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?
