Professional Mentoring

Javier Diaz, IBM Corporation Associate Partner, Centers for IBM e-business Innovation Professional Mentoring Introduction to Coaching Executive Coaching and Professional Mentoring Roundtable March 31, 2004 Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Contents  Coaching Program  Coach Roles and Responsibilities  How to be an Effective Coach Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching The first mentor (“Coach”)  “Mentor” was a friend of Odysseus and Penelope, the King and Queen of Ithaca.  Telemachus, the son of Penelope and Odysseus, was heir to the throne.  Odysseus was going off to fight in the Trojan War and knew someone needed to foster the development of his son.  Odysseus entrusted his friend, “Mentor”, to educate and prepare Telemachus for his future role as King of Ithaca.  We recognize that there is tremendous value associated with establishing a similar relationship to develop and nurture professional growth of all team members to become future leaders in the organization. Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching An effective coaching program offers benefits for all participants Recommended steps for personal development/ training Advice for realizing career goals & aspirations Honest, unfiltered, constructive feedback Fair evaluation and representation Trusted source of information through timely communication A sense of community & belonging Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching The primary goal of a coaching program is to create a platform for personal coaching and advice  Provide the primary vehicle for team members to receive support and coaching regarding their career and help our people grow as professionals  Provide a platform for practitioners to share their learnings/experiences - from career advancement to project-specific skills and expertise  Provide for a personal, long-term perspective on each team member‟s aspirations, interests, and development  Provide an additional role to support movement along the professional development framework  Provide input and linkage to human resource programs  Promote retention Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Coaches typically have involvement in several human resource programs  Coaching – Skill Development: thought leadership, project management, team leadership, client relationship – Networking: Other subject matter experts, organizational navigation, getting connected – Productivity: accessibility, tools, resources  Professional / Career development – Provide review and assessment of the core capabilities, review dimensional capabilities and validate skills – Individual development plans – Education and training – Career development – Input into executive and technical resource identification  Performance evaluation – Support practitioner in establishing and understanding annual evaluation objectives – Provide initial input to annual (year-end) assessment – Review project assessments or End-of Engagement reviews  Resource deployment – Support practitioner in selecting / accepting new assignments Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Framework for coaching trees  Coaches: In higher job categories and more experienced than protégés  Ratio: 4 to 8 protégés to 1 coach  Coaches and protégés reside in the same department or business area and are in the same country  Coaches should be strategically matched versus on a volunteer basis; everyone must have a coach Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Contents  Coaching Program  Coach Roles and Responsibilities  How to be an Effective Coach Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching The responsibilities of the coach are built around open communications and career support Coach's Responsibilities  Initiate contact and meet with the protégé  Proactively look for ways to help the protégé network  Understand the protégé‟s background and current assignment(s)  Accurately understand individual's capabilities and development needs  Assist the protégé in identifying career aspirations  Invite feedback and provide candid feedback (both positive and constructive)  Assist in the identification of key development activities/experiences Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching An effective coach will display competencies required for their own career advancement Expectations:  Display a positive attitude  Offer personal guidance  Portray a professional image  Provide industry/profession specific guidance  Share work experience  Practice „straight-talk‟  Maintain open dialogue through trust and confidentiality  Emphasize the importance of individual skills development  Encourage a learning culture  Involve/engage practitioner Competency:  Coach and motivate  Understand human resource practices  Understand and describe the organizations  Utilize interpersonal communication  Describe company culture and strategy Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Coaches also play an important role in affiliation  Welcoming practitioners to the company or into a new department, providing orientation to the practice, access to other team members and insights regarding history and culture  Helping to create a sense of community and belonging with their consultants and within their coaching tree  “Taking the temperature” of consultants periodically to ensure that the experience is, overall, positive Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching The Practitioner (or protégé) also has defined responsibilities Protégé‟s Responsibilities  Initiate contact with the coach  Understand company culture and values  Work with the coach to create a development plan  Build a professional network  Identify, regularly review, and share their career aspirations with their coach  Accurately assess their skills, capabilities and development needs  Solicit, listen to, and be responsive to feedback Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Contents  Coaching Program  Coach Roles and Responsibilities  How to be an Effective Coach Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Best-in-class coaches share several key characteristics Credible Coach comes across as knowledgeable, providing sound, practical advice Trustworthy Coach comes across as someone who will not betray confidences Caring Coach conveys that he/she is truly concerned with the practitioner‟s success and professional fulfillment Accessible Coach conveys that he/she is available when practitioner needs assistance Current Coach is aware of the practitioner‟s current situation Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching Effective coaches set clear expectations with practitioners about their role in the relationship Practitioners should...  Drive the Process Practitioners should reach out to coaches when they have issues/concerns: just as coaches will periodically check in  Own Their Careers Practitioners should have a point of view on their overall career goals: coaches may add feedback and guidance Practitioners must actually take the steps required to move ahead: coaches provide support by suggesting different options on right training/role/etc. Practitioners must be accountable, at the end of the day, for their decisions and actions: coaches are responsible for being honest, constructive and knowledgeable  Be Action-Oriented  Be Accountable Professional Mentoring – Introduction to Coaching There are a few important steps for coaches to get the coaching relationship up and running  Initiate contact with the protégés assigned to you – While in-person contact is preferable, travel for the sole purpose of meeting the practitioner is not necessary  Dialogue … understand the practitioner  Review and input to practitioner‟s annual objectives  Establish expectations around frequency of dialogue  Be accessible to the practitioner