Coaching and mentoring: Investing in the growth of others

This week, Sue Pallot PCD Dip, APC looks at how coaching and mentoring empowers employees and future leaders.

Sue is the founder of The Coaching Agency and the Jersey Association of Coach Practitioners. She is also the Chair of the Professional Development Committee at the IoD Jersey.

Coaching and mentoring are essential for creating a thriving workplace where employees feel valued and motivated to reach their full potential. Coaching and mentoring are two very different practices, yet they are intrinsically linked by the fundament aim, which is to help someone to grow.

The coaching practice principles of the “Socratic method” are believed to have hailed originally from Socrates, so coaching is not “new,” it’s principals are over 2,400 years old! Socrates believed that questions could stimulate thought and bring forward new ideas – this is the core of coaching which aims to provoke thought and inspire innovation. Socrates explored practical philosophy where theoretical concepts were explored in the context of everyday scenarios which is today the cornerstone of effective coaching in the workplace.

Fast forward to the 1930’s, thanks to Thomas Leonard’s work, the coaching practice emerged into the business world and was supported by the great trailblazers of the coaching industry that may be more familiar to you, such as Tim Gallwey, who’s first book “ The Inner Game” changed what people knew about coaching from a sports perspective and John Whitmore author of “Coaching for Performance” and a pioneer in coaching, leadership performance and improvement. In all the books and approaches, styles and methods, the fundamental similarity is that coaching is a developmental approach to working with a person to support them, to develop their personal capabilities.

The coaching profession has been growing at a rapid pace, and it is estimated that in the last ICF Global Coaching study in 2023, that there was in excess of 109,000 coaches worldwide – this represents an increase of 54% on the 2019 global figures.

In the same study over 80% of coaching clients said that they had improved their self-esteem or self-confidence thanks to coaching.

“Mentoring someone can be challenging, fulfilling, gratifying, annoying, frustrating, impossible, and fun.”

Mentoring is also steeped in Greek methodology and represents a relationship of support, help and guidance given usually from elders to a younger less experienced person and the idea that the wisdom of the elder is passed down to the youngers and therefore this knowledge becomes embedded in in culture for thousands of years.

Mentoring in our modern day, is a rich source of self-learning and personal growth and it offers the mentor the opportunity to make a tangible difference to the success of others. A mentor provides support by offering information, advice and assistance in a way that empowers the mentee. The mentor takes the role of a trusted advisor, supporter, wise counsel to the mentee.

This is a selfless role in that your “benefit” as a mentor will be to see how that person thrives and grows with your guidance and advice. Indirectly you may also find as a mentor that surprisingly you will learn also from the mentee.

These are some of the words used by our Mentors of the IoD Mentoring Scheme that I been a part of for the past two years and being a qualified workplace mentor, I understand that being a mentor is not without its challenges. It has however, been proven that by investing in the development of others, organisations can create a supportive environment that encourages continuous learning and improvement and can be rewarding in more ways than you may first expect.

So, what are the similarities and benefits of a coaching relationship and a mentoring relationship? They both:

help in fostering growth, enhancing skills, and building confidence.
can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction.
enhance people’s skills and knowledge.
boost confidence and self-esteem.
encouraging employees to take on new challenges and responsibilities.
provide a sense of direction and purpose.

For future leaders, these practices are invaluable as they prepare them for leadership roles by:

developing their leadership skills.
helping them understand the dynamics of the organisation.
building their ability to make informed decisions.
fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

The American psychologist, author and science journalist, Daniel Golman outlines four Emotional Intelligence domains which are, self-awareness; self-regulation; social awareness, and relationship management. Within those four domains nest the competencies that make people highly effective.

Relationship management competencies include, influence, coaching, conflict management, teamwork, and inspiration – all of which can be achieved with the skills of a coach and or mentor.

As we move forward into the later part of the 21^st century, employers and leaders will need to provide the space and opportunities for future leaders to grow, to expand not only their Intellectual Intelligence (IQ) but the development of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) which may be even of greater importance.

“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” – Daniel Golman

Main picture: Sue Pallot.

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