When all is said and

done, teaching is

what I do for a living.

— Jack Welch

If we cast our minds to the best managers we have ever had, most of us will think about someone who helped propel our careers, challenged us to take on a task we thought was beyond us or maybe gave us the opportunity to handle a prestigious project that helped us in our career paths. What are you doing to help the people who work for you or with you to be better?

More than ever before, organisations are dealing with increasing challenge and uncertainty. The only real asset that can be relied upon is knowledge capital, skills and talent of individuals. Only organisations that cultivate true learning cultures will have the capability to adapt, evolve and succeed in this dynamic business environment. Many of the world’s most admired corporations invest in coaching and mentoring.

In the world of organisation and HR development, the concepts of mentoring and coaching are nothing new — both have always “been there” informally, but occasionally “designed” as interventions to solve particular business issues. The last decade, however, has seen a groundswell in both these areas. Organisations have begun to use mentoring and coaching more purposefully. HR and OD practitioners have worked to utilise both to meet pressing business problems, having to do with the development and retention of talent, as well as growth of future leaders. These interventions have been more systemic, more thoughtful and more innovative than ever before.

Today’s employees want to feel that they contribute to the collective success of their team. According to recent studies, employees place high value on having opportunities to learn and to develop themselves while on the job. With the current problem of skills shortage in many industries, managers need to explore ways to provide workers with what they want in order to retain the best employees.

Research on retention suggests loud and clear that stars don’t leave organisations for dollars. They leave because no one in the organisation seemed to care about their learning and their growth. They leave if they feel they are not developing. Whether you train your own managers to be effective coaches and mentors, whether you institute a formal mentoring programme using your senior executives, or whether you employ external or internal coaches, it is important that this message gets out. Author and career consultant Donald Miller said, “Behind every successful person, there is one elementary truth. Somewhere, some way, someone cared about their growth and development.”

Successful organisations have discovered that ongoing training of the workforce is necessary to remain competitive. However, without coaching or mentoring, training loses its effectiveness rapidly and often fails to achieve the lasting behavioural changes needed. Coaching and mentoring will not solve all the problems at the workplace, but it is a very important step towards a commitment from managers to develop employees and help create a corporate culture that supports and sustains human achievement in the workplace.

Coaching is a personal and confidential learning process. It is designed to result in effective action, improved performance and personal growth for the individual and improved business results for the organisation. It is individualised, recognising that no two people are alike and is based upon the theory that each person has a unique knowledge base, learning pace and style. Participants, therefore, progress at their individual pace. In addition, coaching is the appropriate forum for personal feedback of both strengths and weaknesses.

The mentoring relationship has many definitions and roles. A mentor can be described as a trusted counseller or guide, a teacher, coach or tutor, or simply someone who takes a personal interest in your career and offers advice and guidance. Mentoring is predominately a one-to-one activity that begins with rapport. It requires active listening skills, openness, trust, commitment and emotional maturity. Once the foundation is in place, a mutual understanding of the goals and desired outcomes of the relationship nurture the relationship.

Coaching and mentoring have never been more necessary than now. Change will be the norm and individual resilience and performance will be crucial to team and organisational success.

Leaders set the tone in the quest for developing potential in people. To encourage and enhance a culture of learning, where coaching and mentoring can successfully work, it is important that the leaders put their own stuff aside and make themselves available, ask more questions, make fewer declarations, genuinely “listen” to people, learn to create plans with employees, learn to celebrate success and say ‘Thank you’. They must build on people’s strengths and not criticise their weaknesses.

Leaders must be prepared to pass on the knowledge, guide and help their protégés to realise their potential. It was said by Fred A Manske Jr — “The ultimate leader is not scared to develop people to the point that they surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.”

Successful athletic coaches do more than grow their teams and win games. The best also create a lineage of coaches. This is the legacy that they leave behind. So don’t let the chain stop with you, develop leaders and successors who will take over the reins of the organisation from you and lead it to greater success.