This document discusses why and how to create a mentoring and coaching culture within a non-profit organization.
What is Culture?
Culture is the social behavior and norms found in businesses, non-profits and societies.
What is Mentoring?
Mentoring is a value-adding relationship process where a person supports another’s growth. Mentors build people up and pull them toward their own dreams rather than push them. Relationships are not based on expectations, instead mentors seek to understand and support the mentee’s life purpose and goals. While coaching and sharing of personal experience is important, it is more about listening, reflecting and guiding.
Mentoring vs Coaching
Mentoring is a relationship-based process, pulled to goals set by the individual. Characteristics include inspiration, motivation, and information. Coaching is push-based and skill-driven based on external needs. Characteristics include performance, capability, and training. A typical 1:1 meeting might include both.
Why a Coaching and Mentoring Culture? From an Inc.com article: 3 Reasons Your Company Needs a Mentoring Program
- It shows the organization cares.
- It creates a more engaged workforce.
- It leads to higher job satisfaction.
Why Mentor? From a LinkedIn article: 10 Concrete Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Mentor at Work
- Take you under their wing and help you to stay motivated and discover the path that you may need to take.
- Understand what it takes to get to the top and be a valuable resource by answering your career or work -related questions and providing good advice.
- Provide you with a wealth of knowledge and resources and help you to connect with various Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
- Be your own personal cheerleader and help you discover new opportunities.
- Be an advocate of your achievements and will be there for you every step of your career.
- Let you shadow them at work or exchange career tips with you and alert you to new opportunities.
- Praise your accomplishments and provide you with constructive feedback.
- Help you to be passionate about your success and brand.
- Push you to hone and learn new skills that are needed for future roles.
- Provide a life-long career advice and friendship.
Two Broad Options:
- Instill coaching and mentoring skills in all staff.
- Above plus everyone is encouraged to have a personal mentor.
Design for a Mentoring Culture, Key Elements:
- Mentorship is encouraged (even expected) from the top.
- Mentor relationships are formalized. Consider tracking “% employees with a mentor”.
- Mentors and mentees are trained in the key skills. Skills are assessed and feedback is two-way.
- Mentee goals are accomplished, e.g. a career plan is in place or new skills are being learned.
- A Process Owner (with enough rank) is in place.
- Pay and promotion considers mentoring and coaching effectiveness.
- People are learning from mistakes rather than getting “punished” for them.
Getting Started:
- Engage the organization’s top people.
- Train the organization on key mentoring skills.
- Follow the GROW Model and use the GROW worksheet.
Further Discussion:
- Mentoring is one of the most powerful skill sets in life. It will benefit you at home and work and the skills can be used in many life roles.
- Individuals need coaching too, but this should generally be directed by subject matter experts.
- Mentors can be inside or outside the organization.
- Goals can be in many areas, here are some examples: what does it take to get promoted, what new skill would be most valuable to me, what does my career plan look like?
- Mentoring relationships are two-way. They are based on mutual respect and trust. There is more emphasis on learning and development.
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