Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching is the process of providing an individual with feedback, insight, encouragement and guidance for the purpose of achieving enhanced performance. Mentoring is the process whereby an experienced colleague assists an individual with their professional development. These are two different roles, yet in the engineering and business world, the same person often plays them both.

Both roles involve building a collaborative, trusting, and developmental relationship. The skills, tools, and techniques of coaching and mentoring are valuable for managers and technical leaders alike. This class teaches these skills in a practical hands-on way, including role-play scenarios where participants can practice the techniques and get feedback from instructors and peers.

Depending on the needs of the individual, a coach or mentor may actually play one or more of the following roles: advisor, assessor, confidante, example, friend, facilitator, guide, knowledge source, instructor, motivator, organizer, and tutor. We will examine each of these roles, and discuss how and when to adopt them.

Often, it is most effective to help people to find their own solutions. In order to do this, effective listening skills are needed. We teach techniques such as: summarization, paraphrasing, and reiteration, use of which leads to better clarity and understanding as well as better engagement with the speaker.

The class teaches how to use questioning as an effective tool. Questions can be part of the listening process, but they can also be used to help the person being coached discover new information, options, and insights.

Leaders who use coaching and mentoring techniques find that they need to give explicit direction less often and better tap the talents of their team. These types of leaders engender greater employee involvement and create an environment conducive to high achievement and growth.