Byron's Babbles

Yesterday I had the incredible opportunity to be in involved in one of the greatest experiences of my life. My good friends at the Kevin Eikenberry Group – www.kevineikenberry.com – invited me to be a part of their Coach & Be Coached: Coaching to Achieve Remarkable Performance – for others and yourself – www.remarkabletv.com – webinar. The line-up was the “whose who” of leadership of coaching.

I would like to share a thought that I had afterward:

Betty Clipman, Past International President of Sweet Adelines International and one of the presenters, made a comment that she was glad we were finally getting coaching back since mentoring had gone away, or something like that. Therefore, I looked up the word mentor – a wise and trusted counselor. Then I looked up coach – besides being a railroad car, it says: one who trains or directs athletic teams; one who gives private instruction; to train, instruct, or teach.  Not a lot of difference, right? So why is mentoring now not the word of the day, but coaching is?

Here’s the reason for the comments: In education, as with a lot of other areas people cringe when they here mentoring and when mentoring programs talked about.  So why have people left mentoring and moved over to coaching? I’ll tell you what I believe. Many look at mentoring and coaching as a “thing.”  “Things” are not sustainable. Yesterday, the seminar drove home the fact that coaching must not be a “thing,” but a relationship, specific, appropriate, continual, and lifelong. Far from being a “thing,” it is a never-ending journey or process.