Wednesday 4 June 2014

Are you a great coach and/or mentor?

When I left school I thought I was stupid. Then this happened


My first Mentor was so important in my life that I have engaged Mentors personally ever since. I became a Mentor to do for others what many folk have done for me; help me to do what I know I should yet don’t, and in this doing discover what I don’t know that I must do. I walk with people on this journey from can, will, and love to do, to doing what you love in the service of people who love what you do.


I am often asked “what is the difference between a coach and a mentor?” My answer is that there doesn’t need to be a difference in terms of labels, yet making a distinction can be very useful in terms of roles.

For me Coaching is concerned with competency: the skills needed to perform at optimum levels. Good coaching is about maximizing skills.

Mentoring is concerned with commitment: the will we need to perform at our best. Good mentoring is about maximizing will.

Mentoring is very different to coaching. Here’s how I overview the differences on page 172 in my Changing What’s Normal book.

Good Coaching requires
Ability to articulate how performance should be 
Ability to share knowledge clearly and succinctly 
Ability to create diverse, fun, practice methodologies 
Ability to be tough yet fair 
Ability to challenge people respectfully 
Ability to separate problems from personality 
Ability to be general with praise and specific with criticism

Good Mentoring requires 
Willingness to influence others regarding the steps necessary to lift performance yet allow others to make their own decisions 
Willingness to listen more than speak 
Willingness to give advice but more to encourage people to
find their own way 
Willingness to experience delayed gratification 
Willingness to give away hard earned wisdom 

Are you a good coach and a good mentor? Your people, including your children if you are a parent, need you to be.

I personally play the role of mentor more than that of a coach.

I’m with Seth Godin who says
“Good advice is priceless. Not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. Not imaginary, but practical. Not based on fear, but on possibility. Not designed to make you feel better, designed to make you better.
Seek it out and embrace the true friends that care enough to risk sharing it.
I’m not sure what takes more guts—giving it or getting it.”

I’m up for it. You?

Please consider becoming an inaugural member of Maverick Thinkers Studio.

The journey to thriving on the challenges of change demands us to dance with our fear of, anxiety about, and resistance to change, and to do what we’ve never done before. It is a road less traveled. Maverick Thinkers Studio is a safe place for a 100 people at any given time who are willing to take this journey of a life time.

I am offering you the opportunity to join my studio at the Enrolled and Engaged levels for 25% less than what the regular fees will be from June 15th.

Is one of the 100 places yours?

There are also 50 places for Associate members where you can try out the studio for 90 days as well as have two online mentoring sessions with me on Skype.


My value promise is this: My resources will inspire you to find the clarity you must have to be ready to do the great work you haven’t yet done.

My No BS mentoring will be a gift to you of streetwise wisdom and candid feedforward and feedback that will enable you to be accountable to yourself, your work, and the people you love and serve.

I also guarantee a minimum 20 times return on investment.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.

Ian

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