Spanning Generations Reciprocal mentorship and coaching programs are key to strong labor-management partnerships By / Jordan Whitehouse AT THE 2020 PARTNERS IN PROGRESS CONFERENCE, SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Jr. took to the stage to talk about leadership. While the forum touched on a range of themes, Sellers underlined the importance of mentorship. “Our personal challenge is leadership and mentoring,” he said, stressing that mentorship is key in affecting positive change across the industry in the United States and Canada. It was an interesting comment, and not one typically heard today, when in-class, online, and apprenticeship learning usually take precedence over any type of one-on-one mentoring or coaching. But there are signs that’s changing, or at least that more personal forms of training are considered important tools in developing competent, capable workers
and future leaders. In a study titled, “Mentoring and Coaching Practices: Developing the Next Generation,” published by The New Horizons Foundation, 87% of executives and managers surveyed said they would “possibly” or “definitely” participate in a mentoring or coaching program. So, if mentoring and coaching programs are so important today, why? What does good mentorship even look like? And how can labor and management work together to implement these programs? The New Horizons study tries to provide some answers, and it begins by distinguishing between mentoring and coaching, which are sometimes used interchangeably. While both offer one-on-one guidance, the mentor is usually inside the organization, while the coach is usually an expert outside Partners in Progress » June 2020 » 9
