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How to Develop Top Talent and Achieve Stronger Performance

Numerous outstanding people, no matter their industry or specialty, have been a part of a mentoring relationship and benefited from it. Standard coaching concentrates on specific behaviors or abilities, while mentoring provides a broader scope.

Who Should Read “Coaching and Mentoring”? And Why?

Just like everyone else, you probably concur that the success of organizations depends on their employees. However, many organizations have not set up a formal training and mentoring framework to develop their employees’ talents.

Moreover, they do not benefit from the tremendous knowledge that more experienced workers can share. “Coaching and Mentoring” is written, easy to comprehend, and is overflowing with useful advice. If you already understand the importance of mentoring, the information this book offers will be familiar to you.

However, if you are keen on taking in the fundamentals of practical and useful business advice, we recommend this book to you. It is just what you need.

About The Harvard Business Essentials

The Harvard Business Essentials series started in 2002, and ever since then, they have provided information, recommendations, and advice on different business topics. They gather information from Harvard Business School Publishing as well as from other sources, and they offer a useful resource for readers interested in various issues.

To make sure of the quality, a professional content adviser reviews every volume.

“Coaching and Mentoring Summary”

Mentors are counselors who offer career advice and share experiences from their personal and professional backgrounds, perceptions and reasoning.

Practically every organization utilizes some appraisal framework to assess their employees but just recognizing the areas in which employees need development is not sufficient. Your company’s staff need efficient and well structured instruction to enable them to handle their issues and get positive outcomes.

The training process is consisted of:

“Preparation” – Monitor your employees’ behaviors and understand their qualities and shortcomings, to identify the areas in which they would benefit from a mentoring program.

“Discussion” – Shrewdly express your worries, which will enable you and your employees to find and communicate mutually acceptable mentoring goals.

“Active coaching” – Schedule one-on-one meetings in which you build an instructing plan, by establishing specific objectives and a reasonable timeline to finish them. Be careful to focus only on your employee’s conduct, not on her character.

“Follow-up” – Monitor if your employees are following the mentoring plans you have created. Additionally, inquire if there are any issues, and offer your help.

Numerous companies and organizations slip up in distinguishing and utilizing mentors, which in reality can be seen as squandering assets. Mentors can give invaluable help to executives and managers who need to adapt to their inexorably essential roles.

Albeit numerous exceptional mentors naturally appear to have a talent for working with individuals, you can work on your coaching skills, and thus you can improve them. Since time is increasingly valuable, consider appointing specific coaching responsibilities to different workers.

For example, if a particular worker in your company is gifted and overflowing with potential, but at the same time, he is exceedingly disorganized, coordinate him with another colleague who is good at organizing and is willing to offer assistance. 

Another key point to mention is trust. Trust is a critical part of the mentoring arrangement since the one who is being trained is in a vulnerable position. Workers honor mentors with impressive track records and evident competence.

Moreover, employees react more positively to warm, mindful mentors. This is so because they can pick up signs of indifference from anyone who is making an insincere effort.

Building trust implies not breaching the unwritten, customary rule of confidentiality: delicate data shared during a mentoring relationship must stay private. Ambitious individuals who are open to improving and learning are the best contenders for mentoring.

Most of the time, people recognize those from whom they wish to take guidance. Naturally, not everyone wants or has the skills to be a mentor. To achieve the best results, the relationship must be mutually pleasing, and both parties should enjoy being in it.

Key Lessons from “Coaching and Mentoring”

1.      The Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring
2.      Becoming a Good Mentor
3.      Coaching on the Executive Level

The Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring

The benefits of coaching and mentoring are undeniable. Companies that neglect to exploit them are probably going to have employees who rarely meet the imposed expectations.

Getting the most out of employees is vital in business, and mentoring is listed among the best approaches to accomplish that goal.

Coaching results in improved performance, more competent employees, better productivity, promotable employees, less turnover, and a positive atmosphere.

Becoming a Good Mentor

Good coaches set a good example and offer practical advice but are careful not to dominate the relationship. They provide guidance but don’t fix the mentee’s problems, instead, they allow their “students” to find their answers and solutions.

Good coaches listen more, and speak less, and try to shape independent thinkers. They are patient, don’t get personal and are not intimidating.

Finally, they are aware when they have reached the objectives of the program and when they need to exit the relationship.

Coaching on the Executive Level

When it comes to coaching executives, lack of knowledge is usually not the issue. The difficulties they encounter are mostly due to counterproductive habits and behaviors. Some of the problems they might face are not knowing how to cultivate stable relationships or an improper delegation of activities.

There are two fundamental methods for coaching executives: “Diagnosis and development” and “Prescriptive Method.”

No matter which approach the coach picks, he must ensure that his mentee has a positive attitude, which is a requirement for success.

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“Coaching and Mentoring” Quotes

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.