Coaching, Mentoring and Managing: A Coach Guidebook

4

Phyllis:

I’ll remember.

Earlier you read about the importance of communicating

with your people. As you show them how to do the job,

you add significance to the task ... you communicate your

own mastery of and respect for the task. You make the

associate feel that she is doing a job considered

meaningful by you and the organization.

A common mistake mentors make in this phase is going

through the job too quickly. If you rush your

demonstration of the job, the learner doesn’t have a

chance to absorb what’s going on — to ask the questions

she may need to ask. Hurrying also leaves the learner with

the impression that neither the job nor the worker is really

worth your time. Slow down while you demonstrate the

task. Allow the learner to see every aspect of the job and

ask questions. And maintain a relaxed, friendly attitude—

even if you have to repeat the task two or three times.

Think for a moment about the teachers and “inspirers” you

identified back in Chapter 1 (page 24). What made them

so good? What made it easy, even fun, to learn from

them? Chances are your answer will be something like, “I

knew I could try and fail and try again without feeling

foolish or worthless.” No one enjoys learning with the

threat of time or performance minimums hanging over her

head. Give your associate time to learn and she will give

you many reasons to be glad you did. Being available to

talk is a key part of mentoring.

Phase 2 — Participate

After you’ve demonstrated the job, the next phase is to have
the team member do the job with you. This second phase of
teaching an adult to do a task involves three points.

1. How can the task be shared?
   First, determine how the task can be shared. You’ll both
   be doing part of it. It’s up to you to determine how the
   process can be shared meaningfully and memorably.

The Mentoring Role: Instruction by Example

Don’t rush your

demonstration of

the job.

To teach is to

learn twice.