Mentoring and Coaching Are Essential Talent Development Tools

Did you know that the term, “mentor” comes from the ancient Greek poem, the Odyssey? When Odysseus leaves for the Trojan War, he asks his friend, Mentor, to guide and watch over his son. Later, “mentor” became a term meaning someone who imparts wisdom to a less-experienced colleague. That less-experienced colleague receiving the mentoring is called a protégé, apprentice, or mentee.

Perhaps you have more experience with coaching. If you were on a high school sports or debate team, your coach gave feedback to motivate you to perform better.

Mentoring and coaching are both useful in different situations. Both are one-on-one help to a novice from an expert who is knowledgeable, supportive, respectful, caring, and prepared. Both can be formal or informal. Both use purposeful conversations to elicit professional growth.

The focus of coaching is to improve performance on a specific process or task. It tends to be short-term and outcome-oriented. For example, an expert might help a coworker learn the trickier aspects of a software program.

The focus of mentoring is to develop the whole person. It is more long-term and relationship-oriented. The protégé sets the goals. For example, a senior employee might help a junior employee identify their career aspirations and identify needed training or work assignments to help reach them.

Even if you are not in a formal mentoring or coaching role, you can use coaching and mentoring skills. Key mentoring skills include active listening, empathy, and effective communication. Key coaching skills include motivation, accountability, and feedback.

Many studies show that mentoring and coaching:

• Lead to improved job performance and satisfaction for both mentors and protégés.

• Help employees cope with adverse working situations and protect against burnout.

• Aid retention of new hires.

Best practices in workplace mentoring:

• Formal programs are more effective than informal ones.

• One-on-one mentoring programs with clear beginning and ending dates are the most effective structure.

• Provide guidelines and training for mentors and protégés to set expectations and goals.

Best practices in workplace coaching:

• Define goals collaboratively so everyone is committed and accountable.

• Give regular feedback, both positive and corrective, to keep employees motivated and moving in the right direction.

• Listen with an open mind to employees’ ideas and feedback.

If you are thinking about becoming a mentor, reflect on a time when someone mentored you. How did that person influence your life or career? Why did you follow their advice? Are you ready now to pay it forward?

To learn more, join me on May 20 at the ATD25 International Conference & EXPO for my session, Kick-Start Your Mentoring Program.