A520.7.3.RB - Importance of Having a Coach and Mentor

A520.7.3.RB - Importance of Having a Coach and Mentor

Write a blog entry on the significance, importance, and/or impact of having a coach and/or a mentor to help you in your professional journey.

In my experience, having someone to guide you in life, whether at work, personally, or even spiritually, can make all the difference in our experiences. Since today is Mother’s Day, I’ll start with how our Mothers and family act as our first mentors and coaches. We learn from them how to walk, talk, use utensils, and other basic functions. That is more of their coaching roles. Our values and who we are at the core of our being was developed and mentored along by our Mothers and/or Fathers and immediate family. Depending on who that constant was in your life as a child, grandparents, aunts, uncles, they are who we either emulate with our values and beliefs or are completely different from…based on that experience.

Relating more to corporations in America, mentoring and coaching is like being able to leave a legacy of your best self to the company that you’ve invested your time and energies in. The tricky part with mentorships within the organization is that we all have things going on that seem to nudge out any extra time we think we have. “[P]eople say one of the most important keys to their success is having a mentor…it is hard to make it without a mentor and it takes too much time to mentor.” (Ayinde, 2011) So finding time and using it productively is really hard so establishing a meaningful mentor/mentee relationship is hard. But the value isn’t just in the wisdom shared but the entire experience for both parties.  “The value-added dimension is two ways. Mentors say they truly enjoy providing guidance and support and the opportunity to learn about another person’s perspective of the company.” (Zachary, 1997) Being a mentor allows you to look at what you’ve done and how you’ve had to get there. I think that mentoring someone also holds you accountable to being your best self. “Networked mentoring begins with the philosophy that everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn.” (Emelo, 2011)

Coaching can be more useful for the here and now situations, it is task related and immediately helpful and relevant. Like in little league, the kids need someone who can explain the game, how they can score, and what rules by which they must abide. The same is true in corporate America. I once worked with a guy who said, “Tell me how to score points then I’ll tell you how I’m going to play the game.” That seems to me to be the essence of coaching. When I was reading the articles this week, they talked more about manager to manager coaching and while I think that is a wonderful idea, in reality, I see that our managers have so little time that it can hardly even be considered…in my organization anyway. The first line managers, who need the most coaching, seem to have so many responsibilities and not enough time to accomplish it all. Their bosses have the same problem. Executives who do have the time to coach or be coached, while they are making the bigger picture decisions, seem to need the coaching less. But, so it goes.

References:

Ayinde, A. (2011). Mentoring: Does it work? IFE Psychologia, 1-15.

Emelo, R. (2011). Conversations With Mentoring Leaders. T&D, 65, 32-37.

Zachary, L. (1997). Creating a Mentoring Culture. All About Mentoring, July 1997(11), 3-7.