on a high note

By Maribel Aglipay,  CICP Principal Partner (as published by the Philippine Society for Training and Development, November 2015)   

The 2015 theme of the PSTD Summit, “The Changing World of the Trainer” aptly recognizes the transformation that has taken place in the world of work in the last two decades. For us in the learning and development (L&D) community, the practice is no longer what it used to be and justly so for it to be responsive to the greater demands of our bosses, changing expectations of our customers and new challenges in the field.  Today, as we have never experienced before, there is a need to train a continuous flow of people who require more competencies with higher levels of proficiencies in the shortest possible time. Thus, with limited resources (manpower, budget, and time) L&D practitioners are compelled to bring learning from the classroom to the workplace to meet this challenge, giving rise to the term “workplace learning and performance” (WLP). Coaching and mentoring are two WLP strategies that offer customized, just-in-time learning that is, at the same time, cost-effective in the long run. Workplace coaching and mentoring, as learning interventions, have been around for many years and because of this, most L&D practitioners and leaders think they know what coaching and mentoring are and how these work. But the arena of coaching and mentoring has also evolved over the last two decades, shifting configuration to keep up with the new paradigms of learning, changing demographics of the working class and advances in technology. Here are some out-dated concepts of these two practices that prevent organizations from maximizing the benefits they can derive from these two WLP strategies.   

Old-School Concept #1. Coaching or mentoring is telling people what to do. 

Because coaching takes its roots from sports coaching, it conjures images of a coach telling his players what to do in the playing field in order to win. Far from this, the current model of workplace coaching is non-directive conversations aimed at helping coachees find their own answer to job issues and concerns. Therefore, the task of the coach is not to tell but to ask powerful questions that will enable the coachee to arrive at a solution or course of action that the coachee can own. A coach’s role is to facilitate the thinking and reflection of the coachee that would lead to self-discovery. Similarly, mentoring is thought of as the process whereby an older executives moulds high potential employees or emerging leaders to follow their path to success. In contrast, modern mentoring does not attempt to create clones of top executives. Instead, it seeks to provide a space to think for mentees to help them draw insights for their own personal and professional growth. The task of the mentor is more listening than talking about his experience. The mentor, therefore, acts as a caring companion in mentee’s learning journey towards his career goals.  Coaching and mentoring are, in the contemporary sense, just conversations between learning partners or learning alliances. Mentoring particularly is reciprocal and collaborative, i.e., even the mentor learns from the interaction. Mentor gains include interpersonal and leadership skills, efficient and flexible communication skills, ability to see things from a different perspective and empathy.  The learning partners are mutually responsible and accountable for the achievement of the coachee/mentee learning goal which is agreed upon at the beginning of the mentoring relationship. This means mentoring is goal-focused and outcome-oriented, not just a free-flowing social conversation. Coaching and mentoring are not actions done by a senior executive directed at a junior staff; rather, the junior staff drives the relationship. The initiative to carry-on the conversation must come from the coachee/mentee as an indication of his/her commitment to the learning goal.  In some instances, the coachee/mentee may be more senior than the coach/mentor. This is called “reverse mentoring.” An example would be a younger (Generation Y) employee being matched with a senior executive (Boomer or pre-Boomer) to offer technical guidance in the effective uses of social media to educate clients, or internal training through interactive web-based learning.   

Old-School Concept #2. There is a defined way of delivering coaching or mentoring.   

The traditional concept of coaching and mentoring is a face-to-face, one-on-one interaction between two people who are in many ways similar to each other to ensure good rapport.  Presently there are many ways to configure workplace coaching and mentoring depending on the purpose the intervention serves. It may be formal or informal; a face-to-face interaction or through an electronic medium; there is one-on-one interaction, team coaching/mentoring, or mentoring circles (people mentoring one another).  Another variation may be who is providing the coaching/mentoring function. For some organizations it could be the immediate boss, others an offline superior, a peer, or given a budget, it could be an external coach/mentor that the organization engages. Each set-up would have its advantages and disadvantages. The best option may depend on the objective of the intervention, the resources  available as well as the culture of the organization.As for matching learning partners, studies have shown that matching people from different fields, experiences and background can add value to the relationship as the coach/mentor can provide a different perspective to issues and enhance discussions by bringing in fresh ideas or a new dimension or facet of understanding. Should an employee have only one coach or mentor over his/her career lifetime? Certainly not. It is even desirable to have more than one coach or mentor and sometimes have them simultaneously. Some mentors are better “helpers” in a particular career transitions simply because they themselves have gone through a parallel experience. They are better able to empathize and ease the journey of the mentee.   

Old-School Concept #3. Only specific groups of employees need coaching and mentoring.

Historically, coaching was associated with new hires who are just learning the ropes of the job or individuals who are unable to perform up to standards. At the extreme, coaching was associated with problem performers. This impression may be due to some bosses of the past who labelled reprimanding erring employees as a “coaching session.” In this case being coached is sometimes likened to being called to the “principal’s office for a scolding.”  Meanwhile mentoring was usually associated with the development of high-potential employees or management trainees. Being in a mentoring relationship was glamorous because the mentees would have direct access to the seats of power in the organization. But this lead to the feeling of resentment and alienation of employees who were not included in the mentoring program. Today everyone can benefit from having a coach/mentor. If we embrace the updated definition of coaching and mentoring, that of being developmental conversations, then everybody could profit from deep and sparkling conversations that inspire, energize and empower. Ideally workplace coaching begins with the top level managers receiving executive coaching themselves. Their first-hand experience provides them a role model to conduct coaching and mentoring for their own direct reports. Then this is cascaded down to the lower levels of the organization.

Old-School Concept #4. Coaching and mentoring are mutually exclusive   

Many arguments have transpired because some L&D professionals want to be purist in defining their field of practice as either coaching or mentoring. Of late, however, the lines between coaching and mentoring have blurred because these two interventions share many commonalities.  Both are processes meant to support to an individual’s personal and professional/career development by enabling adult learning. Both coaching and mentoring are relational or relationship-based, meaning it is not merely a technique used by someone on another person but an interaction based on trust and respect. The skills set needed in both interventions are the similar.  These are listening, questioning to evoke insight, goal setting and feedback. Because coaching and mentoring are so akin to each other, the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) describe both the coach and the mentor as experts “in establishing a relationship with people in a series of conversations with the purpose of serving the clients to improve their performance or enhance their personal development or both, choosing their own goals and ways of doing it’ (EMCC, 2011: 3)” (Law, 2013). Experts today consider coaching and mentoring as complementing activities for talent management (Connor, M. and Pokora J., 2007). They are so inseparably linked that they are best viewed as a single process (Pask and Joy, 2007) or mutually supportive elements in the developmental package (Clutterbuck, 2014). Since coaching looks like mentoring and vice versa, what some organizations consider coaching might be called mentoring in another organization.  What is important is clarity between the two partners in a developmental relationship about what is expected of them. (Clutterbuck & Megginson, 2005) 

Old-School Concept #5. Coaching and mentoring are the cost-saving substitutes to classroom training.

Indeed, classroom training is the most expensive learning intervention by far as it requires a whole range of logistics, is disruptive of operations when participants are pulled out of their assignments and the returns on investment depend largely on how well learning is supported back in the workplace.  At first glance, it would seem that coaching and mentoring are the inexpensive alternatives to equipping people with competencies for the job.  This is just an illusion. Managers who are expected to act as coaches and mentors certainly need to be formally trained to carry out that function correctly in the right time with the right individuals. There is a science and an art behind coaching and mentoring that does not come naturally to many bosses. Hence, there is still a cost to be incurred in the form of formally training the coaches and mentors of the organization. Even coachees have to be trained on their role and function in the coaching/mentoring relationship so that they can make the most of this professional advancement opportunity. Everyone in the organization needs to be educated to ensure that all parties share the same understanding of what coaching/mentoring is and know what to expect from the relationship. To truly benefit from coaching and mentoring, however, a system has to be in place to make these practices become a way of life in the organization. There is cost to the development, installation and maintenance of that system. Therefore budget, time, effort and talents have to be expended in order for coaching and mentoring to be embedded in the enterprise. The cost may just be as much as other training programs but in the long-run the benefits that the organization would reap from building a coaching/mentoring culture far outweigh the initial investment. By updating ourselves as L&D practitioners on the latest concepts and leading practices in coaching and mentoring, we can properly prepare our organization as well as the coach/mentors and coachee/mentees to find a fertile ground for mutual learning and professional development. In this changing world of the trainer, Eric Hoffer’s wisdom rings true, "In times of massive change, learners inherit the world, while the learned remain beautifully equipped to deal with the world that no longer exists." 

References: Connor, M. & Pokora, J. (2007). Coaching and Mentoring at Work: Developing Effective Practice. New York, NY: Open University Press. Law, H., (2013). The Psychology of Coaching, Mentoring and Learning-Wiley-Blackwell. (2nd ed.) West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. Pask, R. & Joy, B. (2007), Mentoring-Coaching: A guide for education professionals. New York, NY: Open University Press. Megginson, D. & Clutterbuck, D. (2005). Techniques for Coaching and Mentoring. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.  Clutterbuck, D. (2014, September 16). Second Wave Coaching and Mentoring. New Zealand Coaching and Mentoring Center. Retrieved March 30, 2015, from http://www.coachingmentoring.co.nz/articles/prof-david-clutterbuck-second-wave-coaching-and-mentoring.