In our latest column on mentoring, we look at the confusing trend of how some mentoring programmes are adopting a more tangible coaching approach under the guise of mentoring
By Lis Merrick
As a consultant working in the field of mentoring and coaching, I get very used to being asked: “So what is the difference between the two?”
In answering, I probably sound as if I am sitting on the fence, especially when I waffle about context and the contract between the pair involved in the developmental dialogue, etc.
However, I do like to make a distinction in the mentoring and coaching programmes I consult on. This is because, in an organisational setting I believe individuals need some clarity between the type of coaching conversations their line manager will have with them, and those of an offline mentor, who is there to be a non-judgemental challenger/thinking partner/sounding board/professional friend and also a role model and guide in some situations.
Nevertheless, I am increasingly being asked to set up more short-term, directive coaching-based relationships under the label of mentoring. So what do such relationships look like?
Coaching/mentoring programmes
- The timescale for the programme is much shorter – rather than a year or nine months, these work on a four to six month timescale.
- The importance of fairly directive learning – there is a designated topic area or specialism, where the mentor is an expert and the mentee has very tangible learning goals to work with. This tends to be more technical in nature, or in the case of a professional membership organisation recently, a swift career move was the outcome the mentees were seeking!
- The lack of two-way learning – due to the nature of these programmes, there is far less opportunity for the mentor to learn from these dialogues.
Pros of such an approach
Interestingly, these programmes do have good quick learning wins for the mentees. These tend to be either more technical knowledge or directive advice for the mentee. In many situations this is just what is needed to kickstart people’s thinking and galvanise them into action. Also, some pairs do morph into longer-term mentoring relationships and develop more of a reflective two-way learning approach.
…and the cons
In my experience, there is less engagement on the part of the mentees who see this as a quick fix for something they want to learn or do. It is also not the relationship for a mentor who wants to engage with their mentee in a reflective relationship over a period of time. These ‘quickies’ can be quite frustrating!
However, as we know, this type of coaching approach works and for the organisation that wants a rapid injection of focused learning, having shorter-term relationships with the overt objective of directive support from the mentor on a key topic/area, seems to work well.
However, from my viewpoint, rather than confuse mentoring and coaching ‘labels’ further, could it just be recognised for what it is and the programmes renamed? So far, my clients don’t agree with me, mainly because of their reluctance to call individuals with a few hours’ training ‘a coach’, but that is another topic. So let’s see where this ‘coaching type of mentoring’ trend goes next.
- Next issue: how some organisational mentors suffer from Imposter Syndrome and what can be done to support them in their development
- Lis Merrick is a consultant and visiting fellow of the Coaching and Mentoring Research Unit at Sheffield Business School. She welcomes correspondence on anything to do with mentoring. Contact: Lismerrick@coachmentoring.co.uk