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Coaching and mentoring
Coaching and mentoring is a way of professionals sharing skills. It is something that the mentee does on a voluntary basis while the coach or mentor might be paid (but not always). The people taking part, usually just two, decide what outcomes they want at the end of the period and how long they should take. Mentoring can take place among staff and volunteers within an organisation or it can take place across different organisations and sectors.
It can be a highly cost effective way for voluntary organisations to build professional work-based skills.
What is coaching and mentoring?
The National Occupational Standards for Coaching and Mentoring in the workplace define it as a focussed conversation which allows someone to:
- recognise and maximise their potential
- develop their knowledge, skills and competence
- improve their performance/achieve their personal goals
- identify and clarify goals and aspirations
- identify barriers and ways of removing them
- explore options and make choices
- plan their career development
The CIPD website has some useful information about the differences between coaching and mentoring from an HR perspective.
To find out more about becoming a coach or a mentor visit the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation’s website.