Mentors & Coaches: Welcome All
Without a mentor or a coach, where
would any of us be? Think about that for just a moment. My earliest mentors,
like most mentors, were, according to Zachary (1997) “powerful influences” in
my life, and primarily came from personal relationships, my grandmother,
father, aunt; just to name a few (p. 3). Those early mentors helped me to walk,
talk, and learn what Watt (2004) refers to as the basics I needed “to develop
to cope with a changing situation” (p. 14). Other mentors came in and out of my
life. Dance instructors taught me balance, poise, and patience. Softball
coaches helped me to develop hand-eye coordination and an understanding of team
work. Girl Scout leaders helped me to gain self-confidence, self-motivation, and
elements of survival techniques. These early mentors were not simply relationships
wherein wisdom was “passed from an authoritarian teacher to a supplicant
student” (Zachary, 1997, p. 3). They represented years where learning took
place between student and teacher such that the student was able to attain a
greater understanding of the world; which established a solid foundation from which
to pursue a career.
Most of my career days were filled
with mentors, not coaches as defined by Watt (2004), which entails a
collaboration in which the coach develops a career map for the coachee and the
coachee then follows the road map from point A to point B in order to reach the
next career destination. The closest I ever came to having a coach was the
person charged with giving me my annual review and even then, those plans were
not as extensive or detailed as those explained by the numerous authorities
from this week’s many readings. Nonetheless, their collective information was
invaluable. In order to advance from file clerk to senior underwriter, map
points were pinpointed. I took extra continuing education courses. I attended
leadership seminars and eventually offered presentations to agency workforces.
My coaches were my senior managers and human resource personnel. They did not
follow the teachings of Good, Yeganeh, and Yeganeh (2010) and apply “Cognitive
Behavioral Executive Coaching”; but, they did help me bring an element of flexibility
to “a complex, fast-paced and ever changing environment” known as the insurance
world of American Pioneer Life (p. 18-19). Perhaps if I would have had a formal
coach, one that would have made me feel a bit uncomfortable, challenged me to
step outside of my comfort zone, and helped me to see my “personal challenges
and vulnerabilities”, maybe I would have returned to school earlier, or pursued
another venue within the insurance industry (Watt, 2004, p. 16).
Whether my lessons have been learned
as a result of mentoring or coaching, many important leadership qualities have
been developed over the years and will be enhanced with years to come. My “authenticity,
active listening, empathy, and establishing trust” are skills and
characteristics the majority of experts agree are critical in becoming a
successful leader (Good, Yeganeh, & Yeganeh, 2010, p. 19). Looking back,
the importance of each person who helped me to master a new skill and helped me
to advance my position within the organization cannot be overstated. Each
provided guidance that helped me to add to and enhance skills with which I was
not born. The advice from mentors along with the hard questions and challenges
from coaches have formed and built upon a foundation that has allowed me to
pursue not only careers; but, a foundation from which to expand my knowledge on
a regular basis and develop the courage I needed to return to school and master
so many skills that were not even spoken of during my career days. For me, that
is why having mentors and coaches enhance one’s life and should be welcomed with
each passing opportunity.
References
Good, D.,
Yeganeh, B., & Yeganeh, R. (2010). Cognitive Behavioral Executive Coaching:
A Structure for Increasing Leader
Flexibility. OD Practitioner, 42(3), 18-23.
Watt, L. (2004).
Mentoring and Coaching in the Workplace. The
Canadian Manager; 29(3), 14-16.
Zachary, L.
(1997). Creating a Mentoring Culture. All
About Mentoring, (11), 3-7.
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