Page 214 - Retaining Top Employees

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202 Retaining Top Employees

mentors working in your favorite customer and supplier
companies. Many of these folks will have worked with
your organization and will know it intimately. Your market-
ing or purchasing manager can help identify suitable
companies and may be thrilled to get the opportunity to
deepen the bond between the two organizations.

How Does a Coach Differ from a Mentor?
The role of a coach is less focused on the individual and more
focused on the job than the role of the mentor. A coach helps
the protégé do his or her job better. Although some of the ele-
ments of the mentoring role may be present—such as motiva-
tion, performance enhancement, awareness, transfer of skills,
and effectiveness—the coach’s primary concern is not the
growth of the individual, but rather the better performance of
the job. The coach can be seen as exerting an influence, in
being directive in trying to achieve his or her goals; a coach will
frequently say, “Here, do it like this….” A mentor, if talking
about an operational issue (which is less likely), is more
inclined to ask, “Have you thought about trying…?” or “What
other ways have you thought of doing this…?”
It’s easier for you to coach a direct employee than to mentor
him or her. Unlike the “purist” mentoring of the previous sec-
tion, a coach can also be the individual’s manager or supervi-
sor, although that’s not necessary. Coaching is more directive
and job-related and less related to personal growth than men-
toring, which allows some overlap between the roles of coach
and manager (or supervisor) that’s not possible for the mentor.
Coaching is also more closely aligned with on-the-job train-
ing than is mentoring. A coach will often follow up after on-the-
job training and help the employee translate classroom training
into practice or better his or her practical skills.
Coaching is also frequently linked with formal qualifications.
If you have an employee who is studying for professional quali-
fications, you or someone else may well coach him or her to
develop book skills into both practical application and success