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Coaching and mentoring with Brefi Group

executive coachingIndividual and management development can take place in many forms, some delivered by managers and some by internal or external coaches, or mentors. Robert Dilts defines the different activities as follows: -

Guiding: the process of directing an individual or a group along the path leading from present state to a desired state

Coaching: helping another person to improve awareness, to set and achieve goals in order to improve a particular behavioural performance

Teaching: helping an individual or group develop cognitive skills and capabilities

Mentoring: helping to shape an individual’s beliefs and values in a positive way; often a longer term career relationship from someone who has ‘done it before’

Counselling: helping an individual to improve performance by resolving situations from the past.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) lists some characteristics of coaching in organisations that are generally agreed on by most coaching professionals: -

  • It consists of one-to-one developmental discussions.
  • It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and weaknesses.
  • It is aimed at specific issues/areas.
  • It is a relatively short-term activity, except in executive coaching, which tends to have a longer timeframe.
  • It is essentially a non-directive form of development.
  • It focuses on improving performance and developing/enhancing individuals skills.
  • It is used to address a wide range of issues.
  • Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.
  • It assumes that the individual is psychologically healthy and does not require a clinical intervention.
  • It works on the premise that clients are self-aware, or can achieve self-awareness.
  • It is time-bounded.
  • It is a skilled activity
  • Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance on work.
The CIPD also differentiates between coaching, mentoring and counselling. It is helpful to understand these differences as, although many of the processes are similar, they are generally delivered by individuals with different qualifications and different relationships with their client.

Differences between mentoring and coaching

Mentoring Coaching
Ongoing relationship that can last for a long period of time Relationship generally has a set duration
Can be more informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentee needs some advice, guidance or support Generally more structured in nature and meetings are scheduled on a regular basis
More long-term and takes a broader view of the person Short-term (sometimes time-bounded) and focused on specific development areas/issues
Mentor is usually more experienced and qualified than the ‘mentee’. Often a senior person in the organisation who can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities Coaching is generally not performed on the basis that the coach needs to have direct experience of their client’s formal occupational role, unless the coaching is specific and skills-focused
Focus is on career and personal development Focus is generally on development/issues at work
Agenda is set by the mentee, with the mentor providing support and guidance to prepare them for future roles The agenda is focused on achieving specific, immediate goals
Mentoring resolves more around developing the mentee professional Coaching revolves more around specific development areas/issues

Counselling, is a highly skilled intervention focused on helping individuals address underlying psychological problems.

Differences between counselling and coaching

Counselling Coaching
Broader focus and greater depth Narrower focus
Goal is to help people understand the root causes of long-standing performance problems/issues at work The goal is to improve an individual’s performance at work
A short-term intervention, but can last for longer time periods due to the breadth of issues to be addressed Tends for be a short-term intervention
Counselling can be used to address psycho-social as well as performance issues Coaching does not seek to resolve any underlying psychological problems. It assumes a person does not require a psycho-social intervention
The agenda is generally agreed by the individuals and the counsellor The agenda is typically set by the individual, but in agreement/ consultation with the organisation
Other stakeholders are rarely involved Other stakeholders are involved

What to do next

With our MBA level experience and training in the psychology of change, Brefi Group coaches possess the unique combination of maturity, professional skills and human qualities required to work with top decision-makers and the leaders of the future, whether they be in commercial or public organisations or running a small company. Such key individuals have the maximum leverage for change – they provide the leadership and role models for the rest of the organisation. They are under the greatest pressure, and are more likely to suffer from stress and an out of balance work/home life.

We can also train managers as coaches and set up in-house coaching and mentoring schemes.

There are lots of detailed pages on this site, so if you have a specific interest, please use the search box at the top of the page. If you would like to know more about us please complete our contact form, or visit our photo gallery to discover the range of activities and locations that we can arrange, or ...


To talk to one of our consultants call...
0845 0678 222 (UK)
+44 (0)1462 832 845 (International)


 
Call 0845 0678 222  Contact: 0845 0678 222
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