I recently had the pleasure of sharing the findings of my doctoral research study on a webinar hosted by the Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) at Bayes Business School. The study explored the roles that coaching and mentoring play in addressing the leadership challenges of charity CEOs. The discussion during the webinar focused on three key topics.

1. Confused understanding about the meaning of coaching and mentoring

The discourse about coaching and mentoring has evolved over the years. As a result, the two terms mean different things to different people and there are no universally agreed definitions for either practice. This became evident during the webinar when the participants shared their perspectives on the distinctions between coaching and mentoring. Many thought that coaching tends to be less directive than mentoring. In their view, a coach helps their client to “find their own solutions”, whereas a mentor provides guidance by “sharing experience”. However, several people expressed the opposite view, that “coaches have the answer and mentors help the mentee find the answer”.

My research showed that this lack of clarity matters in the UK charity sector, because it provides an obstacle to charity CEOs obtaining the personal support that could be of so much value to them. A useful way to navigate through the confusion is to focus on the types of behaviours being used in coaching and mentoring conversations. This enables the identification of four broad forms of coaching and mentoring:

‘Non-directive coaching’ involves a coach using ‘coaching’ behaviours (e.g. listening, supporting, questioning, challenging). This form of coaching stimulates a client’s own thinking and assumes they possess the resources to unlock their challenges themselves.

‘Mentoring’ also involves ‘coaching’ behaviours, but adds more directive ‘mentoring’ behaviours (e.g. recounting stories, suggesting ideas, giving advice). When a mentor shares their own experience in these ways, they open up new perspectives and possibilities that help to stretch a CEO’s thinking further.

‘Skills coaching’ also uses ‘coaching’ behaviours, but augments them with ‘training’ behaviours (e.g. informing, explaining, instructing). This approach differs in that it involves a coach sharing technical expertise, which helps CEOs develop new professional skills.

A ‘fluid’ approach involves a coach/mentor using a variety of ‘coaching’, ‘mentoring’ and ‘training’ behaviours. As well as eliciting the CEO’s own thinking, the coach/mentor shares their personal experience and expertise, as necessary, to help CEOs address their challenges in the most useful ways possible.

Although the distinctions between these four forms of coaching and mentoring are often blurred in practice, the clarification can be useful in helping charity CEOs to select and contract with coaches and mentors who are best equipped to provide the type of support they need.

2.The value of external coaches and mentors to charity CEOs

Charity CEOs face a wide range of strategic, relational and personal challenges. As they seek to address these issues, they can potentially obtain support from many people in their personal networks. However, some of the challenges CEOs face are too emotive, complex or personally sensitive to discuss freely with their usual contacts. An external coach or mentor provides someone independent and objective with whom these more awkward issues can be explored. The safe space they provide enables charity CEOs to channel their emotions and to stretch their thinking. A CEO’s dialogue with a coach or mentor can help the CEO build a different sense of themselves and their leadership challenges, thereby enabling them to discover enlightened new possibilities for action and change.

Despite these potential benefits, there is another important barrier that holds back the use of coaching and mentoring by charity CEOs. The purpose-driven nature of the charity sector means that it can be difficult to justify spending money, and sometimes even just time, on a CEO’s personal support and development. As a result, participants in the webinar highlighted a need to increase the appreciation amongst charity board members about the potential benefits of coaching and mentoring for their CEOs. The impact will be felt not just by the individual CEOs themselves, but in the ripple effects that result in terms of their improved working relationships and strategic leadership.

3. Finding and choosing appropriate coaches and mentors

Having acknowledged these opportunities during the webinar, an important practical question was raised. How do charity CEOs find coaches and mentors with the necessary expertise to help them address their most difficult challenges?

The first step must be for a CEO to consider carefully what their challenges are. Depending on the issues involved, there may already be some people they know who can help in certain ways.

Many CEOs establish useful supportive relationships with their chair or a trustee, their leadership colleagues, experts in professional bodies, or peers in other charities. However, if an agenda emerges that requires a different form of personal support, that will be the starting point for finding a coach or mentor with the necessary blend of experience and expertise.

Getting access to that kind of coach or mentor is the next challenge. The best starting point is often to approach professionally organised bodies, who typically go through some due diligence in selecting and supporting the coaches and mentors they provide. Examples of these organisations include:

• The Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) 
• ACEVO
• The Cranfield Trust
• The Kilfinan Group

It is important to check the career background and coaching and mentoring qualifications of any potential partner. Exploratory meetings with two or three good options are also useful to help ensure the personal chemistry feels right. Thoughtful contracting is then needed to establish a shared agenda and a clearly aligned approach to working together., My research study has generated convincing evidence that significant benefits can accrue, not just to charity CEOs personally but to their teams and organisations as well, if an effective coaching and mentoring relationship is established.

Dr Andy Bird is an accredited master executive coach and mentor who works with a diverse range of leaders in charities, start-ups and larger corporations. He has just completed a doctoral research study exploring the roles that coaching and mentoring play for charity CEOs.

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