Coaching and mentoring with Brefi Group
 Individual 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 ...
|
