This is a picture of some of the participants on a course on health leadership I ran in Muscat, Oman. Mentoring to provide support and guidance as a colleague is an important resource for health leaders. Coaching is also claimed to be effective, though personally I do not find this approach so helpful. My favoured approach is called buddying where two non competing colleagues get together to share their experiences and support one another. For someone learning about leadership mentoring support might be focussed on a leadership project, that is a goal driven programme set up as a development and learning experience. Finally a module is included to help train trainers to teach leadership and management skills in health.
The art of mentoring and coaching is perhaps best understood as one of listening and responding. This skill is also required in teaching children with special needs - perhaps the purest form of teaching. My friend Fran was the deputy head of Parayhouse School where other friends: Michael, Carole and Sarah also played important roles. For some time I acted as the Chair of the Trustees that ran the school as a charity. I learnt to admire their skill and patience in guiding the learning of the children in their care. People do not learn by being told what to do, they learn by discovering their answers.