Coaching and mentoring in the workplace is becoming a commonly used employee development tool. These programs are being utilized in many different areas from executives to basic company staff. Companies have seen great improvement due to the use of these programs. There are different ways that this program can be implemented but the results are almost always positive.

Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring

Any company that embarks upon a coaching or mentoring program derives many benefits from such an endeavor.  I have worked with many companies in the capacity of coach.  One of the chief benefits that coaching serves a company is that it offers executives and employees a safe place to come and tell the truth.  Many times the communication process is choked because of unresolved issues at various levels of the organization and executives and employees are afraid to confront those issues.

Those same employees and executives will share detailed issues and grievances with a confidential third party (coach) as they trust there will be no consequences for sharing their true feelings.  The coach becomes a trusted advisor and can take a strategic approach about important matters of the company while helping to foster a greater flow of communication development.

Differences and Similarities Between Coaching and Mentoring

Both coaching and mentoring offer positive learning and teaching experiences, coaching is a process that takes place when the relationship between the client and the coach is built on trust, experience and belief.  When the client is confident that the coach has the experience, knowledge and excellent leadership skills, the client will allow the coach to help them see things clearly and distinguish the key aspects of all points of matter

A mentor offers more of an unscheduled place to turn to and learn the ropes as they say from a trusted advisor.  The mentor like a coach offers advice and provides guidance rather than telling the person or employee what to do. Mentors focus on not only a person’s current skills and abilities but also what they may accomplish in the future.

A coach may be from an outside organization and be brought in simply to teach certain points of development.  Both coaching and mentoring in the workplace bring about positive outcomes in employee knowledge and skills and development effort.

How to Prepare to Mentor or Coach

If you are going to be a mentor or coach to another person or employee, it is important that you are fully committed to the role. Both communication and listening skills are important for a person in these roles. The relationship will be enhanced if these skills are fully developed. Patience is another important trait the mentor or coach must possess. This is because it may be difficult at times to teach skills to a person or employee depending on their current skill level.

You must be able to allow them the time that they need to develop the skill that is being taught. The mentor or coach needs to be able to devote time to the person that they are working with. The best results come by preparing the people who will take on the coaching and mentoring.  As we have noted earlier, coaching or mentoring in the workplace can pay dividends and be a smooth process yielding positive results.