In a previous post to this BLOG on February 15, 2014 (Revisiting Coaching VS Mentoring), I provided some interesting comments on this from Professor David Clutterbuck which readers may want to review.
More recently, I had opportunity to speak with Dan Gaynor, President, Gaynor Consulting Inc. who kindly provided the following excerpt from his book, “The Heart And Hands Of Leadership: The Twelve Timeless Practices Of Effective Leaders”.
A link is provided for more information regarding his book at the end of this post, as well as another link to a video on my YouTube Channel where Dan provides some of his insights on the topic of Mentorship.
Dan’s material will be shared in two posts - this one, and another in December 2014.
We trust that you will enjoy the perspective he’s provided, as it touches on coaching, leadership and mentorship.
Coach for Skills and Relationships
In John Wooden’s book Wooden on Leadership, the legendary coach of the U.C.L.A men’s basketball team—the most successful coach in the history of the N.C.A.A.—wrote: “Every good leader is a natural and enthusiastic teacher.” I couldn’t agree more. Coaching turns raw talent into refined strength and builds relationships. It builds strong teams by building strong team members.
For good leaders, coaching is a joy not a burden. Athletes know how their relationships with skilled and dedicated coaches motivate them to do their best. They don’t want to disappoint the coach. We feel the same way about leaders who take the time to coach us. Leaders who coach build much more than skills. The best build relationships in which people don’t want to let them down. They have a genuine interest in how things turn out. Beyond becoming good personal coaches every senior leader has a responsibility to foster these skills throughout the entire leadership network.
My inspiration for workplace coaching got its start with my hockey and lacrosse coaches, but it really grew as a parent watching our daughters figure skate. It occurred to me that as important as coaching is to the development of strong organizations and healthy relationships, it is still not common in the workplace. Earlier, we looked at the way the best leaders focus on the needs of others rather than on their own needs. Coaching is a big part of this. As I watched our daughters, Paige and Hayley, work with their skating coach I was struck not only by the progress of their skills but more significantly by the relationships I saw developing. I think all great coaches know that if they cannot build a relationship they cannot teach. The right relationship brings out the best in every athlete. Good coaches have far more than technical expertise. They have relational expertise, founded in a genuine wish to help the athlete grow and the team succeed.
My daughters’ skating coach had a real interest in their success. Watching her alongside the boards as the girls competed, she was animated, her expressions rising and falling with every success and failure on the ice. Our daughters wanted to do their best for her. The relationships and skills I saw develop at those rinks were not so different from those between the best leaders and their followers.
Leaders who coach are the very leaders we describe as mentors. A mentor is someone who takes an interest in you and wants to pass on what he has learned. The good mentors want to see you succeed. They are delighted when you do and to have played a role in your success. And while “mentor” can be an overused and often meaningless title, genuine mentoring is powerful. Mentors care about the people they lead. It’s personal. The office does not have to be so different from the arena. All the same benefits—improved performance and more satisfying relationships—can be realized at work when leaders take the time to pass on what they have learned to others.
DAN'S BOOK: This excerpt is taken from Chapter 17 of Dan Gaynor’s book, "The Heart and Hands of Leadership: The Twelve Timeless Practices of Effective Leaders", published in May of 2014 by Kingsley Publishing.
For more details on Dan's book go to: www.heartandhandsofleadership.com
OUR VIDEO: To view a short video where Dan Gaynor provides some of his insights on the topic of Mentorship Please Click Here.
We welcome your comments to the above and invite you to share them with those in your circle of contacts.
Please watch for 'Part 2' with a continuation of comments from Dan Gaynor.
