Continuous learning and growth within teams is more critical than ever but it can be difficult to find courses and training programs that truly fill those gaps.
A shortage of digital skills, unique business requirements and the benefits of a holistic approach to digital transformation, make coaching and mentoring great options for team development.
A coaching or mentoring practice provides 1:1 or group learning and development. As an approach it can be customised to suit your organisation’s operating model and also meets the unique learning needs of individuals and teams, for a supercharged and rewarding experience that has real business benefits.
At 9Yards, alongside our talent services we provide coaching and mentoring services to our clients. It’s an empowering way for teams to benefit from our decades of experience and builds a culture of empowerment and resilience. Based on what we’ve seen in client organisations, here are the top 4 benefits of adopting coaching and mentoring to fill the skills gap in your business.
1. Enhance Team Capability and Capacity
Which skills are your teams lacking? Whether the requirement is in technical skills, leadership qualities, or strategic thinking, you can tailor coaching efforts to address these gaps.
Over time, this kind of targeted approach fills the skill and capability gaps you identified. There is an additional benefit – this approach also strengthens your team’s overall effectiveness, building an understanding of how to work better with others and share knowledge. It’s an indirect benefit that packs quite a bit of clout: as team capability develops, team members become more adept at handling challenges and contributing to the business’s success.
“Working with 9Yards has been transformative for our team. Their consultants bring a wealth of experience in strategy and technology, but what sets them apart is their ability to guide and uplift our people with a strong, human-centric approach. They understand that external expertise can sometimes be met with resistance, yet their tact and soft skills ensure that everyone feels supported and involved in the process. Their impact on our organisation has been both positive and lasting, contributing to meaningful progress across the board.” – Testimonial from a Technology Leader in the Finance and Banking sector.
2. Align Technical Skills with Business Strategy
Aligning technical skills with business goals can be a challenge for organisations on a digital transformation journey. Technical teams are often focused on solutions, without considering the broader business goals. While some level of specialisation is essential, understanding the business impact of a technology decision will lead to more strategic decision-making and enhances your organisation’s ability to achieve business objectives.
When you engage mentors who have successfully aligned technology with business strategy in similar contexts, you’re presenting a model that will help your technical teams understand the impact of their decisions on the broader business.
This approach also fosters collaboration between technical teams and other teams in the business, leading to a shared understanding of goals and challenges.
3. Harness Diverse Perspectives and Expertise
You may already know the advantages of using mentoring for professional development. However, in smaller companies, you may not have access to mentors who can provide insights and guidance that go beyond your organisation’s existing capacity.
Fresh insights, specialised knowledge and experience in a broad range of business contexts can spark new ideas, provide solutions to existing challenges, and help your team see opportunities they might have otherwise missed.
External mentors can also play a ‘mentor the mentor’ role, supplementing the skills of your internal mentors or coaches, providing a secondary support system for your team’s development.
4. Mentoring or Coaching to Empower and Realise Potential
The key differences between training courses and a coaching or mentoring approach are about connection and empowerment.
- Regular check-ins and progress assessments ensure that coaching efforts are aligned with both individual and organisational goals.
- A mentoring relationship that provides a safe space for team members to explore their ideas and push their boundaries can lead to significant personal and professional growth.
When employees feel empowered to take risks and stretch their capabilities, they are more likely to innovate and contribute meaningfully to the success of the business, beyond the context of the digital transformation project.
Mentoring Relationships To Fit Your Business Needs
How do you find the perfect coach or mentor fit? Do you need one mentor or a team with broad skills and experience that combine to provide the perfect mix of skills and experience to bridge the gap in your teams?
Defining Your Mentoring and Coaching Needs
By clearly defining your organisation’s digital transformation mentoring or coaching needs consider the industry-specific knowledge, leadership development and technical expertise that’s missing.
It’s also a good idea to identify the areas where mentoring and coaching will provide long-term benefits to the business, beyond the digital transformation project and considering the career path of the mentee.
Finding the Right Mentorship or Coaching Fit
The right fit goes beyond skills and experience. When searching for a mentorship or coaching solution for your team, consider the context of the organisation’s vision and values alongside the skills and experience gaps you’re seeing.
The right mix of technical skills, experience, culture and values will maximise the benefits that coaching and mentoring provide.
And remember, the right fit may be one mentor or a team that offers a rounded and diverse guidance model tailored to the unique needs of your business.
Are you ready to empower your teams and offer coaching or mentoring to fill skills gaps and improve the capacity and capability of your teams? Need help defining your mentorship and coaching needs? Contact 9Yards to find out how our mentoring and coaching advisory service can help you build a stronger, more resilient organisation poised for long-term digital transformation success.
