained to listen with empathy (by putting themselves in your shoes). They can help you deal with any negative thoughts and feelings you have. Sometimes the term “counselling” is used to refer to talking therapies in general, but counselling is also a type of therapy in its own right.

It can be difficult to draw a clear distinction between the concepts of coaching or mentoring and that of counselling, not least because many of the theoretical underpinnings of coaching are drawn from models associated with counselling.

Next steps


About the Author

Portrait picture of Dan
Daniel Carey has enjoyed a career of training and developing business owners and managers in various aspects of business administration and in management knowledge transfer and best practice. He is a member of the Chartered Management Institute’s Southern Regional Board and has the responsibility for championing mentoring. He is also the chair of Business and Management Wessex.



How important has mentoring been in your career?

Formal and informal mentoring can be an aid to career and skills development for managers. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has relaunched its Mentoring Programme following a two year pilot and this is now available to members.

David Sullivan, Chair of the CMI Southern Region, said: "I was one of the early CMI Mentors and gained a lot of experience and learned so much from my 'mentees'. Hopefully they also benefitted!"

He added: "Both formal and informal mentoring can play a significant role in career and skills development. It can be adapted to the needs of different career stages and work across all industry sectors. The CMI has been able to develop its programme through a two year pilot and members can now register to be mentors or mentees on the relaunched programme."

Jake Durbin, a member of the CMI Southern Board, reflects on how useful mentoring has been in his career development. He said: "Being mentored has been crucial for me, having recently started my management career. It has helped me develop my skills from completing my management degree to working as a manager. I would find it much more difficult without someone to run my ideas past. It has provided an opportunity to provoke deeper thought and reflection within myself.

"As I have become more comfortable in my role, I have been able to use mentoring support to develop answers. It has also been a safe outlet to air the challenges and excitement as my new career has taken off."

He added: "Through the support I have received from being a mentee, I have pushed further, risen higher and kept myself focused on perpetual growth and improvement."

The CMI Southern Regional Board, which covers Hampshire, east Dorset, parts of Wiltshire and West Sussex, and the Channel Islands, runs mentoring events and awareness campaigns. It is producing a resources sheet to help signpost managers to useful information and support members in using the CMI's Management Direct tool in their professional development. If you have case studies or resources you would like to share, please contact the team. The Board is exploring video and audio resources on mentoring and welcomes contact from CMI members in the region who would like to be involved in this project.

The Southern Region has a number of board members who promote understanding and awareness about mentoring. Contact them at the link above.

CMI Mentoring Scheme

acorn and leaf
You can access details and register as a mentor or enquire about being mentored on CMI mentoring.

The CMI Mentoring scheme is provided free to members and volunteer mentors come from within the membership of the institute.

A number of guides to support both mentors and mentees in the programme are provided through CMI's Management Direct website.

Supporting mental health in the workplace

When you hear the phrase ‘mental health’ how do you as a manager react?

Mental health can vary just like an individual's physical health. For many, mental ill-health can prove a short term blip in the same way as breaking an arm. For others, it can be much longer term with severe, debilitating consequences. It is estimated that nearly three in every ten employees will experience a mental health problem in any one year, according to the Mental Health Foundation (MHF). It warns that the recent and dramatic rise in Britain'€™s working hours suggests this is likely to increase.

According to the MHF, "The pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture in the UK is perhaps the biggest and most pressing challenge to the mental health of the general population. The cumulative effect of increased working hours is having an important effect on the lifestyle of a huge number of people, which is likely to prove damaging to their mental well-being."

The MHF's campaign highlights that work related stress costs Britain 10.4 million working days per year. There is also the human cost of unmanaged work related stress. It reports that 13% of the UK working population work 49 hours or more per week. The MHF recommends that a healthy work-life balance is a key way to protect your mental health against the potential detrimental effects of work related stress.

How can my organisation support managers and staff?

Guidance and training to support employers and managers is available through professional institutes and a range of organisations.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) offers briefings and insights to help managers improve awareness of the mental health and well-being of their staff.
Chartered Management Institute's Management Direct resource library

ACAS and the NHS have teamed up to offer a training package and guidance to encourage positive mental health at work.
ACAS' Advice and Guidance on Mental Health

The charity MIND offers advice and workplace training as do many other providers.

Workplace mental health well-being programmes, such as those offered by the charities MIND and Business in the Community, are becoming more commonly used by employers. The programmes can also enhance the attractiveness of the organisation as an employer.

MIND - Workplace Wellbeing
Business in the Community Workwell Model


What's your workplace approach?

How does your organisation support mental health in the workplace? If you are manager in the region and could suggest or write about additional resources, contact Jo Strain, CMI Southern Region lead for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace.

Could your workplace run an initiative or raise awareness during the annual World Mental Health Day or Mental Health Awareness Week?

World Mental Health Day - 10 October

The campaign organisers aim "every year on World Mental Health Day to get the nation talking about mental health, which is one of the best things you can do to look after your mental health."
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/world-mental-health-day
You can follow the campaign on Twitter by following #WMHD16

Exploring how we use time

In autumn 2016, the Mental Health Foundation is exploring the theme of time and how the use of time can profoundly impact on the quality of an individual's mental health. It will be working with a number of organisations to highlight the importance of 'being mindful and taking time out of our busy lives to focus on our own wellbeing.'

Work life balance, Mental Health Foundation

The next Mental Health Awareness Week will be from 8-14 May 2017.



Further reading

These are just some of the resources and articles available online.

(1) MIND http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/

Four ways to improve the mental health of your staff - CMI Insights article (August 2016)

'How not to discriminate - what every manager needs to know' - CMI Insights article (May 2016)

'Managers struggle in always on work culture' - CMI Insights article (January 2016)

Call for mental health first aid - CMI Insights article (2015)

'Bosses are ignoring staff with mental health issues' - CMI Insights article (November 2014)

Article authors: Jo Strain, CMI Southern Region lead for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, and Abha Thakor. Thank you to the Mental Health Foundation for materials about its Work-Life Balance campaign.