Executive Coaching & Mentoring Framework

What is Executive Mentoring & Coaching? 1 What is Executive Mentoring & Coaching?

Coaching and mentoring are: 'processes that support and encourage enhanced performance to happen'. Executive Coaching tends to be shorter-term and focused on skills and performance, whilst Mentoring tends to be broader, allowing executives to explore their own issues, build their own insights and frequently choose the mentoring agenda. The insights gained through mentoring can also be very useful in planning and delivering change in company practices and structure. Both can very helpful at different stages of the job life-cycle – at the start of a new appointment; as a midway stage review; or helping to plan a next career move - internally or in the wider market.

In recent years there has been a significant growth in executive mentoring fuelled by changes in the global business environment and also the desire on the part of executives to take greater ownership for their own careers. This has been reinforced by the decreasing time-span in jobs for senior executives. For example, recent research has pointed to some 62% of British Chief Executives remaining in their jobs for less than three years.

Heading an organisation, division or specialist function can sometimes be a singular and occasionally lonely role. For this reason business leaders or unit heads often find it helpful to forge mutually supportive relationships with a mentor or external advisor (or sometimes more than one). There are occasions when it can be difficult to use in-company resources or networks due to issues of hierarchy - however open the organisational culture.

Mentoring or shadowing needs vary significantly however; reflecting individual professional backgrounds and experience, company expectations, the maturity of the organisational systems, individual competencies and aspirations, length of time in role - to name a few.

Zealand James's Mentoring Service 2 Zealand James's Mentoring Service

We specialise in working with executives, usually on a one-to-one basis.
With an outline framework structure that is briefly described below, the process is designed to encourage maximum ownership and great flexibility - with the goal of helping to provide tools and insights for on-going, self-managed development.

Stage One Joint analysis for awareness & agreeing appropriate starting points

Stage Two Planning and agreement on shared responsibility

Stage Three Joint Implementation choosing appropriate style, techniques & skills

Stage Four Shared Evaluation

In our experience, an outline framework helps to ensure more effective outcomes and a focus on current business and people management issues provides the best opportunity to explore recurrent patterns of thinking and behaviour. The mentor needs to flexible, challenging, rigorous and aware of the executive's needs, ambitions and values - coupled with an understanding of the business. The success of the relationship also lies in the executive being comfortable with the partnership & committing to it.

If the Mentoring agreement is too informal with loose or unspecified goals and undefined time periods, positive outcomes are more unlikely. On the other hand if goals are agreed, timings defined (anything from bi-monthly to weekly sessions) and the outcomes measured, performance enhancement is longer lasting.


Some Benefits of Executive Mentoring 3 Some Benefits of Executive Mentoring

• Useful in planning and implementing organisational change
• Support from outside of the organisation generally carries less
• political risk.
• All exchanges are totally confidential - mistakes can be more
• readily learnt from.
• Enhanced learning environment, with lower costs than training
• away from the workplace.
• Useful at all stages of job life-cycle - early in new appointment;
• to help review personal milestones and achievements at the
• mid way stage; or helping to start planning the next career move.
• Executive is more in control of time & agenda priorities compared
• with other training & development.
• Individuals exposed to a wider range of options if appropriate;
• including external market, venture funding opportunities/funding,
• etc

A Choice of Starting Points & Approaches 4 A Choice of Starting Points & Approaches


Focus on Self

Career/Life Planning
Using a wide range of experience and supporting tools, we are able to explore issues of work-life balance, review career stages & milestones and analyse the key work drivers. Also stress and crisis management, if appropriate.

General Management Skills & Competencies
This includes an audit of general managerial skill experience, reviewing any gaps & developing strategies for filling them if appropriate.

Qualities of successful mgrs
An opportunity for personal benchmarking against the marketplace is included here, along with analysis of preferred thinking and management styles. It can lead to powerful insights and increased self awareness.


Focus on Self & Organisation

Power in organisations
A range of approaches to reviewing organisational politics to help plan change and enhance chances of success. Also approaching vested interests and impediments to change.

Choosing solutions with a chance
This includes weighing up the odds, considering 'implementability' and the development of outcomes that are successful for self and the organisation.

On being the Boss
Leading your management team. Opportunities to develop and add
to their thinking and delivery.


Focus on the Organisation

Planning & Practising Change
Testing resistance and acceptance.

Achieving the double win
Strategies for negotiation and conflict resolution.

Strategic Thinking & Analysis
Choosing and practising the most appropriate analytical tools.


Summary 5 Summary

Executive mentoring can be a very powerful and role-enhancing process (for both the executive and the mentor) if managed professionally and sensitively. It inevitably requires a high degree of trust between both parties which, once established, can be a liberating process.