Coaching and mentoring
policies
CMI LEVEL 7 COACHING AND MENTORING
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Contents
Construct organizational coaching and mentoring polices..................................................................... 2
Coaching and mentoring is a business driver linking individual and strategic performance ............. 2
Identify individual operational responsibilities to lead on coaching and mentoring ......................... 3
How managers can be measured on the effects of their coaching and mentoring ........................... 6
Ethical guidelines to be used in all coaching and mentoring activities ............................................ 10
Construct a policy that offers coaching mentoring for all staff during their employment life cycle 11
Demonstrate how impact, support and recognition of coaching and mentoring is accepted in the
organization .......................................................................................................................................... 14
How coaching and mentoring is used to contribute to the performance of all in the organization 14
The support, internal and external, available for coaching and mentoring activities ...................... 16
How coaches and mentors can be recognized for their contribution to the performance of others
.......................................................................................................................................................... 20
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Construct organizational coaching and mentoring polices
Coaching and mentoring is a business driver linking individual and strategic
performance
Coaching and mentoring, whether delivered by internal coaches, line managers or external partners,
can have a lasting, positive impact on an organisation.
But what should an effective coaching and mentoring strategy focus on to have the desired impact?
Well, we belive it needs a dual focus:
High Performance – achieving directly measurable business results
Organisational health - “the ability of your organization to align, execute, and renew itself faster than
your competitors… organisational health is about adapting to the present and shaping the future
faster and better than the competition… Healthy organisations don’t merely learn to adjust
themselves to their current context or to challenges that lie just ahead; they create a capacity to learn
and keep changing over time”*
Even in high performing organisations, there’s sometimes tension between Performance and
Health. Sometimes it’s important to invest for the future at the expense of today – sacrificing short-
term results to invest in the business for the longer term. At other times it’s necessary to focus on
short-term performance at the expense of longer-term organisational health, like when overcoming a
crisis or when preparing for an IPO.
Where possible, we believe organisations need to act in ways that build BOTH performance and
health. Sweating the assets too hard for too long might help this quarter’s results but can cause you
problems later. But losing your competitive edge by focusing on projects that build Health won’t work
either.
It’s easy to see how coaching and mentoring can help build health – they often focus on thinking about
the long-term, achieving potential and managing change.
But business leaders don’t always see the link between coaching and mentoring and
performance. When working in a fast-moving environment, held to account for short-term results,
they might be forgiven for viewing coaching and mentoring as a ‘nice to have’.
Leaders often feel that it takes too long to have an impact, requiring more patience on the part of line
managers and coachees than is practical. As leaders we can sometimes be gripped by the urge to bark
“Just ****** do it!” at individuals and teams who taking time to achieve results. And while we know
that a coaching approach might help, we feel we don’t have the time or patience to coach.
But when done well, coaching and mentoring are drivers of short-term performance as well as
organisational health. Coaching can help individuals and teams to come up with solutions that were
there all along but which were not obvious – and which need a different way of doing things. Where
the problem is complex and where different groups of people need to come together to make things
happen, coaching and mentoring for key members of the team can keep projects on time and to
budget – whilst building capability in the team at the same time.
To get the best from coaching and mentoring, senior leaders need to use them as a strategic enabler
– with clear goals linked to overall business objectives. This approach enables leaders at the top of
the organisation bring people with them in executing strategy and – more often than not – building
future capability.
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Identify individual operational responsibilities to lead on coaching and mentoring
Whether you’re a manager trying to develop your people or trying develop yourself and build a career,
you need to know that one of the key ways you can have a positive impact on the business is by
operating more as a “Coach” than a “Manager.”
A study conducted by Bersin & Associates showed that organizations with senior leaders who coach
effectively and frequently improve their business results by 21 percent as compared to those who
never coach.
Many people are unsure about what is different about a coaching approach, so let me outline some
key descriptors:
• Coaches take an “Ask vs. Tell” approach. Don’t tell the employee what to do, instead ask
powerful questions. This allows the employee to create their own solutions. When they go
through the thought process to get to resolution, they are much more bought-in — it’s their
idea!
• Coaches focus on the employee vs. the task — it’s about their development.
• Coaching is not about “fixing” anyone. Again, it’s about their development and facilitating
the learning process.
• Coaches set up a clear accountability structure for action and outcomes. It helps keep the
employee focused on achieving the desired goals.
• Coaching is something that can/should happen as needed and in-the-moment, which is the
best way for learning to occur. It’s a great way to reinforce what may have been learned in
the classroom by capitalizing on those on-the-job learning experiences.
Acting more like a coach
So how can a Manager behave more like a Coach?
1. ?Ask good questions to enable the process.
2. Meet the employee where they are.
3. Guide the conversation (through questions, not directives) to a mutual agreement of the
priorities of development.
4. Ensure that the feedback information is heard and understood by the employee. Again,
asking clarifying questions is the best way to do this.
5. Do your part to support the employee through a shared commitment to their goals,
responsibilities and action steps.
Coaching = Effective Conversations
What makes a conversation “effective”? It’s about a dialogue (asking), not a monologue (telling). The
best coaching questions are:
• Open-ended;
• Focused on useful outcomes; and,
• ?Non-judgmental (avoid asking “why?”).
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Here are some examples of good open-ended questions compared to the close-ended version:
Open-ended/Inviting Questions
• What is the status on “x”?
• How can I help you?
• Can you tell me about that error?
• Walk me through your thought process?
• What other approaches might you take next time?
• How are your emotions influencing your perception of the situation?
Close-ended/Evaluative Questions
• Are you finished yet?
• Do you have a problem?
• Did you make that mistake?
• Will this really solve the problem?
• What made you think that was a good idea?
• That’s clear enough, isn’t it?
• Didn’t I go over this already?
• Why didn’t you do “x”?
So are you up for the challenge? Your employees, the business and your career will all benefit if you
begin to operate in Manager-as-Coach mindset.
Your employees will be developed and challenged in way that truly builds new skills and enables them
to learn from experiences.
MANAGER, COACH OR MENTOR? DIFFERENT ROLES FOR DIFFERENT GOALS
A manager, a coach, and a mentor may all sound like similar roles but in reality, they have very
different purposes.
Businesses want employees to learn their jobs quickly, to attain maximum error-free performance and
to gain greater skills, capabilities and experience needed for advancement.
Achieving these training and development goals typically involves managing, coaching and mentoring,
but those terms are often misunderstood or used interchangeably.
Lack of clarity around the purpose of each role and whe
