Coaching and Mentorship

People go into business for themselves for a lot of reasons, including freedom, control, and, of course, the potential to make more money. But few entrepreneurs truly appreciate how much potential lies dormant in their companies.

Mr. Miyagi and Daniel Larusso. Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot. Dadabhai Naoroji and Mahatma Gandhi. History (OK, and the box office) is full of examples of people who have accomplished tremendous feats—far more than they could have done alone—with the help of mentors.
That's why I find it odd when I see CEOs spending so little time mentoring their employees. You may not find it in the required curriculum of a fancy MBA program but mentoring is crucial to business success.

Securing the right mentor is a major hurdle, but maintaining the relationship can be just as challenging. To keep the mentoring relationship going, try these three things: 

If micro-managers are like babysitters, then the bosses we all hope to have are like great coaches.
Coaches inspire and bring out the best in their team. Micro-managers slowly suck the life out of you.
Everybody knows a micro-manager, but nobody claims to be one. Certainly, bosses view themselves differently than their employees see them. 1 in 3 managers say they use a coaching style, but only 1 in 5 employees agree (according to this Adecco study). So, here’s my take on some of the most distinctive attributes of an inspiring coach and a micro-manager.

Read more: http://www.momsrising.org/blog/infographic-whos-the-boss-micro-manager-or-coach/#ixzz1nsGjixm5

Success is usually apparent, but not always. When you cook a meal or wash your car, you’re left with a clear sign of a job well-done.
But when you’re training a business professional, there might not be the instantaneous moment of transformation. In other words, the middle-aged manager who’s just gone through a life-changing training session walks out of the room looking like a middle-aged manager. The true impact of the training might not be apparent for days, weeks or months. 

The hug. It’s a simple gesture that can make a happy situation happier or help someone overcome with sadness feel a little better. Studies have shown that hugs can actually make a difference in one’s health; research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that a hug can lower blood pressure and reduce the harmful physical effects of stress.
Hugs are thought to be so beneficial, there’s even a day dedicated to celebrating the gift of a hug. Jan. 21 has been deemed “National Hugging Day,” and according to the organizer’s website, the day was “created for family and friends to hug often and freely with one another.”

A good coach is someone who sees you in action day in and day out and is highly motivated to help you improve. Who does that sound like?

 
If companies want their superstars to give 120 percent and not leave for greener pastures, an ongoing focus on retention and employee engagement will serve them well.

 
A new VP rides into town for the holidays!
This past week in New York, as in other cities, there were Christmas parties all over town.
In this case, the department got together with drinks, food and holiday festivities. It was a festive occasion with everyone engaged and having a heck of a time. The new VP walks into the room and works it masterfully. He had conversation for everyone; not just fake small talk, but actual conversation with each person about their work and who they were.

 
File this one under silly management trends: reverse mentoring.
I’m a big fan of mentoring (and really, the development of workplace relationships in general). Professional relationships between co-workers, managers and subordinates is a sign of a healthy workplace. Having a formal mentoring program is great too, especially for highly talented (but not yet developed) employees you wish to retain.

You may be the best coach in the world, but if the person you are coaching shouldn't be coached, it's not going to work. I'm sorry to say that try as I might to help some people change I have come to the conclusion that some people are unsalvageable. Through years of trial and error, I have shed all illusions about my astounding behavioral change methods, and concluded that some flaws just can't be coached away by anyone.
So, how do you know when someone is uncoachable? How do you detect a lost cause? 

You need a mentor and you want one now. The good news is that the first step to getting what you need is to identify it. But the second step, at least for most people, is a bit fuzzy. How exactly do you go about finding the right mentor?

Frances Hesselbein has headed Peter Drucker's Leader to Leader Institute for 21 years. Before that, she turned around the Girl Scouts of the USA. Now she shares her lessons in leadership.
FORTUNE -- Frances Hesselbein received a call to head Girl Scout Troop 17 in Johnstown, Pa., in her early twenties. Married, with an 8-year-old boy, she felt unequipped to manage a gaggle of 10-year-old girls. But she led the troop for eight years and eventually moved to the state level in York, Pa. There she implemented management guru Peter Drucker's philosophies -- which she had stumbled upon while browsing Johnstown's Cambria Free Library. Her success caught the attention of the national Girl Scouts organization, and Hesselbein became its CEO. In her 13 years with the group, she led a turnaround and worked directly with Drucker, who recruited her to run his Leader to Leader Institute (then called the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management) in 1990. Hesselbein, 96, yes, 96 years old, has outlived her mentor but remains CEO of the institute, which will be renamed the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute in early 2012. The author of an autobiography published in February, My Life in Leadership, she shares her lessons with Colleen Leahey