Coaching and Mentoring

Strategy

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 COACHING & MENTORING STRATEGY

INTRODUCTION

The Integrated Directorate of Education & Learning (IDEAL) recognises that

coaching and mentoring are core elements in the education and development of
SUHT staff and therefore, of the organisation itself. This paper explores the
development opportunity for a greater SUHT (& NHS) in-house service, identifying
the structure and framework of a coaching and mentoring provision, some of which is
already in place (see appendix 3 for details of the current scheme).

The current provision of coaching & some mentoring within SUHT is unregulated and
difficult to establish. Some coaching and mentoring has been delivered by outside
experts from a hitherto unregulated world – many are outstanding; few are cheap;
some are poor; selection is often random.

The potential benefits include:

• Enhanced individual performance across the spectrum (of performance) 1
• Developing skills
• Increased productivity
• Human Resources factors: e.g. better staff retention, positive work
environment

Importantly, the literature2 suggests that the biggest benefit of coaching and
mentoring accrues to:
• The career-orientated rather than the job-orientated
• The self-aware
• Those willing to learn and change
• The ambitious

Therefore not all individuals will benefit: ‘active’ participation is required, not all are
amenable, not all are suited to the approach and the culture of the organisation may
not incline individuals to explore the benefits of coaching and mentoring. However,
this paper supports the concept that appropriate mentoring and coaching should be
available to all, irrespective of discipline, seniority or location.

DEFINITIONS

Both literature and practice are ambiguous on the distinction between coaching and
mentoring. For the purposes of this paper, it is assumed that whilst both coaching
and mentoring are complementary and share common factors namely trust, respect
and a two-way relationship, the two are different processes and the following
definitions apply:

Mentoring: Supposedly derived from Greek mythology when Odysseus asked

Mentor to keep a watchful eye on his son, Telemachus, and to teach him all he knew
whilst in his charge. It is a process of learning from a colleague, usually older and
more senior/experienced and often from the same organisation, possibly even the

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same discipline. The mentor brings wisdom, learning, experience and knowledge of
the organisation to the relationship. The mentoring relationship focuses on tasks in
the workplace and involves supporting the individual as they address issues, helping
the mentee develop their own solutions as well as giving advice where appropriate.
May be long-term.

Key words: Mentor, mentee

Coaching: A tool to accelerate personal & business development3 which “does not
achieve anything in & of itself”. Rather it creates an environment which facilitates
growing: akin to a gardener who provides the right environment for his plants to
flourish. Helping others to realise – to liberate - their potential. This relationship relies
upon the interpersonal expertise of the coach to skilfully employ a variety of
techniques to enable an individual to choose to develop their potential, arriving at
their own solutions to their issues, taking responsibility for change – or not. A process
of learning with. The coach neither offers advice nor needs detailed knowledge of
the individual’s work area or even organisation4, since coaching is about the
individual, without the impedimenta of context clouding the issues.

It is important to note that in order for an individual to address their own performance
issues, coaching draws no exclusive distinction between personal & work life, since
they are inter-dependent components of one individual. Tends to be shorter-term,
addressing specific needs.

Key words: coach, coachee

An individual can undertake both coach and mentor roles, but not simultaneously for
the same individual.
However an important distinction to be stated is that whilst the definitions between
coaching and mentoring may be indistinct, this strategy does not endorse
Counselling or Therapy undertaken by anyone other than those with specialist
training. We also acknowledge that counsel is synonymous with advice and
legitimately belongs in mentoring.

COACHING PROVISION

A two-pronged approach is suggested to gain optimum coverage:

• A bespoke service for:

o Senior leaders
o Potential high-flyers
o The challenged
o Addressing specific performance/skills/behaviours/attitudes issues

This is already partly in place, albeit limited, with a small number of ‘in-house’
coaches already being well-used by those in the latter two categories. Referral is
generally made by OccH or HR, (although occasionally by a Line Manager or an
individual themselves) usually following a performance, attendance or sickness issue.
A significant increase in coaching requests and particularly challenged individuals

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would command a level of expertise difficult to provide, at least early on, in a local
scheme.

The current provision for the first two groups is negligible. Senior leaders in the
organisation may wish to use an external source such as the NHS Institute for
Innovation and Improvement coaching service, designed specifically for them.

• The development of managers through a training programme:

One of the many definitions of leadership is the notion of delivering results
‘with and through people’. A core element of the manager’s role (especially in
a teaching hospital) must be to develop staff to enhance individual and
collective performance. Coaching and mentoring skills are a valuable asset in
that pursuit and their early application in the workplace may obviate the need
for individuals to become sufficiently ‘challenged’ that their performance
requires intervention.

MENTORING PROVISION

Some external development programmes require individuals to have a mentor eg

RCN Leadership programme, OUBS Managing Health Services. New senior
appointments (Band 7 upwards and Medical Consultants are already or will be
automatically offered mentoring as part of their induction.

In addition to those groups identified above and those who request mentors, it is
proposed, in the first instance, to offer mentoring to:

o Senior leaders at Divisional or Care Group level

o The challenged

ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND TRAINING

The roles need to be clearly defined, with defined responsibilities and training support:
please see Appendices 1 & 2

Training

Appropriate and adequate coach/mentor training is required, preferably in-house.

Developing a larger pool of ‘in house’ SUHT coaches and mentors will require:

• interested individuals with the requisite skills, prepared to be trained

• provision of mentoring and coaching training
• quality assurance
• evaluation
• resources

ADMINISTRATION OF A COACHING/MENTORING SCHEME

Identified senior ‘leads’ assume overall responsibility for the scheme including
advice about whether coaching or mentoring is most appropriate. In addition, a
central administrative co-ordination role is essential in order to maintain an
accurate overview of coaching and mentoring within SUHT, not least as a

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 legitimate record of SUHT-funded time and to ensure that individual
coaches/mentors are not overwhelmed.
:
o ‘register’ of coaches/coachees, mentors/mentees
o one referral point
o a ‘matching’ process (Please see Appendix 3)
o gatekeeping with a number of defined entry routes

MEASURING THE BENEFITS

We clearly state that measuring the benefits of a coaching/mentoring scheme is well

nigh impossible, although the direct costs are more straightforward ie the time of
those involved and any fees from external coaches. The benefits are likely to be ill-
defined and extremely individual in terms of personal value and esteem. In time, it
may contribute to a change in organisational culture which sees coaching and
mentoring as everyday tools in the portfolio of an enlightened organisation which
values its staff as individuals – less command-and-control and more effective
communication, openness, honesty and trust5. This, in turn, may positively influence
recruitment, retention and work performance quality.

References
1. Understanding Performance Difficulties in Doctors, NCAA November 2004
2. Coaching and Mentoring: How to Develop Top Talent and Achieve Stronger
Performance. Harvard Business Essentials, Harvard Business School Publishing
2004.
3. Effective Coaching in Healthcare, Hadikin, R.BfM. 2004
4. Effective Coaching in Healthcare, Hadikin, R.BfM. 2004
5. Coaching for the Future, Caplan, J CIPD 2003

Peter Lees
Caroline Nesbitt

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Appendix 1

COACHING: Roles & Responsibilities

Role:
1. person coaching: to do with values, beliefs, attitudes, self-esteem, purpose,
and empowerment. One-to-one

2. performance coaching: to do with clear goals, inspiration, encouragement,

and motivation. One-to-one or group,

Key skills: questioning, listening, reflecting, challenging

Responsibilities of Coach:
o Attend training
o Act appropriately within role
o Confidentiality
o Keep records
o Keep appointments
o Consider own development & support needs
o Commitment to agreed number of coachees/mentees. This must be
flexible to accommodate unforeseen needs of either the coach/mentor, their
coachee/mentee or, indeed, the challenged who require timely support.

Responsibilities of Coachees
o Keep appointments
o Take responsibility for own learning/development
o Respect the time of the mentor
o Be prepared to listen open-mindedly

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Appendix 2

MENTORING: Roles & Responsibilities

Role: be a source of wisdom and experience for someone ‘behind you’

Key skills: questioning, listening, reflecting, challenging, offering advice

Responsibilities of Mentor
o Attend training
o Act appropriately within role
o Confidentiality
o Keep records
o Keep appointments
o Consider own development & support needs
o Commitment to agreed number of mentees.

Responsibilities of Mentees
o Keep appointments
o Take responsibility for own learning/development
o Respect the time of the mentor
o Be prepared to listen open-mindedly
o Give as much as you get
o Organise regular sessions

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APPENDIX 3

SUHT mentoring scheme

Coach/Mentor Biographical Details

It would be advantageous to offer a range of experience and expertise to meet
differing coachee/mentee needs, therefore a database of ‘accredited’ mentors with a
brief biography and contact details is necessary:

SUHT Accredited Coach/Mentor Details:

• Name
• Sex
• Year of Birth
• Ethnicity
• Position(s) in SUHT plus Department/Care Group/Division
• Year started work at SUHT
• Brief career biography
• Areas of Interest within work (Clinical & Non-clinical) and outside work
• Short statement: Why you are a coach/mentor
• Availability and preferred location for meetings
• Specific skills offered e.g.
o As clinical director
o As single parent
o From a particular ethnic background
o As a diabetic etc
• Contact details

Matching
Critical to the operation of both coaching and mentoring is the matching of individual
to coach or mentor or indeed ‘referral’ back to the line manager. The process must
be confidential, professional and sensitive. A matching service has been developed
in house within IDEAL.

Mentoring - it has been decided that mentors will be allocated to individuals i.e. opt
out rather than opt in. An introduction to the Scheme will be sent to the individual
(with appointment letter/contract if new appointee) and a meeting with a matched
mentor will be arranged. At the first meeting, a mentor will describe the Scheme and
arrange future meetings, unless the mentee opts out or would like a different mentor.
The co-ordinator of the Scheme will contact the mentee after this first meeting to
establish if the matching was successful.

Performance coaching - whilst guidance is acceptable, the choice of coach resides

with the coachee.

Person coaching – the challenged - perhaps sits best with allocation by the IDEAL
Lead, since timeliness is often important.

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Identifying those who will benefit:

Senior leaders N Scheme Route In

The Executive 6 NHSII Coaching Scheme Self refer
Divisional Leaders 6 NHSII Scheme or Local Automatic offer
Clinical Directors 14 Mentoring Automatic offer
Care Group Managers 14 Mentoring Automatic offer
Senior Clinical Nurses 14 Mentoring Automatic offer
‘Other Senior Managers’ 15 Mentoring Automatic offer
Potential high-flyers 10 Coaching Nominated
Newcomers in senior posts
New medical consultants 30 Mentoring Automatic offer
New nurse & AHP consultants 12 Mentoring Automatic offer
The challenged 10 External / Local bespoke/ Referred
Mentoring
TOTAL 131