Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching

Coaching is the art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another. Coaching is outcome and results focused. Confidentiality between client and coach is crucial to this relationship. Although coaching is usually used for those in a leadership role it can be useful to anyone who is serious about their learning and development. Courses on coaching skills are available and are tailored to meet specific requirements. Joy Wootten and Susan MacLennan coach individuals and groups. The University also uses external coaches from time to time.

Mentoring

Mentoring is about one person, usually more experienced, helping another to make continuous improvements in skills, knowledge, work or thinking, outside the normal line management relationship. 

It is an excellent developmental opportunity that affords many benefits for the mentee: helping individuals to integrate; to deal with change; to acquire increased understanding and knowledge of the organisation and its culture; to acquire new skills and to grow in confidence; to help them take responsibility for their own development, and to become self-sufficient in resolving issues. 

There are also clear benefits for the mentor, including the development of leadership and other generic skills that can be used in the workplace.

For further information and to be allocated a mentor or mentee, please contact:

• College of Life Sciences and Medicine – Professor Miep Helfrich (m.helfrich@abdn.ac.uk)
• College of Arts and Social Sciences – Professor Barbara Fennell (b.a.fennell@abdn.ac.uk)
• University Administration, including academic-related and support staff positions in the Colleges– Susan MacLennan (susan.j.maclennan@abdn.ac.uk)

Further information

For further information on coaching and mentoring please contact Joy Wootten - Deputy Director (Training & Development) (T: +44 (0) 1224 27 3378 · E: j.wootten@abdn.ac.uk) or Susan MacLennan, Training and Development Adviser (T: +44 (0) 1224 27 4461 · E: susan.j.maclennan@abdn.ac.uk)

All colleges have mentoring champions and these are your first port of call if you want to join the scheme to be mentored or offer your services as mentor. Please contact them by email in the first instance and expect to be asked some further questions in a follow up email, phone call or face-to-face meeting.

• For CLSM please contact:
  Professor Miep Helfrich
  E: m.helfrich@abdn.ac.uk

• For COPS please contact:
  Professor Howard Chandler
  E: h.w.chandler@abdn.ac.uk

• For CASS please contact:
  Professor Barbara Fennell
  E: b.a.fennell@abdn.ac.uk

• For staff in administrative roles:
  Susan MacLennan
  E: susan.j.maclennan@abdn.ac.uk

A booklet is available that gives more information about staff mentoring and its benefits and this can be downloaded here: Mentoring Handbook.