By Clare Norman
Open University Press
ISBN: 978 03352 4879 7 (ebook: 978 03352 4880 3)
5 stars out of 5
Mentoring is for life not just credentialling.” How do we keep at our learning edge as coaches if the only feedback we receive is from our clients? Clare Norman suggests we can invest our energies in mentor coaching, a must for an ICF credential, and a learning tool for coaching generally.
This book is a comprehensive exploration of the value of mentor coaching for all coaches, and a practical guide for coaches aspiring to become mentors, supporting Clare in her mission to “professionalise the coaching industry”.
Clare is an experienced coach and ICF coach mentor and she shares her learning through practical tips and case studies of coach mentoring. It’s the only book I am aware of that draws together a practical approach to mentoring coaches as a developmental tool specifically focused on core coaching competencies.
Although there’s a natural lean towards the ICF competencies, the approach is relevant regardless of which framework is used. What stands out in this book is the care and consideration given to psychological safety for individuals and groups and for the focus on the mentor’s presence.
Coaches ready to support the next generation of coaches as a mentor will find a practical stepped guide on how to build their offer. Coaches committed to their development will raise their awareness of this approach to skill development.
Karen Foy PCC is lecturer, coaching and behaviour change, at Henley Business School, UK