What if the coachee or mentee appears delusional Although only one person in 500 is receiving treatment for a delusional disorder at any time, the rest of us are much more susceptible to bizarre and irrational beliefs than we like to admit. A recent study asking people about 17 delusional beliefs (for example: Do you […]
What is the conversation you need to have
What’s the conversation you need to have We all have conversations we avoid. We can wall these conversations off to the extent that we are not even aware we are avoiding them. In helping someone get to know themselves, a coach or mentor can encourage them to acknowledge and explore these conversations. Some of the […]
Mentoring is Not Just for “Top Talent”
Mentoring is Not Just for “Top Talent” Mentoring is increasingly recognised as a powerful tool for developing and retaining the leaders of tomorrow. Very true and I applaud organisations for embracing mentoring and embedding it in their human resource management processes. I am less enthusiastic, however, when I see large organisations focus their mentoring programs […]
The Benefits of Talking to Yourself
Having a good talk with myself Walking down the street 25 years ago, the sight of someone talking to themselves would probably make you want to cross the road to avoid them. Nowadays, it is nothing strange – we assume that they are on their mobile phone. But the idea that inner conversations should not […]
5 Tips on How to Coach and Mentor Perfectionists
5 Tips on How to Coach and Mentor Perfectionists Perfectionists are driven to succeed, strive to continually improve and work hard to avoid mistakes. Particularly when you have your own perfectionist tendencies (like me) it is easy to align perfectionism with diligence, excellence and well…perfection. In fact, habitual perfectionism is in itself an imperfection. The […]
In Celebration of National Mentoring Day
National Mentoring Day Mentors are truly magnificent people who share their time, energy and experience with someone else. They guide and encourage, they challenge and confront, but most of all they support and listen. My first real mentor was an ex-boss. He gave me my first job as a graduate and watched out for me […]
How to Help a Coachee or Mentee Develop Presence
How to help a coachee or mentee develop presence “Presence” is one of those easily recognisable but hard to define qualities. It plays a significant role in how we assess competence, promotability and other factors that make or break reputation and careers. So what exactly is presence? A pragmatic definition is: “Influencing others simply by […]
Business case for mentoring programs in organisations
Is there a proven business case for mentoring programs in organisations? My esteemed colleague Professor David Clutterbuck, a leading researcher and writer on coaching and mentoring, recently told a group of our clients that “highly effective mentoring programs deliver substantial learning for over 95% of mentees and 80% of mentors”. But is there real evidence […]
How to help your mentee manage loneliness
How to recognise and help your coachee or mentee manage loneliness It’s a common misconception that loneliness is about isolation from or lack of contact with other people. In reality, people differ greatly in how they respond to being on their own. So, what is loneliness? Loneliness is a feeling of being socially isolated that […]
Important Skills for a Successful Mentoring Relationship
Study Confirms Communication Competence Critical to Mentoring Success Don’t you just love being proven right? It was with a slight inner gloat that I read a recent mentoring study from York University in Canada, which found that communication competence on the part of both the mentor and the mentee was the one single skill most […]