Internal Coaching and Mentoring Programs

Developing Superior Talent
For centuries, craft trades have used apprenticeships as a way of developing the core skills of younger workers. Coaching can be thought of as the corporate equivalent of apprenticeships. Both are developmental approaches that involve relationships of encouragement and feedback for the purpose of improving work-related skills. In coaching and mentoring programs, protégés are assisted in their career development by coaches, who are typically immediate superiors, and mentors, who are usually two or more levels senior to the protégés. These advisors help the younger and less-experienced future leaders nurture the competencies that are required for success. The inclusion of a mentoring component to this traditional type of development adds an element of strategy and a broader perspective to the protégés’ development. Mentoring complements coaching by helping to put coaching lessons in context and by hastening the developmental process.

Numerous studies in North America and the U.K. have demonstrated the effectiveness of coaching and mentoring programs. Both corporate and individual improvements can be achieved by focussing on the development of managers and executives. By providing a vehicle to reflect, discuss, and ultimately act on issues, coaching and mentoring programs advance organizational goals and foster individual development by promoting and facilitating the learning process.

Jackson Leadership Systems has been helping companies implement and manage coaching and mentoring programs for more than a decade. Our experienced organizational psychologists assist coaches, mentors, and protégés to understand their roles and responsibilities, as well as the overall benefits to all parties involved. For example, many people are unaware that coaches and mentors serve both a career-related role, and a more interpersonal role in developing protégés. The consultants at Jackson Leadership Systems navigate you through every step of the process to ensure that you derive the maximum benefit from your coaching and mentoring program.

To make these programs easier to implement, Jackson Leadership Systems frequently supplements our individualized support with our own coaching and mentoring handbooks and audio tapes. These allow managers and executives to build skills when their busy schedules permit, and to quickly refer back to the key elements of a successful coaching and mentoring relationship and program.

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Benefits and Outcomes:

• Improve overall effectiveness by clearly communicating organizational goals, and accumulated wisdom to protégés
• Develop future leaders in a timely, cost-effective fashion
• Improve morale and commitment
• Reduce turnover by demonstrating an interest in the personal growth of protégés
• Improve succession decisions by having a clearer picture of individuals’ strengths and developmental needs
• Align individual talents and preferences with organizational requirements
• Address performance issues before they cause problems
  

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