Guest Blog Post: The Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring in the Workplace – The 3 Rs

Today's Guest Blog Post comes to us courtesy of Diane McAloon of Penn State Lehigh Valley and is on the importance of having good coaches and mentors in the workplace - something I am sure we can all agree with!  Diane McAloon is Assistant Director of Continuing Education at Penn State Lehigh Valley.

Enjoy the entry!
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The Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring in the Workplace – The 3 Rs
The more I speak with managers, supervisors, training and development leaders and executives, the more I hear about organizations that claim their “most valuable asset,” their people, “just don’t get it…!”
When I ask if they have considered coaching, instead of managing, their teams, more times than not I get the “tell me more” glance and have the opportunity to share my reasons for strongly supporting coaching in the workplace - what I call the 3 Rs:

Relationship Building
Coaching and mentoring in the workplace can occur on a peer-to-peer level or as part of the leadership development skills portfolio.  It involves the supervisor and employee mutually defining work-related strengths and areas that should be developed.  Interpersonal conversation, self-disclosure, empathy, understanding, and recognition all come into play in peer-to-peer mentoring and transfer interactions away from the keyboard and toward face-to-face conversation.  Skilled workplace coaches know how to integrate positive attitude and team spirit into defining and achieving objectives.  All parties learn how to build and enhance their skills while, at the same time, they are on the job, increasing productivity and workplace success.

React and Recover
We work in a react-and-recover environment.  Each day we are given the opportunity to react to such forces as customer feedback, market trends, and financial challenges.  A workplace that promotes creativity and problem solving through open conversation and empowerment is able to react quickly, learn the lessons, and recover by creating a resilient and flourishing environment.  Coaching and mentoring are pivotal factors when building a thriving environment where productivity and competency reign.

Retention
A positive workplace is good for the individual and vital to workplace morale.  Longstanding coaching practice lends itself to lasting behavioral change, employees grow stronger and are open to delegated tasks and increased responsibility.

Organizations that implement coaching/mentoring strategies normally see increased accountability and productivity, improved customer satisfaction, ownership in the decision-making process and a sense of pride, all of which result in higher retention rates and a solid talent management program.

The 3Rs highlight the benefits of workplace coaching, in addition to sound management practice. The struggle is making coaching and mentoring a sustainable culture in the workplace versus becoming the latest great idea.

To go beyond the 3Rs and to learn more about coaching and mentoring in the workplace, please join us at the Best Practices in the Workplace Conference, May 19, at Penn State Lehigh Valley.  We will provide the opportunity for you to learn more about your personal style as a coach and leader, define proactive ways to improve the work environment and uncover ways to integrate values, coaching, and mentoring into the performance evaluation and the business plan.  For more information and to register:  www.lv.psu.edu/bestpractices.



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