Reply To: Coach Mentoring – Is it being used with success ?

[hockeygod]

RK,

Some points to consider:

1) Do the coaches the mentor works with actually WANT the mentoring or is it 'forced' (suggested) onto them by a higher power / association? Do the coaches have an opportunity to meet with the mentor first to see if there is a connection or not? Does the coach respect the mentor – their experience, education, etc.?

2) Are the coaches open-minded to mentoring? Do they really want it? Can they define what they want out of a mentorship – out of themselves and from the mentor?

3) What approach does the mentor take? A 'know-it-all' or someone who can park their ego? Does the mentor listen to the needs of the coach and provide an action plan? Does the mentor 'tell' the coach what to do or ask the coach what he thinks he should do? Is there a one-fit solution or does it need to be individualized?

4) How often does the mentorship occur / what is the availability of the mentor? (Often times, $ becomes the key limiting factor as the coach or association doesn't understand the need or enduring value for ongoing mentorship – to the coach, staff and players; instead looking to a band-aid solution consisting of 1 or 2 meetings.)

5) PATIENCE! I believe mentorship should occur throughout the entire season; including an intro meeting and and exit meeting… what did the coach learn? What action steps need to be in place for the off-season / next year so they can achieve these goals? It might mean… additional mentoring!

6) How does the association / coach / players / parents evaluate the effectiveness of the mentor? Is there a process in place… and what is it? Not only do all the stakeholders (association too!) need to see what value a mentor brings, but the mentor also needs feedback. Can the process be improved for next year; and how?

I often see a shotgun approach occur due to time and money constraints. The coaches 'get a taste' then are left to their own devices. If they are lucky, they might get a followup session later in the year. People seem to be unwilling to pay for a professional service… after all, everyone (in Canada) is an expert in hockey … by birth! (Yeah, right…!)

I prefer to establish on ongoing relationship with a few clients but the nature of the beast (associations) often dictate the shotgun approach first and from that, I pick up some keen individuals. When I mentor, I set out a schedule of 'time blocks' that the coach must agree to and pay in advance as I think there must be several ongoing meetings in order for the coach to see and feel the benefits… a rapport and relationship develops over time. Included in that is a charge for my time before, during and after the game or practice, phone and email time, and it could also include travel time and expenses. First-hand experience tells me that mentorship has the most impact when it is done over time.

The clinics I just did for Hockey Alberta were using the 'shotgun approach'. We might do some followup as a collective group but that is TBD by the association. I did make some contacts of individuals there that might want to pursue something above and beyond what the association will pay for… coming out of the individual team budgets' or the coaches pockets.

If all the parents of the kids on a particular team paid more money for registration, with that money ear-marked for mentoring, it would help offset the cost. The coach should also pay into it; as should the coaching staff if they are to be included. If you don't attach money to anything, the 'anything' becomes devalued.

Personally, I would pay for mentoring myself if it was someone I respected in a field I wanted to learn more about. I believe in the incredible value it can bring back to me!

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."