Growing Talent from Within
We hear the words "mentoring and "coaching" every day. And if you've ever worked in the corporate world, those words are bound to have been mentioned during appraisals. Yet no one takes the time (or liberty) to truly explain what their expectations are when it comes to these terms and generally they fall by the wayside.
Today, more employees and even leaders are unengaged and seem to be searching for "something else". The sad reality is that this "something else" is staring them in the face most of the working day and they simply do not see it.
I am referring to internal mentoring - the leader as coach; the process where by one individual coaches another to find his or her 'voice' (fulfilment) - and in doing so also finds their own. People derive considerable satisfaction from helping others. The act of assisting, growing, developing another person not only results in deep contentment, happiness and fulfilment but it also acts as a springboard for the growth of the person providing the mentoring. However, it is a sad reality that the workplace is crammed with talented individuals who, for the lack of a mentor, will never reach their full potential or fulfill their passion. It is also true that many others, who would achieve the ultimate in self actualisation simply by acting as a mentor to a work colleague, will never have this opportunity.
The concepts of mentoring and coaching have existed for centuries and today the terms are often interchanged and misunderstood. Whilst there is a great demand for external coaching for senior executives, there is also an enormous unmet need for internal mentoring of all levels of people within organisations. Mentoring is where a leader from within the organisation coaches another person to progress by developing their talents.
Successful organisations have recognised that mentoring needs to be a holistic intervention of trust and mutual respect. A person's growth involves much more than work related issues. Individuals need to be challenged in a number of arenas. These would include personal and business life, as well as intellectual and emotional growth. Relationships, social skills and leadership competencies also are high on the list of developmental requisites. Whilst many of the skills required of a leader as coach will be similar to those of an external coach, the mentor also relies on his or her knowledge of the organisation to add relevance to their mentoring partner's growth.
At EQ Impact we are acutely aware of the growing need for the professional implementation of internal 'Leader as Coach' programs. Although many South African organisations have attempted to implement these programs, the record of sustainability and success is less than impressive.
The main reasons are:
- Lack of training and ongoing supervision of the mentors / leaders as coaches
- Insufficient support and encouragement from management
- No recognition for the additional work being undertaken by the mentors
- Ineffective monitoring and feedback procedures to mentors and management.
Too many corporate mentoring programs run out of steam within the first few months. Ensuring that they do succeed requires the guidance of a committed facilitator to maintain the momentum of the program and keep it on track. Those that do succeed provide a host of advantages for both the organisation and the individuals. In order to stay ahead, top organisations are making a concerted effort to grow their future leaders from within. They concentrate on sharing the skills and talents of their people with others so that everyone in the organisation reaches their fullest potential.
"But the philosophy of growing from within goes even further than the cascading of knowledge and information," says Pryke. "It penetrates to the core of each individual's inherent abilities by creating new levels of awareness, perception and innovation. It is a process which awakens latent or undeveloped talents, allowing the organisation and its people to become top performers."
Encouraging leaders to become coaches has significant benefits. In Pryke's experience, effective 'Leaders as Coach' programs result in many if not all of the following:
- Retaining high-performing valuable employees
- Supporting employee equity initiatives
- Developing leadership talent and chosen fast-trackers
- Challenging leaders' own growth and leadership development
- Enhancing existing training and development programmes
- Infusing a culture of self-managed learning and creativity
- Facilitating succession planning and career management
- Cascading organisational culture, strategy and vision
- Unleashing and encouraging the sharing of intellectual capital
- Expanding the Emotional Intelligence of leaders and protégés
- Building a core of skilled leaders to develop future leaders
- Encouraging innovation whilst reducing stress levels
- Accelerating the transfer of skills and knowledge within the emerging talent base of the organisation
"However," cautions Pryke, "coaching skills, like any other skill, must be learned and continuously improved." He advocates the necessity for ongoing coaching of the leaders to ensure that both they and their mentoring partners get the maximum benefit from the relationship.
What advices can Pryke offer mentors? "Apart from 'being there' for your mentoring partner, the most important word in the mentoring code is TRUST. This represents Tolerance, Respect, Understanding, Sincerity and Truth.
The solution to employee engagement and organisational development is fostering an effective 'Leader as Coach' program. The ability to grow talent from within will become the competitive advantage of the future.
Contact Michael@eqimpact.co.za for more information on the two-day 'Leader as Coach' program.
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