At the centre of every business there should be employee mentoring, coaching and training. However, this is not always the case and research carried out by Gallup suggests that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged, while 24% are disengaged. All industries are different and mentoring, coaching and training are a great way to improve, maintain and increase engagement in the work place.
Mentoring, Coaching & Training – What’s The Point?
At the centre of every business, there should be employee mentoring, coaching and training. However, this is not always the case and research carried out by Gallup suggests that only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged, while 24% are disengaged. All industries are different and mentoring, coaching and training are a great way to improve, maintain and increase engagement in the work place.With an ever-changing recruitment landscape, the evolution of internal teams and the advancement of technology, it is the employer’s responsibility to improve their personnel’s knowledge base continually, so that their output continues to satisfy industry standards.
What should you be doing?
For me it is simple, we should be mentoring, coaching and training to provide the best possible opportunity for our employees to be successful. Although the words are very similar, and arguably could be all put into the same bracket, there are some distinct differences:
1. Mentoring
“Mentoring is generally an informal relationship between two people. A mentor will do many of the same things as a coach or even someone who is a trainer, but there is no formal obligation on the part of either party”.
2. Coaching
“A coach is a coach from the start of the relationship with the person being coached. The person being coached has a specific goal to achieve. It can be long term or short term, but it is specific. The coach is there to help that person meet their goal”.
3. Training
“Classroom training is the type of training we most often think of, but it is not the only kind. There is also on-the-job training and of course all sorts of e-learning methods of training. Training is very formal, should have well-defined learning objectives, and is often relatively brief as compared to coaching or mentoring”.
Did you know?
Did you know that all you need to increase your employee productivity by over 200% is by equipping them with the right skills and training? According to Go-Gulf, 68% of employees think training and development is a critical workplace policy.
What is the answer?
In the recruitment businesses of today and tomorrow, I believe it is critical to identify which of the above 3 methods works for your organisation, then ensure you have a clear and continual program for achieving success. My experience has taught me that every employee goes through 4 levels of skills development, and during each one the method for delivery is different:
Skill Levels:
| LowSkill: Low Will | = | Direct | = | Tell, Show and Do. |
| Low Skill: High Will | = | Guide | = | Explain, Discuss and Plan Together. |
| High Skill: Low Will | = | Delegate | = | Confirm Plans, Challenge and Recognise. |
| High Skill: High Will | = | Excite | = | Ask, Listen and Support. |
How do you achieve this?
The review process in recruitment is slightly different than in most industries and the traditional quarterly and annual review is already being abandoned by many large companies around the world. Microsoft, PWC, Dell and Accenture, plus a third of major US companies have removed this process according to HBR.
I agree with this in part, however, I feel that we should move towards more microlearning strategies to match the career journey of our employees. Recruitment requires daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews at the beginning, however, not so much when you evolve from researcher to manager or director.
Assessment – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly
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- Daily – kick off and round up, focus on key activity, small steps, easy wins, key KPI
- Weekly – assess, report, review – KPI’s
- Monthly – assess, report, review – candidates, clients, company
- Quarterly – strategic conversations – candidates, clients, company.
Successful Employee Engagement comes from Mentoring, Coaching and Training
1. Create a Plan
It is essential to create a plan for what your employees want and need to study. The best way of structuring the curriculum is first to cover the essential information, and only then to advance to more complicated material.
2. Establish a quantifiable set of goals
A crucial part of any training program is performance and measurement testing. The reason for this is that for training to be deemed successful, it needs to have had an effect on the business.
3. Invite workers to share knowledge
Professional bonds and interaction and essential to the success of all mentoring, coaching or training programs. Encourage participants to share, comment, engage with others on similar programs to maintain a positive experience.
4. Create Success Profiles
In recruitment, this is a very powerful tool. Identifying precisely what is required in order to achieve success in a particular role within an organisation gives everyone the visibility to know what good looks like. A comprehensive profile will detail the skills, behaviors, traits and knowledge required for a hire to successful in that role.
5. Frequent Feedback
Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly feedback, using in person coaching, communication software like skype and performance management technology such as e-learning call increase employee engagement. Regular feedback can also be less stressful for employees and can prevent mistakes from stretching out for longer periods, limiting damage to business results.
6. Design Mentoring programs
Here are some considerations to think about:
- Will the program be open enrolment, invitation or application based?
- Do all employees need it, or just new ones?
- Consider the type of mentoring that will be provided: induction, peer, development
- How long will the project last?
- Will it be a single-session, weekly or monthly project?
7. Engage attendees and track everything
To engage and attract employees to your different programs it is key to engage, promote and track the results of the programs you are running,Provide a clear outline of the program and how it will bring attendees closer to professional and personal goals.
8. Measure the results
To measure the results of your mentoring, coaching and training program it is essential to track the programs against trouble spots and opportunities for improvement. This could be new recruits who are learning the job or senior leaders who need help to drive future business growth.
Both are just as valuable to each other, however at different stages of their career. Programs should be assesses based on the individual learning component, the content being delivered and the relationship between mentor, coach, trainer and their audience.
Programs that develop your staff and help you recruit, retain, develop and engage qualified people to go beyond simply matching people based on learning style. A well-planned mentoring program, guided by qualified leaders, can take a company from existing to thriving in no time.
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