1.1 Analyse the difference between coaching and mentoring
Coaching and mentoring use the same skills and approach but coaching is short term task-based and mentoring is a longer-term relationship.
What is coaching?
Coaching: helping another person to improve awareness, to set and achieve goals in order to improve a particular behavioural performance.
It consists of one-to-one developmental discussions. It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and weaknesses. It is aimed at specific issues/areas. It is a relatively short-term activity. It is essentially a non-directive form of development. It focuses on improving performance and developing/enhancing individual’s skills. It is used to address a wide range of issues. Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals. It is time-bounded. It is a skilled activity Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance on work.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring: helping to shape an individual’s beliefs and values in a positive way; often a longer term career relationship from someone who has ‘done it.
Mentoring is a long-standing form of training, learning and development and an increasingly popular tool for supporting personal development.
Traditionally, mentoring is the long term passing on of support, guidance and advice. In the workplace it has tended to describe a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses their greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff.
Mentoring is used specifically and separately as a form of long term tailored development for the individual, which brings benefits to the organisation. The characteristics of mentoring are: It is essentially a supportive form of development.
It focuses on helping an individual manage their career and improve skills. Personal issues can be discussed more productively unlike in coaching where the emphasis is on performance at work. Mentoring activities have both organisational and individual goals.
The differences between coaching and mentoring.
Mentoring
Coaching
Ongoing relationship that can last for a long period of time Relationship generally has a short
Duration
Can be more informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentored individual needs some guidance and or support Generally more structured in nature and meetings scheduled on a regular basis
More long term and takes a broader viewof the person. Often known as the ‘mentee’ but the term client or mentored person can be used Short-term (sometimes time bounded) and focused on specific development
areas/issues
Mentor usually passes on experience and is normally more senior in organisation Not generally performed on basis that coach needs direct experience of clients formal occupational role The focus is on career and personal development Focus generally on development/issues at work Agenda is set by the mentored person with the mentor providing support and
guidance to prepare them for future roles Agenda focused on achieving specific, immediate goals Revolves more around developing the mentee professionally Revolves more around specific development areas/issues
1.2 Explain circumstances when coaching would be appropriate method of supporting learning at work.
Coaching often doesn’t occur in a workplace until a problem has been identified. This could be from an observation of someone’s work practices by a manager or supervisor, a complaint from a customer, a difficulty in the work place. The need for coaching may also be triggered by change such as: -the induction of new staff, the introduction of new technology, the introduction of new procedures, systems or services, redefined roles or responsibilities, new legislation or staff changes.
Coaching covers a range of development needs:
To help bring about improvements where people are under-performing To ‘challenge’ and stretch those with high potential
To enhance current skills
To re-motivate people
To prepare people for new roles
To prepare people for delegation
Staff inductions are an important part of our coaching systems at the nursery. Staff induction is a process by which we welcome new staff into the nursery, supporting them and helping them to familiarise themselves with our routines, our ethos and our way of doing things. The induction period reduces some of the stress that people encounter when starting a new job and as such it is an effective way to welcome new members of staff to your organisation. It introduces new members of staff to the existing staff, as well as being a time for existing staff to meet their new colleagues. It is also a time when you can identify the strengths of each new staff member, and the priorities for their future development. Our induction proces usually lasts for about 3 months for all new staff and can be extended for a further 3 months if necessary.this allows new staff time to show that they can reach the expected standards for them. On their first day with the nursery staff receive an induction, which makes them fully aware of the nursery policies and procedures and outlines their role and responsibilities and what is expected of them as an employee of the nursery.
The induction also covers the emergency exits and evacuations procedures, safeguarding and child protection, inclusion and equality policy and the general health and safety for the nursery as a whole. Another circumstance when coaching would be an appropriate method of supporting learning would be when an employee has repeatedly tried to solve a problem, and their solution isn’t going to work. We have recently became aware that a lot of our staff are struggling with their weekly planning and the planning they are doing isnt challenging the children enough. From this we had a meeting and we decided that the best way to tackle this problem would be to have weekly planning meetings after work to help coach and train staff on how to plan effectivelty for the children in their rooms. Each week we have a planning night and we ask staff to bring their ideas to the meeting and as a group we look at each rroms planning and we help each other write and plan for the children so it is challenging. This has been quite effective and it has highlighted a few training needs for some staff. Top of Form
Bottom of Form
1.3 Explain circumstances when mentoring would be an appropriate method of supporting learning at work
Mentoring can also describe short-term help/advice and guidance organised in a specific situation and can also be more supervisory in nature as an approach to help staff gain new skills or overcome specific difficulties.
Circumstances when mentoring would be an appropriate method of supporting learning within the nursery would be:
To induct new staff more quickly
To improve the retention of staff
To support self development and work based learning programmers such as NVQs, continuous professional development, graduate or company training programmes To support organisational change
To encourage personal development
To help individuals cope with transitions such as moving into a new job or role.
We have supervision meetings with all our staff every 6 months and this is when we can discuss any issues they may have and we can offer guidance and support if needed. Supervision is in place to allow staff to receive support and training that will enable them to promote the interests and well being of all children. Supervision is a mutual arrangement between the staff and management and helps to encourage teamwork and professional development as well as allowing the opportunity for staff to have confidential discussion about sensitive issues. The main aim of supervision is to provide opportunities for staff to discuss any issues they have regarding any child in their care especially anything concerning a child’s development or well-being, identify any issues and possible solutions if they arise and to plan training needs to improve staff personal development.
We also have Staff Appraisals, which are carried out every 12 months. Staff have the opportunity during appraisals to discuss their personal development and training needs, to talk generally about how things have been since their last appraisal and to discuss any other issues that may have arose. We promote the appraisal as a positive experience and not negative and always try to address any negative’s as something that needs be improved. We support staff in their personal development and endeavour to provide the correct training relevant to their role within the nursery.
1.4 Explain how coaching and mentoring complement other methods of supporting learning.
Mentoring and coaching can be standalone activities or they can be used to complement each other to tackle issues like developing careers, solving problems, overcoming conflicts and re-motivating staff. The aims of coaching and mentoring are the same as those of good management. Both will try to maximise their staff potential. To be a Good mentoring/coaching and good management you have to have the following: Willingness to listen
Openness to new ideas
A challenging way of thinking
Encouraging staff to become involved in new work experiences Making time available
Enthusiasm.
Within the nursery environment legislation and guidance that we follow is always being updated and reviewed, as so there is always the need for staff to train and develop. By providing staff with coaching and mentoring opportunities it ensures that all staff are given the chance to voice their opinions and needs.
Other methods of support learning with the staff that we use in the nursery are: Peer on peer observation, training courses, and evaluating training courses. Coaching and mentoring complement these other methods as they all help to give staff feed back on how they are performing. Any feedback you receive from other adults is important in building up your confidence and skills. We try to give positive feedback to staff at every opportunity and when staff are struggling we help them to look at why they are struggling and together we come up with a plan a and a strategies to over come any problems. .
1.5 Analyse how coaching and mentoring at work can promote the business objectives of the work setting:
Drive performance results that meet the needs of the group and the business.- such as working toward getting an outstanding grade from ofsted. Build high levels of employee commitment.- staff turnover will be low and staff are more likely to stay with the company and progree through the company rather than leave. Develop employee skills and abilities.- Staff will learn new skills and will be able to tackle different problems and barriers they may face, increase staff moral, confidence and overall happyness. Challenge employees to perform to their best and as self-sufficiently as possible. – Staff will look to challenge themselves and look at how they can develop in their own carrers, they will push themselves forward, maybe want to study for further qualification. Increase productivity by maximizing your resources. – increase in figures and bookings. Build constructive working relationships with your staff. – staff more likely to speak to manangement openly and have a well established relationship. Maximize the use of your time so that you can have the greatest impact.-by being able to delegate will allow myself more time to tackle more important tasks. Reinforce quality performance and employee accountability. – increase staff happiness and their proformance and keep staff within the company. Make my life as a manager just a little bit easier.
1.6 Evaluate the management implications of supporting coaching and mentoring in the work setting.
Most managers experience their work environment as increasingly uncertain, with greater pressure to deliver high levels of performance using fewer resources and people. Managers are expected to demonstrate more knowledge and a wider range of skills, along with self-motivation, initiative and innovation. Emphasis is placed on teams that work collaboratively and share knowledge, which assumes that managers have relinquished the traditional “command and control” approach. At various times managers need to act as instructor, conflict mediator, mentor and coach. I know as being manager that this is at times an impossible task, as you have to split yourself up into a million pieces and its not always possible. On a daily basis I deal with various different situation from staffing issues to debt management problems.
From having coaching and mentoring systems in place I feel it makes my job a little easier as I can delegate certain tasks to my room supervisors and deputy manager, such as peer on peer observation and student inductions. This then also helps the senior staff to develop in their own roles and it makes them more aware of their own roles and responsibilities. Developing an employee coaching and mentoring program it will benefit the mentor, the mentee and the organization as a whole by promoting professional development. Such programs require careful planning and agreement between all parties involved. By first considering the costs and benefits, you can implement a mentoring program smoothly, increasing potential benefits.
1.7 Explain how coaching and mentoring in the work setting can contribute to a learning culture.
By creating a positive learning culture within the nursery for the staff it enables them to: Easily adapt to change
Actually anticipate change
Be more responsive to the market place
Generate more energetic, loyal and goal oriented employees
Grow through innovation.
Therefore training is a key element in an organisation dedicated to continuous learning. It is important to create an environment that encourages personal and organisational goals to be developed and realised in partnership. Having a Shared vision will help build a sense of group commitment by developing shared images of the future Team learning will promote and develop thinking skills.
It is important to Motivate staff as this affects the learning culture. People are motivated in different ways. While one person will feel rewarded by a pay rise, another will value praise and recognition above all else. Another will measure their success through a promotion. Training can be a strong motivating factor for staff, as it helps them grow and gain new skills. This will help their performance at work and make them more marketable or employable. To be effective, training needs the full participation and commitment of staff, at all levels. The benefits of implementing a learning culture include:
Superior performance
Better quality of product and services
Better customer satisfaction
Committed and result-focused workforce
Greater ability to deal with change.
1.8 Explain the importance of meeting the learning needs of coaches and mentors. The qualities that make for a good coach /mentor.
Mentoring is all about creating a productive, safe and supportive workplace. This involves knowledge, attitude, and behavior.
• Knowledge: Understanding workplace responsibilities – Learning, and promoting the highest trade and safety standards – Sharing best practices and promoting learning.
• Attitude: Maintaining a positive approach to people, work and learning – Willing to see things from another perspective – Promoting fairness and equity in the workplace.
• Behaviour: Modeling, promoting and encouraging the highest trade and safety standards – Working to assist others – Enhancing the effectiveness and productivity of the larger team.
Other qualities that are important for coaching and mentoring are?
Leadership: Act as a role model for your team – lead by example, promote teamwork and have a positive overall impact on the workplace. Organisation: Apply appropriate organisational techniques to support training needs – plan and monitor the development throughout training. Communication: Use communication skills to the fullest – transfer concise and relevant information. Coaching: Apply the principles of coaching effectively and efficiently to the on the- job training requirements. Mentoring: Develop a trusting relationship to guide training more effectively in a workplace setting. Human Relations: Essential workplace interpersonal skills, motivational techniques and task conflict/problem resolution techniques to increase job satisfaction and performance. Job Proficiency: Creating and maintaining a safe and efficient workplace training environment through networking, cooperative decision-making, problem-solving, independent learning and research. Personal Development: The benefits of personal wellness, managing stress and the importance of staying physically, mentally, and emotionally fit.
2.1 Promote the benefits of coaching and mentoring in the work setting.
The benefits to the organization (nursery) from coaching and mentoring would be:
Widening of skills base and competencies in line with the nursery’s own goals Increased staff morale and job satisfaction
Alternative to external training, more cost effective personal development programme Develops habits of trust and confidentiality
Gives senior management a more informed view of the organisation’ talent Use for succession planning
Helps achieve mission/vision
Develops a mature management population
Improved quality of service through increased competence and confidence of supported practitioners Improves teamwork and cooperation
The benefits to the mentor/ coach would be:
Improves awareness of own learning gaps
Develops ability to give and take criticism
Develops up-to-date organisational and professional knowledge Offers networking opportunities
Improves leadership, organisational and communication skills Develops ability to challenge, stimulate and reflect
Raises profile within organisation
Increases job satisfaction
Offers opportunity to pass on knowledge, experience
May offer career advancement opportunities
The benefits to the mentee or learner would be:
Develops learning and reflective skills
Develops organizational and professional knowledge
Develops political awareness
Develops own practice
Develops or reinforces self-confidence and willingness to take risks Develops ability to accept criticism
Supports through transition
May accelerate professional development
Develops autonomy and independence
Increases maturity
Broadens horizons
Increases job satisfaction
Offers opportunities for effective modeling
Encourages ongoing learning and developing and identifying learning opportunities in the working situation Facilitates peer relationships
Develops increased reflective practitioner skills
Offers individualised one-to-one teaching and opportunities for experiential learning Offers help with problem solving
2.2 support practitioners to identify learning needs where it would be appropriate to use coaching.
Coaching can be used to provide individuals and teams with opportunities for gaining new skills, and personal development such as teach someone how to perform simple tasks on a computer. We have a few members of staff in the nursery who are not very confident when it comes to using a computer so I have in the past spent time with staff to show them how to complete simple tasks. We have also had a new cook recently and I have spent time showing the cook how we prepare certain meals and showing her portion sizes. This was very beneficial to the cook as it was very daunting for her a first to prepare meals for 50 children per day bearing in mind all the children’s diets and needs. Coaching can also offer learning opportunities geared to individual needs, encourage a positive attitude to learning and provide flexibility in the learning process.
This is done by listening to your staff asking them what it is they struggle with and what they would like to develop or learn about. We have these discussions during supervision and appraisal meetings. Senior staff have asked if we can provide managerial courses for them as they are struggling with managing staffing issues. Sam has then outsourced courses for staff through jhp such as team leading. Also other staff have wanted to develop their skills in order to help the children in their care. A group of us have recently had some training on Autism as we have a little boy with Autism in the nursery. This was very useful as it gave us all more of a clearing understanding of Autism and how to look at things from the Childs prospective.
Coaching cannot effect change unless clear, measurable goals are set in advance and benefit the person being coach. There must also be support from senior managers and everyone must be fully committed to the coaching programme in order for it to be successful.
2.3 Support practitioners to identify learning needs where it would be appropriate to use mentoring. Mentoring can: increase individual and team commitment to an organisation and its goals and help improve communication within the organization. We have monthly staff meetings and these are just one of the occasions when we manage to get the whole team together to discuss matters as a team. Communication is key to a successful business as it is important all tem members communicate and are given the opportunity to pass on their thoughts and feelings. Mentoring can also help to change organisational culture for the better and allow individuals to gain a greater insight into the organisation’s workings. It also gives individuals the chance to meet different people within the organisation, and to network improve levels of professional success. We do this when we attend meetings or training courses run by the local council. Here we learn new information that is important for us to feed back to our setting and all our staff. During our staff meetings we always incorporate a section on training to allow staff to feed back to the group anything they have learnt1. We use mentoring during our supervision and appraisal meetings that we have with staff as we look at areas of achievement and areas that require some improvements. Then together we discuss a plan of action and set clear objectives with a timescale of when improvements should be made by, this gives all the staff something to work towards. Mentoring cannot succeed unless clear objectives are agreed in advance and there is an agreed plan of action. Mentoring does not act as a replacement for conventional training. We do send our staff out on training courses that are run by the local authority and these usually cost money and have limited spaces. 2.4 Explain the different types of information, advice and guidance that can support learning in the work place. Providing information is probably the most important part of the information, advice and guidance process. Information may be about:
Local learning opportunities
Particular learning interests or needs
Rights or entitlements to learning
How to access more specialist advice, or fuller in-depth professional career guidance Within the nursery we always look at our staff needs through appraisals and supervision meetings and also just by listening to them. Then we look at what they need and look into ways of getting information whether it be from a website or by contacting other agencies. We would refer staff to other sources of information, professional guidance, specialist advice or a particular course or learning programme where necessary. This may involve:
Referring them to another part of the company for specialist information or advice
Signposting to other external provision or specialist help
Advising on which agencies to contact
To give Advice would mean helping individuals to understand information and decide on the most suitable course of action for them. Any advice given would need to be impartial and centred on the needs and interests of the individual.
2.5 Demonstrate a solution-focused approach to promoting coaching and mentoring in the work setting.
Having a solution focused approach to me means – listening to my staff and asking questions and working together to resolve any problems.
To be a successful mentor/ coach I would:
Actively listen to my staff and allow them to recognise issues/problems themselves. Meet commitments
Listen, foster reflection and analyse
Offer my experiences
Show my experience, empathy, communication, confidentiality
Providing coaching and counselling if necessary
Being unbiased about the mentee’s situation
Providing objective and positive information and suggestions on anything that affects the mentee’s career/marketability Helping the mentee set goals and strategies to meet them
3.1 Different information sources:
Business plans – operational plan- action plans
Any New legislation/regulation
Supervision meetings / appraisals and other personal development plans Staff meeting minutes.
Room reports
Ofsted report
Need to look through these to be able to plan a coaching and mentoring activity.a
