Mentoring is a mix of Coaching, Facilitating and Managing and is very much dependent on the individual – their objectives and aspirations. Some areas often covered by a business mentor include:
An initial consultation would be arranged with the individual seeking mentoring, usually one hour in length. Currently, we don’t charge for the initial consultation. During this consultation we will discuss the individual’s goals and objectives and identify what level of assistance is required from our business mentors in Brisbane.
As an outcome of the initial consultation, a brief will be provided from the mentor outlining the scope of the working relationship, re-confirming the goals and objectives that will be the primary focus moving forward. The brief will also include a suggested schedule of meetings and associated fees.
Once the working relationship has been established the frequency of contact is largely driven by the individual SME Owner/Business Manager, or the depth of the issue/s being addressed with the business mentor. Often, the way it works is that the individual will utilise the counsel of the mentor as and when required. So, they will have periods when there are several meetings undertaken and periods when they are not required.
Business networks are never quite large enough and often don’t have the depth of experience and diversity. It is these platforms that often provide a degree of business mentoring and if you don’t have the required level of experience then you need to access it in a different way. Utilising the services of a professional mentor will address the shortfall and provide you with access to a broader network.
A further point for consideration is that quite often an individual’s network will not challenge their thinking for fear of impacting their friendship, or business relationship. A mentor will challenge your thinking and provide a more professional level of support to assist you in your development.
Coaching is a powerful technique of listening and questioning that enables an individual to:
It’s a facilitation process that identifies insights and actions to achieve goals. It has depth of process and provides a framework that enables you to explore options that will deliver positive outcomes.
Business coaching has been shown to deliver both tangible and intangible business benefits including improved productivity, better quality work product, increased performance, greater organisational strength, better relationships with direct reports and peers and improved teamwork.
A typical business coaching session consists of a series of questions from the coach designed to assist the client to explore in depth their goals, options and actions. The coach will rarely offer personal opinions, advice, or make suggestions (unless the client requests them to). The coach is seeking to assist the client in bringing out the knowledge and answers that lie within the client.
The coach is 100% present for the client, totally focussed on the client’s needs and allowing that person to gain clarity, solve problems and move forward.
Our business coaches in Brisbane don’t solve the problems, the clients do!
Working environments today are a mix of functional layers, with ever increasing complexity, pace and change. Demands and expectations of individuals within an organisation also continue to grow every year. Many of us have experienced situations where we have been asked to submit annual budgets, only to have them returned with the simple comment – “we need more”. How often have you returned to work and had to spend a full day catching up on emails and work that has been waiting for you.
These are not environments where you can spend time exploring your thoughts, working through your options and then committing to action/s. The most common feedback we receive from clients who have participated in our coaching sessions is that they never have the time to properly consider a challenge, or issue they may have, because they are too busy.
The process that our business coaches in Brisbane take them through enables the individual to focus solely on one subject for an hour and invariably we see a physical shift in the individual when they have a “light bulb moment”, because they have found the answer within themselves.
More formally, we are certified, with access to a broad network of cohorts, we are qualified and able to provide Workplace and Business Coaching to both Individuals and Executive Teams.