1. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 1
Coaching and mentoring
School Name
Student Name

2. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 2
Coaching and mentoring
Introduction
Coaching and mentoring are processes that help individuals to develop their career in a
particular direction. It is can also be defined as the support given to individuals in their career
growth and development both for long term and short term. Usually coaching and mentoring
is being administered by an experienced professional or expert in a particular field. The
coaching and mentoring program helps individuals to get new ideas on how to carry out their
daily job operations and duties. The individuals under coaching and mentoring program will
learn new ideas on how to manage their jobs.
Case study
Ben has jut been promoted to a management position in a company. He has never been in a
management position before. Ben confronted Sandra, her predecessor to offer him with
advice and counseling on his new role. In the coaching relationship Ben would like Sandra to
give him some specific management tips regarding his new role.
Answer to question a
In the process of getting management advice from Sandra regarding his new role, Ben has to
ask some questions to Sandra. Some of the questions that Ben should seek from Sandra based
on her experience on the job are discussed below.
The requirements of the new role
In order for Ben to successfully manage his new management role, he would like to know
from Sandra, her predecessor what is required from him. Management position of any level
has some requirement which must be fulfilled by individuals to be successful in their

3. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 3
management roles. The requirements must be fulfilled by the respective managers to ensure
the smooth running of the organization. Sandra in response will be expected to give Ben the
basic requirement of a good manager.
Behavior and conduct
Management positions will require a good management of the self behavior and conduct.
Managers should set the example of good behavior to other fellow employees. They should
respect their job and obey all the rules and regulations of the company. Managers should be
disciplined, honest and time conscious. A good manger should be respectful to the employees
and should be readily available to listen to them.
Decision making
The important issue in any managerial position is decision making process. Managers of all
organizations are required to make decisions regarding some issues. The decision made by
the managers will be crucial in the operations of the organization. The decisions made by
managers can determine the success or failure of a company. Bad decision making can result
into the failure of the company while good decisions will always result to the success of the
company (Leatherman, 2008). Hence decision making will determine the success or failure of
a manager. Managers should make good decision based on extensive research and
consultations. In making of decisions there should be wide consultations on the issues from
various people within the organization.
Delegation of duties
As a manager Ben should be advised on the importance of delegating duties to employees.
The delegation of duties should be based on experience and skills of the staff members.
Delegating of duties will give managers ample time to supervise the work with ease and

4. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 4
monitor the progress of the organizations. Staff will have confidence in their managers when
they are delegated duties and will be encouraged to work hard.
Developing and motivating of staff
A manager should be involved in initiatives that help in the motivation and development of
the staff. The manager should encourage regular training of the staff on various issues. The
training will help in the development of the staff (Kathy & Tim, 2009). The staff can also be
motivated by giving of various incentives to those who meets the deadlines or targets. This
will encourage the staff and help in motivating them. The motivated staff will develop
positive attitude to the company and work to improve the performance of the company.
Effective communication
Ben as a manager is expected to communicate effectively to the employees and the clients of
the company. The communications should be clear and on a regular basis. This will ensure
that all the employees are updated on the progress of the company.
Managing of the work
Ben will also be expected to manage his work effectively to ensure that there is productivity
and performance of the company. Management is all about the performance of an
organization hence Ben should put effort to ensure that the company is performing well in
terms of productivity.
Answer to question b
Basic elements of the coaching/ mentoring relationship
The coaching relationship should be able to explain the roles of the mentor and the leader to
be trained. This will demonstrate the commitments and faithfulness of the parties involved to

5. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 5
the coaching or mentoring relationship. It will also helps in the identifications of the
framework of operation for the parties and how they will meet their commitments of the
coaching program.
The performance expectations and the outcome of the coaching relationship should be
specified. The coaching relationship is meant for the achievement of certain goals and
objectives. Failure to achieve the goals of a coaching program is an indication of a poor
mentoring relationship. Specifications of the outcomes and expectations of a coaching
relationship will therefore act as guideline to ensure that the program is successful.
The coaching relationship should have elements of performance measurements and the
achievement of the specific goals of the coaching relationship. No differences should be
maintained in the process of coaching relationship. The existence of differences in the
relationship will make a coaching program valueless. Coaching relationship should be
accompanied by constant evaluation, review of performance, and the advance in the
relationship between the parties involved. This will keep the coaching relationship focused
towards meeting specific objectives and performance. It also ensures that the relationship
remain relevant towards growth, productivity, and development.
A coaching relationship should also have a time frame. The time frame should be created so
as to help monitor the performance expectations of the relationship. The accomplishment of
changes can be defined within a time frame. The mentor and the leader can monitor the
progress of the relationship based on the specified timeframes. This will help in evaluating
whether the relationship is successful or not.

6. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 6
Answer to question c
Coaching relationships should be narrowly defined instead of being open and available to all
issues and circumstances. A coaching relationship which is narrowly defined has some
advantages over the open coaching which is open to all issues and circumstances.Some of the
advantages of a narrowly defined coaching program includes the following.
It will help in meeting the specific needs of a leader. The coaching relationship will be
focused on meeting specific needs of an individual leader hence help develops his or her
leadership skills towards a desired direction (Gorrell, & Hoover, 2009).
A narrowly defined coaching program will meet the specific need of a company. The
mentorship relationship will develop individual skill towards a specific company of interest
and this will enhance his leadership skills towards his or her company of interest.
The narrowly defined coaching program will enable the mentor to offer in depth training to
the leader regarding a specific area of interest. It will encourage job specialization and
encourage productivity in organizations. The relationship will also save time and cost to the
individuals involved. Open coaching relationship will touch on many issues and will require a
lot of time and cost. Some of the coaching elements in open coaching relationship might be
unnecessary to the leader. This can be avoided by designing the mentorship relationship in a
way that it meets the specific needs of an individual.
Answer to question d
Pros of written coaching relationship
1. Written coaching relationship can be used for future reference by the learner. The
records of the written coaching relationship can be stored and used by the learner as

7. Running head: Coaching and mentoring 7
reference. The leaner can always refer to the written statements on his or her daily
management roles when need arises.
2. It can also act as an evidence of the training program. The leader can use the written
documents to prove that he or she has undergone a mentorship program. The proof
can be used as an evidence of a professional training by the leaner.
3. Written coaching relationship is effective in case filing of information or documents is
required. The filing of the written documents can be used for future references by the
parties involved. In verbal coaching relationship no evidence can be traced by the
parties since the agreement is by the word of the mouth.
4. It will be very easy to trace the progress of performance of coaching relationships
using written materials than verbal means. The trainer will easily be able to identify
the area covered and those that need to be covered. In verbal communication there is
no clear way to monitor the progress of the coaching relationships.
Cons of written coaching relationship
1. It is costly and time consuming in comparison to the verbal coaching relationship. The
written coaching relationship will require both the mentor and the leaner to spare their
time so as to draft the agreement. Where as verbal coaching relationship will only
require discussions between the parties involved.
2. Witten coaching relationship is also costly to the individuals involved. The
relationship will require some paper work and this will involve some costs to the
learner and the mentor. Verbal communications will not require any paper work hence
it will be less costly to the parties involved.

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Answer to question e
Element of a coaching contract for Ben and Sandra
The contract between Ben and Sandra should have some elements that contain their
expectations, commitments and goals. The following are some of the elements that should be
in the contract of Ben and Sandra.
Voluntary
The learner or the leader should be clear that the contract they are engaged in is voluntary.
The leader should behave in a way that will show that the services offered to him or her is
through the good will of the mentor (Guptan, 2006). In this case it is the responsibility of Ben
to understand that the contract is voluntarily being offered by Sandra.
The contract should be clear and specific
The contract between Ben and Sandra should have a clear language and specification. All the
details in the contract should be illustrated clearly and understood by both Ben and Sandra.
There should be no guess work left for Ben and Sandra in the contract details. Their
expectations should be clearly outlined in the contract. The performance factors of Ben and
Sandra should also be clearly indicated in the contract agreement.
Sandra should accept the elements of agreements
Sandra should be able to agree and abide by the coaching contract and the commitments they
have made between themselves. Sandra should also be able to demonstrate the agreed
behaviors in her role (Megginson, 2006). Through demonstrating of the leadership behavior
to Ben, the mentorship relationship will be enhanced towards achieving its goal.

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Contract adjustments
There should be an agreement between Ben and Sandra towards the adjustments of the
contract. The commitments made by the two individuals should not be permanent. They
should be able to adjust the commitment whenever there is a need. The change of the content
of the contract should be reflected in their coaching agreement. The contract can be
redesigned to reflect changes in the expectations of the individuals. It can also be altered to
reflect changes in the new behavior patterns. Sandra and Ben should agree on the need to
make changes in their coaching agreement when need arises.

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References
Gorrell, P., & Hoover, J. (2009). Coaching Connection: A Manager's Guide to Developing
Individual Potential in the Context of the Organization. American Management Association.
Guptan, S. (2006). Mentoring : A Practitioner's Guide to Touching Lives. Response Books.
Kathy,M & Tim, P (2009). The quantum leader. Application for the new world of work.
Second edition. Jones and Bartlett publishers.
Leatherman, D. (2008). Quality Leadership Skills: Standards of Leadership Behavior. HRD
Press.
Megginson, D. (2006). Mentoring in Action: A Practical Guide. Kogan Page.