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About Us
- Keith Webb
- If you're interested in cross-cultural work, non-profits, on mission, empowering others, CPM, CMM, CP, or CRM, then welcome!
We keep language low key to not attract the wrong attention. Enjoy.
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6 comments:
Now you have me curious--what was Steve Ogne's early definition?
I was just at a conference where the definitions for mentoring and coaching were flipped...just when I thought it was becoming more consistent.
The swapping of definitions between mentoring and coaching isn't unusual. Christians have preferred the term "mentoring" over "coaching". However you define them, it's the functioning that is distinct.
A mentor is someone who has expertise in a particular area and shares that learning with a mentee. Mentors provide knowledge, advise, guidance, correction and encouragement in their field of expertise. A mentor builds into a person by giving guidance, teaching, and advice. A coach draws out of a person using communication skills and learning models.
Much more could be said here. But that will have to wait...
Steve Ogne and Tom Nebel's early definition of Christian coaching: “Coaches help people develop their God-given potential so that they grow individually and make a valuable contribution to the advancement of the Kingdom of God.”
In this definition you can't see the distictive coaching process, but they had it - coachee-driven agenda with lots of listening and questions and little if any advice. (Source: Empowering Leaders Through Coaching, www.churchsmart.com)
Cool stuff, Keith. I can now see what Bryan was doing; well, I might add.
So, wanna have coffee again sometime?
Teaching addresses the cognitive dimension of the learner (his Head), mentoring addresses the emotive dimension of the learner (his Heart) while coaching addresses the behavioural dimension of the learner (his Hands).
However, to be truly effective, the learner needs to be engaged as a whole person. Hence an effective teacher will also need to engage in some mentoring and coaching, an effective mentor will also need to engage in some teaching and coaching. Similarly, an effective coach will also need to engage in some teaching and mentoring.
Within the Christian context, it should be the goal of every teacher, mentor or coach to empower the learner to fully live out God's calling. In reality, we need all three to help us live out our calling to the fullest. This was also why after God taught His people the Laws through Moses (Teacher), He sent His Son Jesus to live among His people and be their role model (Mentor). Finally, He sent His Holy Spirit to collaboratively help us put into practice what we have learned accompanied with the right attitude and live out our Christian lives (Coach).
Wow, Kien, you've got things neatly boxed up! I don't believe there are many educators who would agree with the assignment of cognitive, emotive, and behavioural domains to the roles of teaching, mentoring, and coaching, respectively.
Educational taxonomy says that all three learning domains should be present in any educational situation. I believe a good teacher will address all three domains. As will a good mentor and a good coach.
I agree with you that "it should be the goal of every teacher, mentor or coach to empower the learner to fully live out God's calling." I think our methodology will will determine whether or not we can do that.
For me, I want to influence leaders (call them "teacher," "mentor," "pastor" or whatever) to:
• listen well,
• ask questions,
• empower others,
• tap into others' creativity and strengths,
• value others,
• help people get into action,
• develop the people around them,
and not use people to further their own agenda and build their own little empires.
The normal practices of leaders rarely live up to these expectations. By introducing the fairly unknown role of "coach", we are able to define new expectations and behaviors, hopefully getting the attention of the leader who - just might - behave differently.
Thanks for your stimulating comments.
There is a lot of confusion because people often equate a teacher with teaching, a mentor with mentoring, and a coach with coaching. But in reality a teacher who only teaches is a poor teacher (think of those teachers who did nothing more than delivering content), whereas a good teacher takes time to coach where necessary and often mentor his students by inspiring them. Similarly, a good coach not only coaches, but also teaches and mentors where necessary in order to also address the cognitive and emotive domains of the coachee. This has led many to expand the definition of coaching to try to encompass everything done by the coach. However, the main objective of coaching is to bring the level of performance (behavioral domain) to the next level, whether it is executive coaching or tennis coaching. Similarly, the main objective of teaching is to bring the learner to the next level in the cognitive domain. If the objective is to help the learner to become emotionally mature, emphasize mentoring. Teaching moral values purely as an academic subject for example, is a waste of time.
Keith, I understand your point about trying to influence leaders to behave like a coach. I believe our Lord Jesus had similar intention when he described the leader as the servant of all. That must have been totally revolutionary to his disciples and cause them to view leadership in different light. The main difference is that you are trying to influence the behaviors of leaders; Jesus was trying to influence the attitudes of their hearts.
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