KMC 9) - COMMITMENT (Part 1)

Key Mentorship Characteristics (KMC) 

1) COMMITMENT - A state or quality of dedication to a cause, purpose, or activity that restricts or limits the parties from taking on additional obligations due to the importance they place on the priority and significance of their relationship.

We invite you to comment and respond to this discussion on the role of “COMMITMENT” in Mentorship relationships. This is one of a series of BLOG posts related to Key Characteristics found within Healthy Mentoring Relationships.

* IN THIS POST - Prof David Clutterbuck, David Clutterbuck Partnership (United Kingdom)

Please feel free to share your experience with respect to this aspect of mentorship and invite others to participate where you feel they could add value to our discussion.

We asked:

•       What is the role of COMMITMENT within a mentoring relationship?

•       What does COMMITMENT mean to you?

•       How is COMMITMENT developed between the mentoring partners?

Here are some comments from one of our friends, respected professionals and experts who are familiar with this subject:

Prof. David Clutterbuck

David Clutterbuck was one of the very early pioneers of mentoring and coaching. Author of 55 books, a third of them on coaching and mentoring themes, he is visiting professor at both Sheffield Hallam and Oxford Brookes Universities.  David co-founded the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and chairs the International Standards for Mentoring Programs in Employment.

   

Professor David Clutterbuck has said that (as with New Year's Resolutions), Personal Development Plans are built on good intentions. Unfortunately, he says, both have a poor track record of delivering change!

The problem is that good intentions don't on their own provide enough sustained impetus to embed new habits and shed old ones. So Clutterbuck suggests that it's useful for coaches and mentors to use a certain degree of caution when it comes to initially presented goals, and to establish as best they can, the ‘level of commitment’ that the client brings to these goals.

This is one place where ‘scaling’ can be particularly helpful, and even more so, where you attach labels to each number from 1 to 10. So, for example, a 10 would mean that ‘nothing will get in my way’, whereas a 1 would essentially be saying, ‘over my dead body!’ Experience suggests that any commitment less than a six won't get done, as other priorities are almost certain to get in the way. Of course, commitment alone isn't enough either. For change to happen, the client needs a plan of action, support from others and positive feedback as they implement their change plan. In exploring commitment, the coach or mentor can also help the client work out how they will sustain the momentum of change.

In this regard, here are some good questions to ask:

• What are you prepared to commit to, here and now?  
• Who are you prepared to commit to, who you would deeply not want to let down?  
• What would make you more committed to this goal?  
• How could you ensure it has a higher priority for you and other influencers?  
• How will you ensure that you keep this commitment front of mind in the weeks/ months to come?

Prof David Clutterbuck
David Clutterbuck Partnership
Woodlands, Tollgate, Maidenhead, Berks, UK

Website: www.davidclutterbuckpartnership.com

NOW - Please feel free to share your comments and experiences with respect to this aspect of mentorship.  Also, help us to reach others who could benefit from participating in this discussion. We welcome your 'sharing' this page with those in your circle of contacts!

Questions:

• What is the role of COMMITMENT within a mentoring relationship?
• What does COMMITMENT mean to you?
• How is COMMITMENT developed between the mentoring partners?