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I am a manager in a company that has decided to institute a "coaching program" for all employees. Everyone will be assigned a coach who will help them with their career and personal goals. One of the rules of the program is that "your coach should not be your manager".

My problem is that I am already coaching my directs! Does anyone have any experience with coaching programs like this? How does it align with what you as a manager are doing in terms of your team coaching?

Len's picture

Could it be that this is meant to be a "mentoring" program? If so, conventional wisdom (and M&M wisdom, which is often UNconventional...in a favorable way) usually holds that a mentor should not be one's boss. What is the stated intent of the program?

drinkcoffee's picture

I suppose this could be considered a mentoring program -- although as described, it uses a coaching model very similar to the MT way.

Mark's picture
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This is a mentoring program. Don't worry about what you're doing. You're just managing! :wink:

Mark

PS: I used to get agitated about "terminological inexactitude", but mostly today I just see it as someone trying to do things more effectively.

drinkcoffee's picture

Mark:

Thanks for your reply. I recently went back and listened to the podcasts on mentoring, and the program makes much more sense to me now that I can call it what it is.

I had not recalled this, but in the podcast you guys promise a "future cast" about company mentoring programs. I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks again for all you do.

Mark's picture
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Yes, well.

I keep trying to write that one, and keep remembering all the failures I've seen. Very disheartening.

But we will do it.

Mark

jprlopez's picture

Just to share, in my previous company we had an institutionalized mentoring program that was generally successful. :) (probably < 20% of the participants were satisfied with it :oops: )

In most of the failures though one thing I realized, which Mike clearly pointed out in one of the podcasts/posts is that when the mentoring relationship becomes the responsibility of the organization rather than the individuals involved, the effectiveness of the program drastically drops.

Joseph

Nevergiveup's picture
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I have an issue where a very helpful manager is doing a LOT of mentoring for one of my new recruits. I don't want to discourage this, as I see the extra help as a good way to improve teamwork - but at the same time it seems that the another manager is helping my guy more than what I'm doing - and I give quality time to my guy. Should I let this continue?

ps. The other manager currently does not have a report under her at this moment