Exploring A Mentoring Relationship

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Mentoring
Mentoring is generally an informal relationship between two people. A mentor will do many of the same things as a coach or even someone who is a trainer, but there is no formal obligation on the part of either party. A mentoring relationship often develops gradually from a friendship or a professional association, intensifies as the mentor discovers he has valuable insight and experience to share, and as the person being mentored discovers his desire to learn from the mentor. The two people will at some point recognize the special nature of their relationship, but may not name it. And as life circumstances change, the relationship will gradually de-intensify. It will often turn into a friendship of peers.

Coaching
Think of an …show more content…

The person being coached has a specific goal to achieve. It can be long term or short term, but it is specific. The coach is there to help that person meet their goal. Once the goal is met, the relationship is re-evaluated.
Here are some of the ways that coaching can happen (actually, mentors do these things too):
• The Socratic Coach – asks lots of probing questions.
• The Hands-On Coach – shows people a way to solve a problem, but leaves it to the individual to mimic or do something different.
• The Intervention Coach – mostly observes and at key moments intervenes to help an individual choose a specific path of action.
• The Guiding Coach – provides constant (usually gentle) reminders to help an individual keep withing a specific path of action (guide …show more content…

Having established rapport, the coach asks questions to explore why the project manager needs help: what are the specific internal problems or issues that need resolving; the goals to be agreed; the reality check on the possibilities; the resources the project manager can bring to bear in a sense of owning the solution; and a way forward to success.
The coaching process approach is independent of the content of the problems or issues. (The project management process is likewise independent of project content.) The coach needs to be completely open minded and flexible, since all project managers are different individuals, with their own potential, thinking preferences and behaviours, personal problems and issues, seeking help in how to get from where they are now to where they want to be.
To be successful, coaching needs to be totally private and

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