I am a little biased but I love both coaching and mentoring. I used to enjoy being the ‘trainer’ which satisfied the performer in me but as I get older there is something that I find deeply satisfying in being a coach or mentor.
More than that, I find it a privilege to work with people. People that trust you enough to share their greatest challenges, dearest hopes, deepest fears and core beliefs about life. I can think of few professions in business that afford you such intimacy. I feel lucky and grateful each and every session I get to spend with my clients.
We provide opportunities for people to learn how to coach/mentor others through our ILM Programmes and I am always struck by the qualities of the people who go on that journey with us. I believe the topic of ‘coaching and mentoring’ attracts people who genuinely want to do good things; to help others and to make a difference. Over the years our learners have told stories of how their coaching/mentoring has made a real difference to the lives of others through:
- Supporting people starting new businesses and ventures
- Enabling Leaders to make difficult decisions
- Helping people address deeply set and unhelpful beliefs about themselves
- Changing people’s perspectives of situations in life and work
- Addressing huge challenges and opportunities head on
- Understanding and dealing with emotions
- Listening to them (do not underestimate the power of giving someone a good listening to!)
- Exploring options and possibilities in life and work
- Creating a vision for themselves or their business
- Identifying their ‘why?’ and what’s important to them
I really enjoy hearing their success stories and seeing their excitement in creating some form of breakthrough that has made a profound difference to someone. It is wonderful to see, hear and feel… And people need these sort of breakthroughs right now. With the pandemic and the uncertain economic and social outlook, people need your help.
So, what do you have to offer? Can you be a coach or mentor? How could you make a difference?
Try answering the following questions:
- Why do you do what you do and what is your core purpose?
- What would be important to you in coaching or mentoring another individual?
- What sort of people would be in your ‘Target Audience’ i.e. Who would you really like to work with? Who could you most bring value to?
- What life/work/business skills and knowledge do you have and how could this best be shared?
These are key questions and you may need time to process them. But these are the kinds of questions we pose to our trainee coaches and mentors on our ILM Programmes. The course itself helps you to develop the skills and attributes to be an effective coach/mentor. And we show you best practice so that you too achieve the sort of breakthroughs described above.
I’m guessing if you are reading this that you have an interest in coaching or mentoring and perhaps asking the question, ‘Is it something I can do?’. We are continuing to build our ILM Community of Qualified Coaches and Mentors, and I would be delighted to talk to any aspiring coaches who want to take that next step but are perhaps a little unsure if they are ready. You can find out on one of our ILM taster events ‘Be the Coach’ which run throughout the year, booking information can be found on Eventbrite
The old army recruitment poster boldly stated, ‘Your country needs you’. I know there are many, many people in your network, workplace or business community right now; who are stuck, in need of inspiration, lacking motivation, facing dilemmas and unsure which way to turn. You could very well be the person who can make a profound change to all of that.
If you are up for it, your business community needs you right now.
Are you the future professional coach or mentor?
About the author: John Drysdale is an executive coach, trainer and facilitator within the sector and coach to SME business owners to help them grow their business. He runs an ILM centre and trains people to become qualified coaches. He is also a certified trainer/coach with Asentiv© the world leaders in relationship development and referral marketing. Living in Scotland he enjoys running, walking in the beautiful surroundings of Fife and is a keen music lover and musician. He is currently writing a book which he hopes to publish in 2023.