Mentor Coaching: Four Things to Look For

Whether you are a new coach, or an experienced one wanting to brush up on your skills, mentor coaching can be an important process in helping to refine our skills and craft. Here are four things to look for in a mentor coaching process:

Compatibility – Is there a good fit/chemistry with the mentor coach? What are you looking for – someone who can encourage you on, stretch you or be a sounding board?

Experience – What is the experience of the mentor coach? Do they bring the type of experience in the coaching realm, and possibly outside the coaching realm that you are looking for? Are you looking for breadth or depth in terms of their experience?

Synergy with your coaching approaches – individual, team, group. I increasingly find more coaches are adding team and group coaching to their mix. In your mentor coaching process, are you looking to also explore the distinctions of how the core coaching competencies look and sound across the individual, team and group coaching realms.

Composition of your learning needs – scenarios, supervision, tricky issues. These can all be valuable parts of the mentor coaching process, as the core coaching competencies are explored. How do you learn best? Individually or in a group mentor coaching process? You may want to consider how you could benefit from a mentor coaching process in a group.

The ICF has also created some really good documentation around what to look for in a mentor coaching process. For an overview click here, and you can check it what ICF recommends for Mentor Coaching duties and competencies here.

Listen in to a quick audio I recorded last summer on what to look for in mentor coach.

What is important for you in the mentor coaching process? What's going to challenge and stretch you to be the best coach you can be?

Have a great week!

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Looking to complete your mentor coaching requirements? Join me for an upcoming Mentor Coaching Group (10 hours) starting April 24 (Tues 12-1pm ET), June 1 or August 10. 7 hours group calls, 3 hours individual mentor coaching. For ACC renewals, and ACC and PCC portfolio candidates. I also offer 10 hour individual mentor coaching packages as well which can start at any time.
Phone: (416)996-8326

Eight Years, Eight Lessons

This month marks the 8th anniversary of my business, Potentials Realized. My memories are still very fresh of April 1, 2004, returning back to Canada after 13 years of working internationally with the UN, Canadian and British Aid agencies. I hadn’t lived here for more than a decade and was bringing Andray my partner from the Caribbean to see how we could make a life for ourselves work here. Looking out 8 years later so much has changed over the years - a new home, our son who is almost 7 and my business, Potentials Realized, now 8. I think of the hundreds of coaching clients and dozens of organizations across the non-profit, corporate and public sector who I have supported through workshops, retreats, strategic planning, coaching and learning strategy work.It has been quite a journey.

I have learned a lot as a business owner and usually take this time of year to reflect on some of my key learnings. I did this about 10 days ago during Earth Hour. Here are 8 of the lessons I have learned which have been most important for creating where I am today – as a business owner, a mom and a professional:

1. Be clear on what you really want to create – Having a clear vision, and a pretty big one, has been critical. In the immediate, short term and longer term create a vision. I think back to my original visioning work in 2004 which included things like becoming an author, and designing award winning programs. At the time I had no idea how these would come about and both have. It is an ongoing reminder of how important vision and trust is in building a business.

2. Create systems that will support you and can be built upon. What tasks and activities do you think you will need to undertake regularly (registrations, invoices, workbooks, evaluation forms)? Think about what you already have developed and how these can be systematized. If admin doesn’t come naturally, you may want to consider bringing someone onto your team to help you with this.

3. Use your strengths – AS coaches many of us are familiar with the research that surrounds strengths based leadership, and the impact on engagement and productivity. Check out what Gallup has to say. Are you using your strengths in your business? How? What changes do you want to make around this?

4. Make sure you really enjoy what you are doing…. As business owners we are responsible for “everything plus the kitchen sink” some days. If we don’t enjoy what we are doing it may be a wake-up call to think if business ownership is the best fit.

5. Create a business that works for you and your lifestyle – Your own lifestyle needs will likely change over time. Consider where and when you want your effort. Over the past few years I have been able to spend most of my summer (June – August) working out of my cottage, structuring programming so more of my virtual work is done in those months, and in person programming done outside of those months. Consider how technology can work for you….

6. Quality is key – Quality can be the key to referrals and repeat business. Ensure that the quality of what you offer is outstanding.

7. Differentiate/Diversify – What makes you different than other businesses? How is what you offer different than other service providers. In terms of diversification, what different offerings do you have? What risk exists from the amount of diversification (too much or too little) you have?

8. Be clear on your bottom line and track, track, track – Become really clear on what your bottom line is and what you are willing to undertake. Track where business is coming from and really notice what is giving you the results.

I hope that you are enjoying the start of spring! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on key business success lessons for coaches. Please feel free to comment below or over on our Facebook page.

Warm regards

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC

Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Join us for an upcoming program - Group Coaching Essentials (6.75 CCEs with ICF starts Thursday April 12 at 10:30 am ET), Advanced Group Coaching Practicum (Fridays 10:30 - 11:45 am ET starts April 27) and the Mentor Coaching Group starts April 24th (Tues 12-1pm ET)

Phone: (416)996-TEAM (8326)

8 Ideas for Preparing For Your First Phone/Web Based Session

Over the past seven years, a majority of my work at certain points of the year is virtual, delivering teleclasses, webinars as well as group coaching programs by phone. I often get asked in the Group Coaching Essentials program "What do I need to have in place when I lead my first virtual program (by phone or web).

Here are 8 ideas I offer as a starting point for preparation for you own virtual program, from my book Effective Group Coaching:

1. Attend other calls as a participant to see different styles in action. Ask: What did the facilitator do that I liked? What did the facilitator do that had a positive impact on the group? What di the facilitator do that had a negative impact on the group's experience? What exercises did they use? How much time was allotted for discussion? How did the facilitator address different learning styles? The one learning point I want to take forward is .....
2. Test run the technology
3. Refer to FAQs on the website of the technology you are using for tips on how to mute, record etc.
4. Have PINs/Passwords readily at hand
5. Always have a back up bridgeline
6. Develop a contingency plan - expect the unexpected!
7. Send out a reminder before the program - people do forget!
8. Identify possible pitfalls

(Copyright 2010, Britton - pp, 137. Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

I often encourage facilitators and coaches new to virtual work to do a test run. What will make you feel confident as you run your first phone or web based session?

Have a great start to your week!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Group Coaching Essentials - Our next ICF-approved CCE program starts this Thursday September 15th at 10:30 am Eastern - 2 spots open! Registrations also being accepted for October 11th.
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com