IDsquared

Being a Non-Exec: Coaching, Mentoring or Advising? 10 January, 2008

We’re sometimes asked whether being a Non-Executive Director or Non-Exec Chairman in a small, growing company is more like ‘coaching’, ‘mentoring’ or ‘advising’.  The answer is… yes… well, no… actually, it depends!

A good Non-Executive Director or Non-Exec Chairman is a many coloured beast; they often have to perform a variety of roles at any one time, particularly in a growth business where things change every day.  IDsquared’s Chairman, Jay Hale, (who is something of an expert on coaching) once told me that if you ask ten coaches what coaching really is, you’ll get at least a dozen different answers.  Apart from anything else, there are many types of coaching – personal coaching, life coaching, peer group coaching, one-to-one coaching (Jay will explain!).  Anyway, here are my distinctions:

Coaching
Coaching is best left to those who know what they’re doing.  Coaches should be qualified and they should be experienced (and many Non-Executive Directors are).  Coaching isn’t a hobby or a skill, it’s a profession.  Being good with numbers doesn’t make you an accountant and being good with people doesn’t make you a coach.  Coaching is a more removed relationship than mentoring or advising and if you really want to understand how it works, I suggest you e-mail Jay and arrange a chat - he’s very approachable.

Mentoring
Now mentoring is a skill, and it’s quite a common one.  It is especially common among Non-Execs but we can all do it sometimes.  The reason that we’re not all good mentors all of the time is that we’re too bound up in ourselves and we aren’t calm enough to take a step back and spend some time on other people’s issues.  A mentor must be patient and wise, calm and a very good listener, they must also be capable of giving good advice on a wide range of issues (not just on business matters – we’ll come on to that).  Mentors are close friends, confidants and gurus.  Mentors don’t always have to be right but they do have to share the heartache and the emotional roller-coaster.  

Advising
Advisors are people with a lot of knowledge to whom you pay a lot of money in order to persuade them to share it.  They are specialists; they are lawyers, accountants, IT specialists and corporate finance advisors.  I wouldn’t go to any of them if I needed a hug, a chat or a cup of tea but they’re very good at what they do and if you find the right one at the right time, they’re worth their weight in gold.  A good Non-Executive Director or Non-Exec Chairman will not only have a gang of advisors on speed dial but they’ll also know how to speak their language (and keep their fees down).

A good Non-Exec can be an expert in coaching, mentoring or advising; very occasionally someone is an expert in all three.  On balance, it is probably mentoring which is closest to being a Non-Executive Director but the important thing is to find the right Non-Exec or Chairman for you and your business; that may mean someone who is not at all touchy-feely but who has the right ‘hard’ skills.  Most importantly, make sure your Non-Exec has enough business experience to contribute in every area of the business.

If you would like to see a shortlist of Non-Executive Directors who are suitable for your business then do please read our pages for companies and make contact so that we can discuss your needs.  If you would like to join the IDsquared Non-Executive Director Recruitment Register, please see our pages for NEDs. 

You will also find much useful information in our blog, which you can search, and you can always call us or drop us an e-mail.