Avoiding ethical issues in mentoring relationships

Our time is marked not just by advancements in technology but also by societal expectations in the way we show respect, acceptance and dignity to others. It’s now so important that we display the highest level of ethics, especially when it comes to mentoring relationships.

Mentoring is a vital part of development. That’s because it allows participants to apply their learning into the workplace, change their behaviours and have a sounding board for organisational changes. In fact, this is why IML ANZ includes mentoring as a core element in leadership programs.

To aid the trustworthiness of any mentoring program, leaders and organisations must ensure that reliable structures are in place. This includes the following three components:

 

Robust screening process

Do your program participants undergo an application and screening process before they are matched with a mentor or mentee?

It’s also important to screen for the motivators of both parties. Are they genuinely seeking professional development? Of course, if the mentoring program is kept restricted to members of a professional body, such as IML ANZ’s program, it reduces the risk that ill-motivated people will join.

 

Clear parameters and expectations

Do you provide guidance around acceptable subject matters and realistic timeframes for the formal mentoring relationship? A well-structured program leaves little room for discussing inappropriate topics or showing disrespect for each participant’s time and resources.

Again, all of this has to come from a genuine desire to benefit both in the mentoring relationship

 

Third-party available for feedback or complaints

While no one wishes to hear of any incidents where inappropriate or unethical behaviour is displayed, it’s important to be ready to respond should it arise. An impartial party should be available to receive feedback and complaints. It’s never good if any participant feels they are helpless or won’t be heard if they complain.

Merits of reverse mentoring

When someone says mentoring we immediately picture the experienced and mature mentor alongside the eager and younger mentee. However, some companies have found that reverse mentoring, or putting the younger member of the pair in charge, has merits including fresh insights, better collaboration and breaking age-based barriers.

Traditional mentoring definitely has its benefits. It is a proven way to strengthen professional development and drive leadership success. For both the mentor an mentee, they gain a valuable contact within their professional network because the mentoring relationship, more often than not, continues well beyond the conclusion of the formal program.

Today, more of the younger generation move about from job to job and organisation to organisation. As they seek their next step up, if they see no personal connection between their aspirations and the goals of the organisation, they’ll move on. What that means is possibly valuable insights may be walking out the door, never truly fulfilling their potential within the context of your organisation.

That’s why reverse mentoring could be an effective tool in making your younger workforce feel a closer connection between their career and your organisation’s goals. Beyond retention, here are three additional merits of reverse mentoring:

 

Fresh insights

A different perspective can be invaluable for senior leaders. In a similar way to rotating a puzzle and seeing a different possible solution, so too can reversing mentoring roles provide a fresh look at existing challenges.

Sometimes leaders can get used to arguing up the food chain. With reverse mentoring, they are required to think of things differently, use different tactics in completing tasks and understand how to address a different audience.

 

Better collaboration

A new way of looking at things can prove to be useful when it comes to gaining a sense of cooperation too.

This generation of workers appreciate opportunities to participate beyond their role’s scope. What’s more, this generation of workers is all about gaining the opinions and ideas of their colleagues. So, access to the thoughts of one usually means gaining an idea of what those in that age-group think and feel.

 

Breaking barriers

Companies, such as PwC, have used reverse mentoring programs to support diversity and inclusion. This, in turn, promoted an environment where all employees feel their ideas are valued, not just those of the senior-level executives.

The result is a truly inclusive culture, where age isn’t a barrier for ideas to be heard and acknowledged.

It’s true, no matter what stage of your career you’re in, mentoring can support your development. Don’t shy away from reverse mentoring because everyone – no matter your age, experience or expertise, has something valuable to give and has room to improve.

Is coaching different from counselling?

The merits of effective coaching as part of a leader’s key skill set is undeniable. The ability to guide team members to achieve a higher-level whether that’s in their performance, productivity, knowledge or expertise takes deep understanding and lots of practice. But is the coach also expected to be a counsellor? Should a line be drawn between what constitutes coaching and counselling and if so, how can you tell if you’ve crossed it?

This isn’t a new debate, with some therapists claiming there is no difference between coaching and counselling, it’s just another label to describe the same activity. On the other hand, given the more involved nature of counselling, coaches may be hesitant to claim that they are performing the same practice. After all, counselling as a profession is more formally and heavily regulated.

To be effective in either, knowing what sets each apart is vital. Let’s unpack the similarities, differences and the importance of understanding what each practice entails.

 

Key similarities

Both practices are motivated from a place of care and concern. The goal is the same – improvement or development in some area of the coachee’s life.

Each practice also uses similar approaches and skills. In both forms the following activities feature heavily:

  • Personal communication (whether face-to-face or via phone)
  • Listening
  • Questioning
  • Creating a non-judgemental relationship
  • Uncovering deeper self-awareness

When it comes to workplace coaching the lines may not be as blurred. A coach may simply decide that they are only involved in matters within the context of the workplace. However,  the challenge for coaches is that no one is really capable of separating their ‘work-self’ from their ‘personal-self’.

 

Identified differences

Some of the common differentiators between coaching and counselling have been enumerated in the past. These include coaching’s concern with making future opportunities possible while counselling is limited to developing awareness of how past experiences impact current and future decisions.

Another key difference identified is that often, people who seek counselling do so with the aim of remedying an illness, dysfunction or pathological challenge whereas coachees are not necessarily characterised by these attributes.

There is also the distinction between coaching conversations being more structured versus the free-flowing and undefined counselling style.

 

When knowing the difference matters

When healing is required. In one study, the process of coaching helped participants identify the need for additional help in the form of counselling. If a coach identifies that there is a need to remedy or heal emotional challenges, it is worth considering whether counselling is required.

When a crossover is necessary. As part of effective coaching, it may be necessary for the coach to visit the coachees’ past experiences. Normally this is mainly for the purposes of helping the coachee to move forward with agreed goals. If unresolved past experiences hold a person back from progressing, the coach may need to crossover temporarily into the counsellor space – but only briefly.

When it is healthy to hold the coachee accountable. When a counsellor is required, it is often because the client is not in a state to reach goals and overcome hurdles on their own. This is when getting the difference right between coaching and counselling matters the most. In a coaching arrangement, the coachee is usually responsible for achieving the desired outcome, the coach is simply there to guide – not to provide the answers. There will inevitably be situations where a clinically-trained counsellor must take-over.

Reference: Semantics or substance?  Preliminary evidence in the debate between life coaching and counselling

How managers can become good coaches

Managers are placed in positions of influence and responsibility on the basis of skills and abilities. However, being accountable for the performance of others makes people management a larger component of the manager’s role. It’s then important that managers are equipped to guide their people. Effective coaching is key.

If coaching is not a feature of your team, it should be. And if you are already coaching, is it time to assess how effectively you’re doing it?

Ask yourself these three questions:

Is coaching expected of managers?

Hitting targets and meeting KPIs are all expected in most roles, managers included. In the hustle and bustle of taking care of business, coaching often falls quite low on the list of priorities. This is one of the reasons why managers do not have effective coaching skills. It’s not treated as a priority and an integral part of a manager’s role.

But doing so could have real benefits. A recent Gallup report notes that focusing on employee performance development (instead of waiting for poor performance and then ‘managing’ it) improves the quality of work, productivity and leads to better business outcomes.

Ongoing and effective coaching plays a huge role in the continuous improvement of employee performance.

 

Do managers know what coaching involves?

There are many misconceptions about coaching. Some think of it as maneuvering people. Others believe it’s the same thing as teaching. But coaching should really be about helping the coachee to find their own way.

Tennis is an interesting lens to view coaching from. The all top players have coaches. Tennis, in contrast with other sports, lacks coaching interaction during the match. There are no pep-talks, the athlete is left to perform and the coach simply looks on in encouragement. What’s the point? Coaching isn’t about telling someone how to do their job, it’s about empowering and guiding them to make the right decisions come crunch time.

In fact, Sir John Whitmore, a leading figure in executive coaching, defines coaching as, “unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”.

Coaching can be done externally, where a consultant is brought in to help the coachee, or internally, where the direct manager of the coachee supports their improvement. It can also be conducted informally, not following a set structure or schedule but still demonstrating coaching skills in the way the conversation is carried out.

 

Are managers equipped with the skills to coach?

Because coaching isn’t weaved into the fabric of expected managerial duties, it’s likely that most managers lack the skills needed to be an effective coach.

Managers do well to invest in training on skills that support coaching. Tips include:

  • Active listening
  • Asking effective questions
  • Assist employees to set clear goals
  • Aim to instil accountability based on fair and accurate evaluations

Improving team performance through people analytics

We live in an era of data-driven insights, a time when new and innovative ways of collecting, analysing and organising information pique our interest on a regular basis.

In the modern workplace, a common HR practice is to use people analytics to answer critical questions about an organisation’s operational environment. Psychometric tools, in particular, can provide insights about team dynamics and when used properly, support the development of individual leadership capabilities that positively impact team performance and outputs.

But how do we extract maximum value from people analytics? Can psychometric feedback provide a roadmap for performance improvement and team effectiveness?

There is a clear need for people analytics to visibly and measurably linked to performance outcomes.

Diverse perspectives deliver

Diversity is a key element that enables effective teamwork. According to Team Management Systems Learning & Development Director, Chris Burton, “The power of a good team-based psychometric is in its ability to integrate into the operational environment and clearly illustrate the benefit that diverse perspectives deliver. To match the current environment, there is a growing need for teams to become ‘intelligent’, that is to exhibit inclusive, relational and context-aware traits. The capability to understand and harness diversity should be pre-requisite for modern leaders.”

Team awareness matters

As an example, it is easy to imagine the contribution of a colleague who is meticulous and detail-focused being under-appreciated in a fast-paced operational team. In an environment where the value added by this kind of activity is well understood, the same team member could be celebrated for their commitment to maintaining quality standards.

Prior to exploring a team’s different perspectives and approaches to work, it is important to establish a baseline for current team performance and identify other critical elements. For example, how do we describe the culture in our context, how effectively do we deal with change, and what are trust levels like?

This is where managers and HR practitioners have an opportunity to shift their thinking beyond team workshops being a one-off training event. Burton explains, “Sharing feedback from psychometric profiles is a good way of generating awareness that a colleague is more concrete or more abstract in their thinking, but if you don’t incorporate their insights to revise and improve your process, you’re missing an enormous opportunity. Understanding differences in a team is an important step, but it takes an additional, ongoing effort to include diverse contributions and maintain high performance”.

The Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand has a suite of diagnostic and evaluation tools developed to improve the effectiveness and productivity of your organisation. If you would like to like to know more about the range of People Analytics tools available, please call 1300 362 631 or email corporate@managersandleaders.com.au or visit managersandleaders.com.au/people-analytics.

Workplace wellbeing influences personal development

Even Maslow realised that beyond self-actualisation was a higher need. One of self-transcendence or going beyond ourselves. This implies that personal development never truly completes its course until it affects those around us. However, is the reverse also true? What is the effect of a positive workplace on one’s ability to develop themselves?

 

Employees seek purpose

In designing an AI app for personalised career development, NextPlay.ai noted the desire of the current generation of workers. They don’t just want to turn up to work and get paid. They see their role, organisation and overall career as a source of purpose.

An essential but often overlooked component of workplace wellbeing is a positive work environment — one where employees feel emotionally and mentally safe, and colleagues engage in upbuilding interactions.

These same uplifting surroundings keep younger generations of employees connected with the purpose of their role. If they’re not distracted by stressors within the work environment, they are free to explore the deeper meaning behind their jobs.

 

Wellbeing equals high engagement

From physical, mental to emotional factors, there’s no denying that workplace wellbeing yields strong business results. Whether that’s through increased productivity, cost savings and lower staff turnover, it benefits organisations.

The most relevant aspect of workplace wellbeing to the development of an individual is that it impacts employee engagement. This engagement is a critical factor for those seeking to develop themselves.

In a study of outstanding performers in various fields (academics, sports, arts), one of the common development elements involved the interaction between personal and environmental factors. An individual developing talent needs not just to have the ability, but also persistence to continue even in the face of failure. Additionally, all of the efforts the individual puts in are for nothing without social and emotional support. That’s where the two factors of a positive environment and engagement meet to motivate individuals to develop their skills, knowledge and talent further.

 

Highly-engaged employees want development

A survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found 54% of participants stated that the quality and availability of development affects their engagement. Therefore, fewer development options, less engagement. However, it is also those employees who have formed a significant connection with their role, organisation and purpose (highly-engaged) who seek further development opportunities.

 

Why leaders need to develop mindfulness

A less obvious threat within organisations is the that of a psychologically unhealthy workplace. When colleagues, or worse managers, add mental and emotional fatigue to an employee’s work day, it’s enough to drive down productivity if not drive out workers.

It’s not an isolated case either. In Australia alone, the government pays approximately $543 million in workers’ compensation for work-related mental health conditions.

While it’s true that managing processes matters in leadership, managing people is even more crucial. Likewise, creating a mentally-safe workplace starts with having strong policies and processes in place, but ultimately it is defined by the behaviours of the people within.

That’s where mindfulness can play a crucial role.

 

Mindful leadership

Mindful leadership based on being attentive to the present moment and recognising personal feelings and emotions while keeping them under control, particularly during stressful times. It requires an individual’s awareness and understanding its impact on others.

Researchers identified the benefits of mindful leadership and summed it up into three meta-capacities:

  • Metacognition. This is the ability to observe what you are thinking, feeling, and sensing during critical times. It is like removing yourself from an intense situation to actually see what’s going on. It’s an effective means of escaping the dangers of operating on autopilot.
  • Allowing. This refers to the ability to let situations be. It isn’t about weakness or passiveness. Rather, it’s about dealing with experiences with openness and kindness to yourself and others. It links firmly with not letting our criticism of ourselves and others crush our ability to observe what is really happening.
  • Curiosity. This means taking an interest in what occurs within our inner and outer environments. It drives a strong impetus for bringing our awareness into the present moment and staying with it.

 

Emotional intelligence and mindfulness

There are three parts to emotional intelligence according to the man who coined the term back in 1995, Daniel Goleman. The first involves self-awareness, and this is where mindfulness fits in. By monitoring what’s happening within your mind, you can handle it better. This leads to the second part of emotional intelligence, self-management which in turn allows you to manage stressful situations and display a positive attitude despite upsets. The third part is the presence of others and how the other two components combine to determine the quality of our relationships with those around us.

 

Developing mindfulness

A note of caution: this is not a quick fix. Attending one mindfulness session doesn’t make a mindful leader. The key to developing this ability is practice. Take just a few minutes each day to focus on your thoughts and gradually integrate it into your daily tasks.

Essential elements of successful leadership development

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, it’s essential for leaders to keep the pace. There’s now a need for new skills and knowledge to assist leaders in navigating the ever-changing landscape. So, are leadership development programs the key to staying relevant?

The obvious answer might be ‘yes’. However, according to Deloitte’s latest Global Human Capital Trends survey, current learning and development programs are struggling when it comes to equipping today’s professionals with skills for the future.

It’s vital then that forward-thinking managers and leaders carefully inspect the components of a program before investing their time and efforts. After all, the modern business environment is all about agility – wasting time on the wrong program can be costly.

If you’re looking for the right development program, here are three essential ingredients:

Development to lead yourself

Before any progress can happen, leaders must first be prepared to accept that they need it. In an environment of fast-paced change, leaders can’t afford to get trapped in what is called ‘functional stupidity’ or the compliance with the established norms without questioning if it is still the right thing to do.

Good leadership development programs must challenge a leader to shift their thinking, venture out of their comfort zone and learn to improve themselves before they can help others.

Development to lead others

Part of the shift leaders experience in today’s business environment is the focus on soft-skills. As workers in this digital age become accustomed to receiving information instantly and dynamically, they start to form the same expectation when it comes to workplace communications.

Leading others is now much more than merely handing out instructions, it’s about inspiring action. Gaining the skills to inspire, motivate communicate and collaborate is critical for a good leadership development program.

Development to lead the organisation

Finally, development must address an organisational goal to be effective. The downfall of many programs is that they rest heavily on theories and lack practical application.

The best leadership development programs are ones that equip participants to respond to situations already in progress in the workplace. This helps the learnings really stick, as the results will also build trust in the development received.

Furthermore, programs customised to organisational needs, lead to a good pay off in your leadership development investment. That’s because it builds loyalty and reduces the risk that you have developed a leader who leaves the company straight away.

Is your workplace safe enough for teamwork?

In recent years, workplaces have shown a strong commitment towards workplace health and safety. Although physical risk at work is the lowest it has ever been, psychological safety has traditionally taken a backseat in terms of organisational priorities.

Psychological safety refers to the comfort of individuals to speak up about ideas, questions and mistakes without a fear of being punished or humiliated. For organisations that want to capitalize on the value of high performing teams, it is evident that they need to ramp up their commitment to building psychological safety.

This article will take a look at simple ways to promote a psychologically safe work environment for all employees.

Leadership

Unfortunately, leaders seem to be a major culprit for creating a less psychologically safe work environment. Why? As leaders, sometimes it can be hard to admit that you are wrong or that your opinion may not be as good as someone else’s. However, leaders who refuse to show any signs of vulnerability inevitably instill this expectation onto the rest of their workforce.

To prevent this misconception from constraining team performance, it is encouraged that leaders ask for feedback from their team, acknowledge their mistakes and show a genuine interest in calling on others for ideas.

Discussion space

There are numerous ways to promote a more psychologically safe space for team discussions. In particular, it is important to consider the types of materials encouraged and discouraged in the planning space.

For example, phones and technological devices can encourage member distraction, particularly in initial meetings. This can lead to less active listening by team members and can also make team members feel humiliated when they are sharing their ideas. As such, it is recommended that during initial discussions, technological devices are discouraged.

Another way of promoting psychological safety in team discussions is by holding discussions in a small meeting room. Small meeting rooms can create an impression of a more supportive team environment as it promotes more inclusive body language and reduces the risk of distraction.

Self-awareness training

Another method for reducing the risk of psychologically unsafe team work is self-awareness training. By encouraging team members to understand the perceptions of their personality in a team environment, they can understand the responses of other team members and adapt their behaviours accordingly.

One popular model for developing an understanding of an individual’s personality is the ‘Five Factor Model’. This model evaluates personality based on five key traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. By evaluating where each team member sits in this model, team members can tailor their communication style to support their colleagues.

How to facilitate effective innovation days

In the fierce contemporary business environment, we always hear people ramble on about the importance of innovation. So much so, more organisations are starting to implement workforce innovation days.

An innovation day involves the workforce splitting into small teams to try and solve a problem relevant to the business. For companies such as: Suncorp, Microsoft and Google, these innovation days have been pivotal for building high performance teams.

For those employees that participate in innovation days, it means much more than just working in a team to design a solution. Instead, they are working in a team to develop strategic ideas that the company could actually implement. This sets the scene for a highly motivated team as there is a strong sense of empowerment and purpose amongst members.

So, how can your organisation implement innovation days to maximise team performance? This article will take a look at the three key steps to facilitating an effective innovation day.

Step 1: Ideate

The ideate stage introduces teams to the issue and provides context around the issue so that ideas can be brainstormed. To promote effectiveness, here are a few sneaky hints!

Firstly, it is important to gain commitment by pitching why the business problem is a pressing issue and how it could potentially harm the future success of the organisation. By not answering the ‘why,’ employees are likely to care less about the issue. As such, passion and creativity may be lacking whilst designing a potential solution.

Secondly, to promote more active involvement by members at this stage, it is recommended that team formations are no larger than five.

Finally, there is a tendency for teams to rush this stage of problem solving and start going into detail about one specific idea before considering all available options. To reduce the risk of this, it is recommended that facilitators provide a time guide for teams.

Step 2: Prototype

This step involves teams taking their core ideas further. To promote highly effective prototypes at this stage, it is recommended that teams get the opportunity to discuss their ideas with coaches and mentors in the business. This will assist in highlighting any idea weaknesses and capitalising on any key strengths.

Step 3: Validate

The final step encourages teams to present their solution to their colleagues and other key stakeholders. This particular step is essential for two reasons. Firstly, it provides another opportunity for feedback so that elements of the idea can be strengthened. Secondly, even if the idea isn’t implemented, it provides teams with a sense of achievement for participating in the innovation day and producing a final product.