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Product reviews for Mastering Mentoring and Coaching with Emotional Intelligence
Jan Brause, Brause Training Journal
The front cover of this book has a quote “” the best book I've read on the subject ...' and I have to agree. The authors say they have spent many years researching their subject and reading other books and materials, and it shows. It is packed with information for anyone who is interested in coaching or being coached.
The book has an introduction, five parts and a treasure chest for mentors and coaches. The introduction has useful definitions and distinctions between the roles of trainer, coach and mentor. Even at this early stage in the book it encourages the reader to start action planning and reflecting. This practical approach sets the scene for the whole of the book. The introduction also considers attitude and how to be a mentor and coach before describing the skills required. The authors see attitude as a prerequisite to being an effective mentor, and I have to agree.
Part one places coaching and mentoring in context by taking us on a brief history lesson and describes the story of the counsels of Athene as an interesting analogy for where the definition of mentor originated. Parts two to five take us through a mentoring process, contracting, a mentoring competency self-assessment and a range of short- and long-term mentoring skills. The authors define short-term mentoring as formal with a specific goal and long-term mentoring as something that happens outside work with a focus on evolution of career and identity.
I particularly liked the section on presuppositions which focuses on the unconscious mind as a tool for learning and builds on what the authors call the “rational techniques' presented in other parts of the book. There is also a great section dealing with various aspects of emotion and how the mentor might deal with this aspect of the mentoring relationship. This is an area little explored in some of the other books I have read on coaching and mentoring. The broader debate about trends at work and research into management practices used to inform working habits are also highlighted as a way to encourage the reader to think about the implications of these broader issues on mentoring relationships.
The margins of the pages include a host of inspirational quotations from gurus to chief executives along with many references to other useful publications. The authors frequently mention their own website, www.jobEQ.com, where some of the exercises in the book can be carried out online. I personally found the website less than easy to navigate and fairly academic.
The book copies the mentoring process and in this sense practices what it preaches. As I worked through the book I had a sense of the layering of learning leading to deeper insight and awareness of what a mentoring relationship should be.The one disappointment for me personally was the treasure chest which lost some of the practicality and slipped into more of the arena of academia. That said, it is a book I will dip into time and time again.
Ratings:
The book has an introduction, five parts and a treasure chest for mentors and coaches. The introduction has useful definitions and distinctions between the roles of trainer, coach and mentor. Even at this early stage in the book it encourages the reader to start action planning and reflecting. This practical approach sets the scene for the whole of the book. The introduction also considers attitude and how to be a mentor and coach before describing the skills required. The authors see attitude as a prerequisite to being an effective mentor, and I have to agree.
Part one places coaching and mentoring in context by taking us on a brief history lesson and describes the story of the counsels of Athene as an interesting analogy for where the definition of mentor originated. Parts two to five take us through a mentoring process, contracting, a mentoring competency self-assessment and a range of short- and long-term mentoring skills. The authors define short-term mentoring as formal with a specific goal and long-term mentoring as something that happens outside work with a focus on evolution of career and identity.
I particularly liked the section on presuppositions which focuses on the unconscious mind as a tool for learning and builds on what the authors call the “rational techniques' presented in other parts of the book. There is also a great section dealing with various aspects of emotion and how the mentor might deal with this aspect of the mentoring relationship. This is an area little explored in some of the other books I have read on coaching and mentoring. The broader debate about trends at work and research into management practices used to inform working habits are also highlighted as a way to encourage the reader to think about the implications of these broader issues on mentoring relationships.
The margins of the pages include a host of inspirational quotations from gurus to chief executives along with many references to other useful publications. The authors frequently mention their own website, www.jobEQ.com, where some of the exercises in the book can be carried out online. I personally found the website less than easy to navigate and fairly academic.
The book copies the mentoring process and in this sense practices what it preaches. As I worked through the book I had a sense of the layering of learning leading to deeper insight and awareness of what a mentoring relationship should be.The one disappointment for me personally was the treasure chest which lost some of the practicality and slipped into more of the arena of academia. That said, it is a book I will dip into time and time again.
Ratings:
- Innovative 2 Star
- Content 4 Star
- Clarity 4 Star
- Overall recommendation 5 Star
- Value for money 5 Star
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14/12/2004 00:00
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