Individual Reflection Mentoring and Coaching Experience
Reflection on Mentoring Experience (Week 8)
Mentoring in organisations is beneficial for both the mentor and the mentee. It enables the mentees to learn more about the organisational culture, identify their own place in the organisation, and identify clear career pathways (Bradford, 2010). Mentoring in organisations supports employees, particularly in their career development. Week 8 workshop and discussion activity enabled me to learn more about mentoring in organisations. It is a valuable opportunity to experience an interaction between a mentor and a mentee.
The activity enabled me to learn more about the importance of creating a good relationship between a mentor and a mentee. Besides, I learned that mentoring is not only beneficial for the mentee but also essential for organisations. Some of the benefits of mentoring to an organisation include business performance, effective communication, and staff retention.
During the group interaction in week 8, it was a valuable experience to understand the questions that a mentee can ask the mentor and the questions that the mentor can ask the mentee about their career development. I learned that mentees are more likely to ask reflective questions concerning their career development. Such questions can enable the mentee to learn more about their experiences in the organisation and what they should do to explore more. I also learned that mentees are more likely to ask hypothetical questions relating to new ideas and knowledge about their job development. The mentor needs to understand the mentee’s question and provide relevant and appropriate answers.
One of the significant things that happened during the interaction is that mentors showed high experience in the mentees’ jobs. It was a good experience being a mentor and a mentee to explore more about the questions that both parties are more likely to answer during an interaction. The level of experience shown by the mentors was evident in the manner in which they answered the questions. The interaction enabled me to learn that mentors need to have vast knowledge about the subject matter, especially aspects related to the mentee’s career development. However, this experience could have been better if it was not conducted in a simulated environment.
In the future, it would be essential for the students to interact with industry mentors who have adequate knowledge and experience in mentoring. The institution should consider engaging industry mentors with the students when completing activities in week 8. Interacting with mentors who have worked with people from different cultural and professional backgrounds can improve students’ skills and knowledge of mentoring.
Another important aspect that happened during the interaction is that the mentees understood their roles. More specifically, the mentees asked relevant questions relating to their career development and organisational culture. It was an engaging experience where the mentors and the mentees asked questions in relation to the mentee’s career development. I learned that the questions asked by the mentee can enable the mentor to understand the most appropriate approaches to help them achieve career development. I realised that reflective and hypothetical questions dominated the interaction between the mentor and the mentee. However, the mentors played an important role in obtaining further information in relation to feelings, attitudes, and reasons. Such an experience enabled me to learn the importance of understanding human interactions through feelings and reasons during mentoring.
I have carried out theoretical research on the importance of the mentor-mentee relationship to understand the effectiveness of the interaction during mentoring. According to Gurnani et al. (2022), the traits of a mentor and mentee are the prerequisites of a good mentee-mentor relationship. The creation of a good relationship between the mentor and the mentee plays an important role in mentoring since it can enable the depth in which the mentee can ask questions. In other words, a good relationship will enable the mentee to feel free to ask questions and get responses from the mentee. As asserted by William et al. (2022) a poor relationship between a mentor and mentee can be one of the hindrances to a successful mentoring exercise. It is essential to create a good relationship between the mentor and mentee.
Following what I have learned from the week 8 activity and discussions, I will enroll in some short courses to learn more about empathetic skills and devotion which are essential in mentoring. The primary aim of improving my experience and understanding is to become a good mentor in the future. I will also research more about how to create and maintain a good relationship between mentor and mentee. As a mentor, I would want to understand what the mentees want by showing proper devotion and empathy.
Reflection on Coaching Experience (Week 9 and 10)
Week 9 and 10 workshops and activities enabled me to understand the difference between coaching and mentoring. I reflected that a mentor is someone who shares their knowledge to help a mentee achieve career development; a coach is someone who provides guidance to another person and helps them to achieve their full potential. One of the aspects that went well in week 9 and week 10 activities is an interaction-focused observation. I learned that the level of interaction between the coach and a client plays an important role in achieving the objectives of coaching. In addition to this, reflecting on the reactions and feelings went well during the interaction. I learned that understanding someone’s feelings and reactions is essential during coaching sessions. It was a good experience interacting with people in a simulated coaching environment.
However, it would have been a better experience if the activity included a coach from the industry. Learning from someone who has worked with different people in the coaching field would have been more engaging and inspiring. The is a significant need to improve the overall interaction during coaching activity by enabling students to interact with an industry coach. The primary objective of such an activity is to enable students to have a wider knowledge and experience from an expert. More specifically, students can learn what they need to improve on in the future to become coaching experts in the industry. Despite the lack of an industry coach, it was a valuable experience to engage in an interaction-focused observation.
Coaching experience in weeks 9 and 10 enabled me to understand the significance of theoretical knowledge during interactions. Understanding the GROW model was instrumental in learning through experience, reflection, insight, making choices, and pursuing them. With my assessment 2, I reflected on how to use the GROW model in coaching by setting my own goals and approaches to achieve them in a defined timeframe. I learned that the successful application of GROW model in coaching depends on the time and energy invested by the coachee. The interaction between the coach and the client is also essential in achieving the objectives and aims of the coaching exercise.
I learned that understanding Kolb’s Learning Cycle and GROW model is essential in applying the theoretical aspects of coaching. I have researched the significant aspects of Kolb’s Learning Cycle that are essential for coaching activity; concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation are the primary phases of learning. I realised that these phases of learning are vital in coaching sessions because learning is relevant in coaching. In other words, the coachee is more likely to learn by following the stages illustrated in Kolb’s Learning Cycle. I learned that coachee’s reflection on their experience is vital in enabling them to ask relevant questions during the interaction.
Unlike mentoring, I realised that the results of coaching are achievable in different stages as illustrated by Kolb’s Learning Cycle. After having done the activity and having an experience, the coachee can reflect on how their performance and identify the areas that need improvement. Based on the reflection from experience, the coach can help them to learn from their experience through an interaction-based observation. After learning from the coach, coachees can try out by putting what they learned into practice. These cycles repeat until the coachees achieve their full potential in the subject matter.
I learned that coaching is not only beneficial for individuals but also impactful for organisations. Coaching can improve wellness and work performance in the organisation, leading to improved organisational performance. As illustrated by Fejzic-Ahbabovic et al. (2022), coaching in an organisation can involve a manager who provides clear guidance for achieving performance, inspires progress at work, and facilitates employees’ learning. The researchers add that the growth mindset influences the intensity of managerial coaching which attributes to turnover intention. Additional learning, observation, and research have enabled me to understand the importance of coaching in organisations.
Besides learning the importance of coaching in organisations and theoretical approaches, I intend to interact with industry coaches to learn more about their experience and performance. I am interested in learning from those who have coached employees in different organisations. My manager at the workplace is an example of a coach who has helped many employees to achieve their potential. I will use my opportunity at the workplace to interact with the manager and learn more about practical coaching. My primary aim is to become a sought-after managerial coach in the future.
References
Bradford. 2010. “The importance of mentoring for individuals and organizations: Mentoring: a mutually beneficial relationship between mentor and mentee that serves to create strong organizational ties while offering networking opportunities”, 2010, Development and Learning in Organizations, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 27-30.
Fejzic-Ahbabovic, M., Kurtic, E. & Sunje, A. 2022, Influence Of Managerial Coaching On Mindset, Employee Thriving And Fluctuation Reduction, Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency (VADEA), Varazdin.
Gurnani, B., Kaur, K., Bhandari, S., Gireesh, P. & Sisodia, P. 2022, “Mentor–mentee relationship in ophthalmology – Following the footsteps of stalwarts”, Indian journal of ophthalmology, vol. 70, no. 9, pp. 3416-3418.
Williams, A., Contributed equally to this work with:,Aled Williams, Phillips, C.J., Rushton, A. & Alison Rushton Alison Rushton Contributed equally to this work with:,Aled Williams 2022, “Exploration of mentor and mentee perspectives of a mentored clinical practice programme to improve patient outcomes in musculoskeletal physiotherapy”, PLoS One, vol. 17, no. 8.