Express Manager degree candidates at University of West London are getting a reputation for top level guest speakers - former CitySprint director was in the University last month, Justin Moore Onit Logistics the month before. This month was no exception for an external expert to share vision with our next generation managers. Jude Ugwuegbulam was at University of West London with Dr Tracey Worth to deliver an express logistics keynote to the year two express manager students.
Focused on dealing with conflict and engagement of teams, the vision was around Coaching and Mentoring as an important part of learning management skills and Jude was on hand to coach and encourage the students as to best practise.
The seminar was a structured introduction to the definition of coaching and mentoring, an opportunity for the students to share their wealth of experience and identify the meaning, the effects and the best processes to apply these skills.
Discussions led to debates about the meaning of coaching and mentoring and how they are commonly used as one activity, whereas Jude explained understanding the differences between coaching and mentoring ensured the best tool would be used to encourage and gain the most out of the team.
Mentoring is long-term development, a personal relationship to inspire.
Coaching is goal-focused, strongly supports how to deal with conflict.
University of West London EXDM Students were introduced to the definitions of coaching and mentoring. The relaxed seminar discussion opened the conversation as to the needs of the individuals and how important the scheduling of this function is.
A mentor is someone who supports you with nothing to gain for themselves. Another example is that a mentor gives the other individual the tools ‘I was given the rod to fish but never the fish. It taught me how to do things for myself’.
The aim of coaching and mentoring is to empower the individual to do the best they can.
Why choose coaching? – an opportunity to help someone to find answers for themselves leading to personal development. The caution to this is not to just tell someone what to do, but to help them discover how to do it.
Jude Ugwuegbulam MBA wanted the students to explore if they were a 'people pleaser' or a dogmatic personality; someone who just tells others to get on with it. He went on to explain that coaching and mentoring is about understanding yourself, to be able to engage with another, which means you will be able to sympathise and view the issues through a different lens. Understanding and identifying the issues of others all starts with identifying yourself. The discussion, which included plenty of laughter, went on to explain the need to listen, as if you are not a good listener you will not establish a good interaction, which will lead to resistance.
The session led by Jude Ugwuegbulam MBA was lively and engaging, he was listening; he explained how to include, weave and use theory models like GROW, Hertzsberg and Maslow's theories. Practical experience is healthy and supports the reality, however understanding and identifying with the theory improves everyone’s prospects. Many experiences and examples of coaching and mentoring were expressed by the students, but by the end of the session there was a renewed vigour to recognise how to identify both coaching and mentoring.
