Coaching/mentoring matches
Discussion
A few years ago a client got me to develop a system for matching up coaches and mentors with their 'coachees and mentees'.
I am thinking of having another look at this, but wondered what market there might be for something that attempted to predict which pairings would be successful and which wouldn't.
It obviously depends upon an organisation having some choice in who is allocated to whom, and face-to-face coaching and mentoring will always make that more difficult, but in principle is there any value or more importantly any market in developing something that highlights coaches/mentors with whom you might be more compatable in terms of personality and business/career history?
How much would you pay for a matching service?
I am thinking of having another look at this, but wondered what market there might be for something that attempted to predict which pairings would be successful and which wouldn't.
It obviously depends upon an organisation having some choice in who is allocated to whom, and face-to-face coaching and mentoring will always make that more difficult, but in principle is there any value or more importantly any market in developing something that highlights coaches/mentors with whom you might be more compatable in terms of personality and business/career history?
How much would you pay for a matching service?
Edited by Leftie on Thursday 3rd May 08:14
shadowninja said:
Interesting idea. Could work. There is a difference between coaches and mentors... and coaches don't need matching by their definition.
"The difference between coaching and mentoring
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring! Mentoring, particularly in its traditional sense, enables an individual to follow in the path of an older and wiser colleague who can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities. Coaching on the other hand is not generally performed on the basis that the coach has direct experience of their client’s formal occupational role unless the coaching is specific and skills focused.
Having said this, there are professionals offering their services under the name of mentoring who have no direct experience of their clients' roles and others offering services under the name of coaching who do. So the moral of the story is, it is essential to determine what your needs are and to ensure that the coach or mentor can supply you with the type and level of service you require, whatever that service is called. "
Although the career/business profile figures more strongly in mentoring acording to this piece I think the personality 'fit' could play a part in both?
Eric Mc said:
It sounds like a recycling of the myth of the "outside" consultant being better versed in your business than you are.
Ok, I'll bite. Its true that there is a myth that externals are better versed in your business than you are
However, I would argue that as with most myths, there is some basis in reality, albeit somewhat distorted.
To lay my cards on the table, I spend a certain amount of my time coaching senior execs, (board/director level almost exclusively from FTSE 100 companies). Of my contemporaries, there are a depressingly large number of do gooders who in reality do very little good. I personally would like to see what their training is to do what they do as I think it gives coaching a very bad name that others are left with the perception that I as an outsider know more than the coachees do. I spend too much time unpicking cock-ups from others in this respect, (and also from the perspective of badly fed back MBTIs etc, but that's another thing entirely).
A good coach will never claim that they know more than the coachee. Its almost always indefensible. There are rare exceptions of people who have been there and from the comfort of their own hard-won T shirt can claim to be subject/industry experts. The majority will not have that experience. Their value however comes from being a sounding board for ideas and to some extent using ideas, strategies and models from their experience with others to help the coachee they are talking with at a particular point in time.
There are comparatively few problems today that someone, somewhere has not seen and positively addressed. I'm not a believer in progressing through the school of your own mistakes when its possible to learn from the mistakes and positive behaviours of others. I add value by helping my coachees to identify the root cause of their problem/issue and either helping them to identify the strategies and tools to address the situation, or in some cases giving them these strategies. Although there is quite a strong push to be non-directive, personally I do not subscribe to the philosophy of the coachee solving all their own issues; if they had the skills to do that, they wouldn't need a coach.
Does it work? Well, its very difficult to measure ROI, (and rare in my experience for a coach/psychologist as I am), to talk about ROI. However, in addition to about half a dozen PHers I've spoken with, (who seem to have had some benefit), a couple of the 'harder nuts' I've worked with include 1* MoD personnel and equity partners in a global accounting practice. In defence of my own cognitive dissonance, I would argue that if these people see some value and want an on-going coaching relationship, there must be something in it.
Leftie said:
A few years ago a client got me to develop a system for matching up coaches and mentors with their 'coachees and mentees'.
I am thinking of having another look at this, but wondered what market there might be for something that attempted to predict which pairings would be successful and which wouldn't.
It obviously depends upon an organisation having some choice in who is allocated to whom, and face-to-face coaching and mentoring will always make that more difficult, but in principle is there any value or more importantly any market in developing something that highlights coaches/mentors with whom you might be more compatable in terms of personality and business/career history?
How much would you pay for a matching service?
I am thinking of having another look at this, but wondered what market there might be for something that attempted to predict which pairings would be successful and which wouldn't.
It obviously depends upon an organisation having some choice in who is allocated to whom, and face-to-face coaching and mentoring will always make that more difficult, but in principle is there any value or more importantly any market in developing something that highlights coaches/mentors with whom you might be more compatable in terms of personality and business/career history?
How much would you pay for a matching service?
Edited by Leftie on Thursday 3rd May 08:14
Hmm. There is obviously a difference between coaching and mentoring, and within coaching, a huge difference between transactional and transfornmational work, but I think there may be something in this.
Let's chat offline..
Leftie said:
shadowninja said:
Interesting idea. Could work. There is a difference between coaches and mentors... and coaches don't need matching by their definition.
"The difference between coaching and mentoring
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring! Mentoring, particularly in its traditional sense, enables an individual to follow in the path of an older and wiser colleague who can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities. Coaching on the other hand is not generally performed on the basis that the coach has direct experience of their client’s formal occupational role unless the coaching is specific and skills focused.
Having said this, there are professionals offering their services under the name of mentoring who have no direct experience of their clients' roles and others offering services under the name of coaching who do. So the moral of the story is, it is essential to determine what your needs are and to ensure that the coach or mentor can supply you with the type and level of service you require, whatever that service is called. "
Although the career/business profile figures more strongly in mentoring acording to this piece I think the personality 'fit' could play a part in both?
Um haven't you just confirmed my point?
shadowninja said:
Leftie said:
shadowninja said:
Interesting idea. Could work. There is a difference between coaches and mentors... and coaches don't need matching by their definition.
"The difference between coaching and mentoring
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring! Mentoring, particularly in its traditional sense, enables an individual to follow in the path of an older and wiser colleague who can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities. Coaching on the other hand is not generally performed on the basis that the coach has direct experience of their client’s formal occupational role unless the coaching is specific and skills focused.
Having said this, there are professionals offering their services under the name of mentoring who have no direct experience of their clients' roles and others offering services under the name of coaching who do. So the moral of the story is, it is essential to determine what your needs are and to ensure that the coach or mentor can supply you with the type and level of service you require, whatever that service is called. "
Although the career/business profile figures more strongly in mentoring acording to this piece I think the personality 'fit' could play a part in both?
Um haven't you just confirmed my point?
I've not quite got the distinction between the two and why personality wouldn't come into either. Am I missing something? I am a humble number cruncher and long words bother me.
Ok, as I understand it, a life/business coach does not need specific experience to guide the coachee, therefore any decent, trained coach can work with a potential coachee. They will ask questions that get the answers that the coachee is looking for out of themselves, the belief being that the coachee has all the answers they need to succeed.
A mentor on the other hand is someone who has a lot of relevant experience and guides the mentee to achieve the desired outcome. This therefore requires appropriate matching.
And a mentos is a minty sweet that explodes in coke.
A mentor on the other hand is someone who has a lot of relevant experience and guides the mentee to achieve the desired outcome. This therefore requires appropriate matching.
And a mentos is a minty sweet that explodes in coke.
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