Who is in your circle of influence? Building relationships and making the right connections are key skills for professional longevity and success. This process takes time, planning, and commitment. We create these opportunities by exploring ways to exchange value. As we expand our circles, we access opportunities, knowledge, and greater work satisfaction. Executive coaching and mentoring are powerful ways to build a support network, access valuable resources, and gain insights into decisions and strategies. These relationships help build capacity to manage self and others and navigate through professional triumphs and challenges. This workshop will show you how to build networks, get and become mentors, and share real executive coaching techniques that will help you now.
At the end of this session participants will be able to:
a. Customize your own “power network” plan
b. Identify strategies to capitalize on creative partnerships
c. Explore ways to access great mentors and executive coaches
d. Explore executive and mentoring questions, techniques, and advice
2. By definition…
Executive coaching is an experiential and
individualized leader development process
that builds a leader’s capability to achieve
short- and long-term organizational goals.
Source: The Executive Coaching Forum Handbook, 2013
4. Three Levels of Learning
Tactical problem solving
Developing leadership capabilities and new ways
of thinking and acting that generalize to other
situations and roles
“Learning how to learn”: developing skills and
habits of self-reflection that ensure that
learning will continue after coaching ends
Source: The Executive Coach Forum Handbook, 2013
5. Mentoring
By definition…
an experienced person (the mentor) assists
another (the mentoree) in developing
specific skills and knowledge that will
enhance the less-experienced person’s
professional and personal growth.
Source: Coaching Vs. Mentoring: ”25 Ways They are Different”, 2 nd. edition, Management Mentors
7. Coaching Considerations
When a leader or executive needs assistance in acquiring a new skill as an
additional responsibility
When a company is seeking to develop its employees in specific
competencies using performance management tools and involving the
immediate manager
When a company has a number of talented employees who are not meeting
expectations
When a company is introducing a new system or program
When a company has a small group of individuals (5-8) in need of increased
competency in specific areas
8. Mentoring Considerations
When a company is seeking to develop its leaders or talent pool as part of
succession planning
When a company seeks to develop its diverse employees to remove
barriers that hinder their success
When a company seeks to more completely develop its employees in ways
that are additional to the acquisition of specific skills/competencies
When a company seeks to retain its internal expertise and experience
residing in its baby boomer employees for future generations
When a company wants to create a workforce that balances the
professional and the personal
9. Key Considerations for Coaching
Background/Credentials/Experience
Skills/Specialization
Track Record/References
Chemistry: Do you connect?
Source: Gwen Moran, “Four Things to Consider Before Hiring An Executive Coach”, Sept. 2013
10. Types of Mentorship
Buddy/ Peer Mentoring
Career Mentoring
Life Mentoring
Source: Anthony K. Tjan, “Keeping Great People with Three Kinds of Mentors”
11. Mentorship Guidelines
Do:
Build a cadre of people you can turn to for advice when you need it
Nurture relationships with people whose perspectives you respect
Think of mentoring as both a long-term and short-term arrangement
Don’t:
Assume that because you are successful or experienced in your field that you don’t need
a mentor
Rely on one person to help guide you in your career
Expect to receive mentoring without providing anything in return
Source: Amy Gallo, “Demystifying Mentoring”
14. Contact Information
Melissa Weathersby, MBA
Be A Better Steward- Professional Mentor/Life Coach
Melissa@BeABetterSteward.com
Mike Powell, VP Organizational Development & Training
Powell Consulting Group
mike.powell@pcgconsults.com
Dr. Kay Porter, Program Manager
Oklahoma State University
kay.porter@okstate.edu
Hinweis der Redaktion
It is conducted through one-on-one and/or group interactions, driven by data from multiple perspectives, and based on mutual trust and respect. The organization, an executive, and the executive coach work in partnership to achieve maximum impact.
Because it is often lonely at the top, many executives feel restrained and isolated and are rightly concerned about sharing their issues in-house for fear they will not remain private. They may be tired of the pressure, the numbers game, the maneuverings or the public relations facade. They may have been subtlety told their management or leadership skills need improving. Or, they are looking to forge new opportunities for themselves. There is no doubt that for these individuals the stakes are high. At the same time, there is an increasing need stop thinking about their concerns and start doing something.
Executive coaching involves three levels of learning:1. Tactical problem solving2. Developing leadership capabilities and new ways of thinking and acting that generalizeto other situations and roles3. “Learning how to learn”: developing skills and habits of self-reflection that ensure thatlearning will continue after coaching ends.The third level is an important and sometimes overlooked goal of coaching. Its aims are toeliminate an executive's long-term dependency on his coach and teach habits of learning andself-reflection that will last a lifetime, enabling him to keep developing throughout his career.
Coaching and Mentoring look similar by definition, however, they are different.
Coaching is task oriented. The focus is on concrete issues, such as managing more effectively, speaking more articulately, and learning how to think strategically. This requires a content expert (coach) who is capable of teaching the coachee how to develop these skills.Mentoring is relationship oriented. It seeks to provide a safe environment where the mentoree shares whatever issues affect his or her professional and personal success. Although specific learning goals or competencies may be used as a basis for creating the relationship, its focus goes beyond these areas to include things, such as work/life balance, self-confidence, self-perception, and how the personal influences the professional.Differentiator #2:Coaching is short term. A coach can successfully be involved with a coachee for a short period of time, maybe even just a few sessions. The coaching lasts for as long as is needed, depending on the purpose of the coaching relationship.Mentoring is always long term. Mentoring, to be successful, requires time in which both partners can learn about one another and build a climate of trust that creates an environment in which the mentoree can feel secure in sharing the real issues that impact his or her success. Successful mentoring relationships last nine months to a year.Differentiator #3:Coaching is performance driven. The purpose of coaching is to improve the individual's performance on the job. This involves either enhancing current skills or acquiring new skills. Once the coachee successfully acquires the skills, the coach is no longer needed.Mentoring is development driven. Its purpose is to develop the individual not only for the current job, but also for the future. This distinction differentiates the role of the immediate manager and that of the mentor. It also reduces the possibility of creating conflict between the employee's manager and the mentor.Differentiator #4:Coaching does not require design. Coaching can be conducted almost immediately on any given topic. If a company seeks to provide coaching to a large group of individuals, then certainly an amount of design is involved in order to determine the competency area, expertise needed, and assessment tools used, but this does not necessarily require a long lead-time to actually implement the coaching program.Mentoring requires a design phase in order to determine the strategic purpose for mentoring, the focus areas of the relationship, the specific mentoring models, and the specific components that will guide the relationship, especially the matching process.Differentiator # 5: The coachee's immediate manager is a critical partner in coaching. She or he often provides the coach with feedback on areas in which his or her employee is in need of coaching. This coach uses this information to guide the coaching processIn mentoring, the immediate manager is indirectly involved. Although she or he may offer suggestions to the employee on how to best use the mentoring experience or may provide a recommendation to the matching committee on what would constitute a good match, the manager has no link to the mentor and they do not communicate at all during the mentoring relationship. This helps maintain the mentoring relationship's integrity.
WHEN SHOULD I CONSIDER HIRING A COACH?
WHEN SHOULD I CONSIDER GETTING A MENTOR?
1. Buddy / Peer Mentors This is the starting point for mentoring, where it is less about mentorship and more about an apprenticeship. During the entry-level, early stages of a career, or when “on-boarding” to a new job, what really benefits someone is a “buddy” or peer-based mentor who can help one get up the learning curve faster. This type of peer mentor is focused on helping with specific skills and basic organizational practices of “this is how it is done here.” This can happen to some extent informally, through social and professional networks online and offline. But assigning a buddy day one on someone’s new job is a great “I care” practice. This is a high frequency mentor who interacts as needed in those first couple of years.2. Career Mentors After the initial period at a workplace, employees need to have someone who is senior to them to serve as a career advisor and internal advocate. A career mentor should help reinforce how the mentee’s job contributions fit into the bigger picture and purpose of the firm. People don’t contextualize the purpose of one’s career enough. When people feel that they understand their current role, its impact and where it can take them next in a company, it leads to higher levels of satisfaction and motivation. Note that a career mentor is not necessarily the manager who may be doing the mentee’s performance evaluation reviews. In fact, it may be better if it is not. Think of your most respected managers and rising stars — your real people people — who enjoy and are willing to spend the extra time to provide counsel as go to career mentors. In a career mentor, an employee should feel that they have an “I’ve got your back” advocate and advisor inside the company. Career mentors should look to meet with their mentee semi-annually or quarterly.3. Life Mentors These may be the most important mentors to have. They can be people inside the mentee’s company, but also outside. As people reach mid- and senior stages of their careers, they need to have someone in whom they can confide without feeling that there is any bias. This is someone who can be a periodic sounding board when one is faced with a difficult career challenge, or when is considering changing jobs. A company’s alumni network is often a good place for life mentors, but employees should be encouraged to find these mentors outside of a firm’s affiliation as well. The senior folks at a company should make it a part of their objectives to be a life mentor to rising stars, and to put younger associates in situations where they can meet some of the firm’s institutional relationship network. Most of the better strategic consulting firms do a decent job of this as they make regular efforts to expose current employees to their firm’s alumni and other relations. Retention would likely go up in many companies if employers demonstrated that they openly and fearlessly tried to do what is best for the employee — that they saw their employees as being as important as their customers. Companies should want to do what is best for their employees even if that means helping look for a job elsewhere. Life mentors do not supplant career mentors or peer mentors (and in some cases may be one and the same), but they are there to impart career wisdom. And whatever your employer does, you should look for at least one life mentor (if not a small council of them), and ideally set an annual dinner meeting with her, him, or them.