{Assignment Template}

Name:
Date:

ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring

Assignment 8580-500:
Understanding the skills, principles and practice of
effective management coaching and mentoring
{Note: You need to delete everything between these brackets
{} they are there to guide you through the completion of the
assignment only. The Assessor notes in red include up-to-date
guidance from the person marking your assignment take
notice!}
{Minimum Word Count - 4,500 words. Note: The word count provided
is intended as a guide to what is required to achieve a good pass.
Individuals have different writing styles, and there is no penalty if the word
count is exceeded. There is no penalty if the word count is not met as
long as the assessment criteria is adequately covered.}
{Pass Mark is a minimum of 50% for each section}
{To maximise your marks, please ensure you use references whenever
appropriate to show the source of any theory or models you have used.
Please use Harvard Referencing which looks like the words in brackets in
the following sentence - The OSCAR Model (Gilbert and Whittleworth,
2009) is a good model to help solve everyday workplace problems. You
should also list all your references at the end of the assignment}
{NOTE:
This assignment should be submitted as a single Word document
using this Assignment Template. Any document you upload
replaces any previous uploaded document.}

1. Understand the purpose of coaching and mentoring within

an organisational context
1.1. Define what coaching and mentoring is within the context of an
organisation and explain the similarities and differences between
coaching and mentoring.
{8 Marks}
{Here you explain the role of coaching and mentoring (see pages 6 to 13 in your
workbooks) within the workplace.
Talk about the definition of coaching, its purpose and its benefits. Give an overview of
coaching what it involves and what best practice looks like.
Compare coaching with mentoring, define mentoring and explain the similarities e.g.:
both use questioning, listening and feedback to help others:

Find their own solutions

Develop their own skills
Tap into potential
Change attitudes and behaviour
Maximise performance

Coaching: a low cost, low risk tool facilitating anothers development

Talk about the differences between coaching and mentoring, formal coaching relationship
is typically shorter (4 to 6 months) with the focus on specific development areas,
mentoring is often longer term, career and person centered, the long term passing on of
support/guidance/help.}
Mentoring: long term passing on of support/guidance/help.
Mentoring is used specifically and separately as a form of long term tailored development
for the individual which brings benefits to the organisation.
The characteristics of mentoring are:

It is essentially a supportive form of development.

It focuses on helping an individual manage their career and improve skills.

Personal issues can be discussed more productively unlike in coaching where the
emphasis is on performance at work.

Mentoring activities have both organisational and individual goals.

Assessor comments to pass this section you need to:

Talk about coaching and mentoring within an organisational context.
You need to explain both the similarities and differences between coaching and
mentoring, again within an organisational context. If you only talk about one of these it is
a referral.

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1.2. Identify potential individual, operational and organisational barriers

to using coaching or mentoring and develop appropriate strategies for
minimising or overcoming these. {8 Marks}
{Identify the barriers in your particular work area, for example:

lack of time
lack of management support
existing culture
resistance by team members
lack of awareness of team members
lack of confidence by yourself
lack of privacy, confidentiality, easy to slip back into old ways etc
your own style, e.g. activist versus reflector, visual versus kinesthetic etc
geography teams in different places

Give specific examples of barriers you face and how you will overcome them.
Refer to the theory and how it applies in your own workplace.}
Assessor comments remember you need to discuss individual/organisational and
operational barriers and clear strategies for overcoming these to pass this sectio n.

1.3. Present the case for using coaching or mentoring to benefit

individuals and organisation performance. {8 Marks}
{You can either present the case for both coaching and mentoring, or just coaching or
just mentoring.
In this section you need to explain the benefits of using coaching and mentoring to help
develop the individual and the organisation. Again refer to the theory and then bring it to
life with examples from your own organisation.
Talk about measuring the value of coaching/mentoring pages 70 to 71.
See pages 89 to 106 in your workbook
Talk about how coaching and mentoring helps to raise awareness and responsibility i.e.
use non-directive questions to dig below the personal iceberg and help others make
better choices. Coaching is about generating creativity of thought and making better
choices.
Benefits to the individual e.g. increased confidence, improved interpersonal skills,
better at running meetings, managing conflict, reduce stress etc.
Benefits to the organisation e.g. improves performance, helps people work through
change more effectively, can reduce absenteeism, grievances, improve productivity etc.
Give specific examples as appropriate.
Talk about how coaching can help maximise performance (Binder) 6 components of
performance.
Empowers people and so increases job satisfaction and morale. The more empowered
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they become, the more willing they are to unlock and develop their own potential.
Coaching and mentoring as a strategy has a great deal of potential to impact significantly
on development of specific leadership skills, and areas of emotional intelligence.
Coaching also enables the building of healthy working relationships and supports the
delivery of objectives on a strategic and operational level.
Performance management process its ongoing, use tools to assist e.g. OSCAR.
A coaching culture promotes:

Open communication.
It builds trust and respect.
It improves working relationships by showing how everyone can bring something to
the party.

Link the discussion to your own organisation, and the benefits it will gain from a coaching
culture.}
Assessor notes you need to include the benefits for both individuals and the
organisation, and then discuss the connection between individual and organisational
performance.

2. Understand the skills, behaviours, attitudes, beliefs and

values of an effective coach or mentor
2.1. Critically explore the knowledge, skills, and behaviour of an
effective coach or mentor. {8 Marks}
{Critically review the different theories and explanations of what makes a good coach.

Refer here to the various books/articles you have read/referenced etc.

Talk about the skills and whether you agree or disagree with the different
authors/comments. Give examples as appropriate.
Discuss the principles, beliefs & qualities of an effective coach.
EG: The role of the coach is to use advanced skills of listening, questioning and reflection
to create highly effective conversations and experiences for the individual being
coached.
The coach uses non-directive rather than directive language, thereby raising awareness.
The role of the coach is to help the coachee reach their own solutions, choose to change
their own attitudes and behaviours and break their negative habits. Telling someone what
to do cannot do this.
In collaborative coaching the coachee is encouraged to dig down below the water line to
surface their thoughts, beliefs, emotions and needs, this in turn helps them gain insight
and generate new creative ways of thinking that help move them in a way that is totally
liberating. For many coachees the insights and ah ha moments can be literally life
changing.}
Assessor notes this section is a real hot spot, with a number of candidates
missing the criticality . You need to explore knowledge, skills and behaviour in this
section. You need to include theory, practice, or experience to evaluate and make a
judgment.
Here is an example to support the comments above - you need to critically review some
theories, and then discuss whether you agree with the findings or not. You can include
some personal examples to support your comments and increase the criticality:
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According to Zeus and Skiffington (2008) the following are the Personal Qualities of a
successful coach:
A capacity of self awareness
A capacity to inspire others
A capacity to build relationships
A capacity to be flexible
A capacity to communicate
A capacity to be forward looking
A capacity to manage professional boundaries
I do agree that an effective coach builds strong relationships, through respect, honesty
and openness and always looks to push individuals out of their comfort zones. In order to
maximize an individuals potential in terms of performance, it has been my experience
that individuals need to take time to feel comfortable with the thought of breaking out of
a comfort zone. That is why it is important to develop trust and support with each
coachee over a period of time.
On the one hand I completely agree with the various qualities and skills that have been
detailed. All of which I will try to embed into my own coaching abilities, and those who
will be trained to use coaching in the workplace. On the other hand, I do not completely
agree with the term capacity. This is because it is not specific enough. It is not possible to
say whether one person has the capacity and one person does not. However, what it does
suggest is that if you have the capacity in these areas you can coach successfully - which
I believe to be true. However, this then suggests that only certain people have these
types of capacities and I dont think that is correct.
Julie Star (2008) coaches operate from the following principles and beliefs:

maintains their commitment to support the individual

remains detached and non-judgmental
builds their coaching relationships on honesty, openness and trust
believes that the coachee is responsible for the results they are creating
believes that the coachee is capable of much better results than they are currently
generating
maintains their focus on what the coachee thinks and experiences
believes that coachee can generate perfect solutions (i.e. perfect for the coachee, if
not for the coach!)
ensures that their coaching conversations are based on equality

I feel that the above account represents the core principles and beliefs of a coach. They
relate to the approach presented so far in this assignment. However, I also believe that
although the above are meant to be principles and beliefs which help guide the coach to
achieve an effective outcome they are somewhat idealistic, which to a degree are what
principles are designed to be.

2.2. Analyse why coaches or mentors require effective communication

skills.
{8 Marks}
{Analyse the key communication skills a coach/mentor needs:

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Questioning
Actively listening and reflecting back levels 5 and 6 listening
Giving feedback (Johari's window, clean feedback). Talk about how using clean
feedback helps identify meaning
Talk about observing the body language, mirror and matching to really understand
what the other person is thinking (NLP/Knight). What does their behaviour tell you
about them.
Talk about Transactional analysis, (listening to the tone, observing the body language
enables you to determine whether the person is in the Parent, Adult or Child ego state
and how you move forward). Explain how these roles can get mixed up. Important for
the coach to remain the adult, but also recognise the patterns that lead the coachee
back to Adult. Give feedback of what their style is having on the relationship.

Analyse the role of transactional analysis and emotional intelligence self awareness,
empathy etc
(Goleman). Exploring EI makes us happier, to be able to motivate ourselves, manage
stress in our activities and resolve conflict. It gives us the skills to encourage, comfort,
discipline and confront different kinds of people appropriately in different situations. It
determines how effectively we express our emotions, and how well we listen to people
and how well we are heard.
Think about different communication/learning styles, talk about why it is important for
the coach/mentor to adapt their style to meet the needs of their client and how effective
communication skills helps them to do that. Use diagnostic tools to raise awareness.
Refer to the theory throughout and give specific examples how you use these skills in
your own coaching practice.}
Assessor notes: you need to discuss a range of effective communication skills (see above
for examples) and the reasons for these practices that explains why they are required by
coaches or mentors.

2.3. Review the responsibilities of the coach or mentor to manage

relationships (including values and power) and remain ethical and nonjudgemental. {8 Marks}
{Review the role of the coach/mentor to contract effectively i.e:

establish the relationship

clarify expectations
agree boundaries, confidentiality, what will be reported etc
record the sessions actions
review progress
end the relationship

Talk about the importance of Values (see page 22 and 23),

Our value systems define our standards of what is good and bad, right and wrong,
worthwhile or worthless. At times the coach has to clarify and sometimes challenge a
coachees values. If these values are not challenged, coachees may not be aware of their
values and their impact. At other times a coach may have to openly and honestly
challenge coachees when their belief systems and values are clearly stopping them from

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achieving their own goals and those of their organisation.

While coaches have an ethical obligation not to impose their values on a coachee it is
important to discuss openly the importance of values in the coaching relationship. There
are several issues regarding a coachs values and how these might impact on the
coaching relationship. For example, the coach could make value judgements about the
coachees personality and interpersonal style.
If these judgements are negative, it could provide difficult to establish rapport and trust.
The coach may disagree with the coachees choices or goals and may not be able to offer
the necessary unconditional support to achieve these goals.
Finally, the coach may experience a conflict of interest when the values and goals of an
organisation conflict with the coachees values or with the coachs own values.
Reference: Zeus and Skiffington. The Complete Guide to Coaching at Work (2008).
Talk about EMCC and Coaching Associations code of ethics. (see pages 129 to 132).
Talk about how its important to respect others ethics and moral views, beliefs, attitudes
and values, Ethics EMCC ensure the highest possible standards are maintained. In the
coach/mentor relationship to give the greatest opportunity for learning and development.
Raises awareness and responsibility of choices by being aware of others beliefs.
Refer to the theory (belief cycle, codes of practice, ethics etc and provide specific
examples as appropriate. EG: Starr (2008) sets out four activities that should ensure that
the coaching or mentoring is effective. Firstly, coach and coachee need to establish the
context. Secondly, the coach and coachee need to create understanding and direction.
Thirdly, the coach and coachee should review and confirm learning. Stage 4 is proper
completion of the coaching. Even if the results have been very positive, proper
completion should still take place.}
Assessor notes another hot spot!
Here you are required to discuss the responsibilities of the coach to manage
relationships. Your discussion must include reference to both power and values. You must
then expand your discussion to talk about why it is important to remain ethical and nonjudgmental when coaching, and if I dont these are the consequences.
e.g
POWER - It is important to outline here that the coach must never force their values or
point of view onto the coachee, but to help the coachee to self-reflect on their belief
through the use of questioning. Through open discussion the coachee is able to evaluate
their values, but at the same time for the coach to be non-judgmental yet have the power
to challenge the coachee.
Coaching is based on the concept of equality within the relationship. However, there is a
power imbalance in the very nature of a client/coach relationship, favouring the coach.
The core challenge to the coach is to be aware of the dilemma and to use their power
positively. There needs to be a clear structure to ensure the coaching sessions are
effective, but also to clarify the responsibilities of the coach to manage relationships
effectively, whilst maintaining a balance of power and influence. With the aligned values
and agreed ethical code of practice the coach can ensure and be responsible for a strong
and meaningful relationship with the coachee. Talk about how you achieve this, give
examples. Talk about the importance of the coaching contract agreeing
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expectations/boundaries etc.
e.g Values - The value systems adopted by every coach or mentor is what underpins what
is right and wrong. The code of ethics set out by the European Mentoring and Coaching
Council states that; the coach/mentor will acknowledge the dignity of all humanity. They
will conduct themselves in a way which respects diversity and promotes equal
opportunities. This is a core part of the code of ethics, which the coach must abide by.
The coach will also have a number of additional values that they personally value and
abide by and at times the coach may need to clarify and challenge the values held by the
coachee as these values may be part of the problem or at the root cause of the problem.
Of course the coach must first build a strong relationship with the coachee to be able to
deal with these possible issues and the impact that they may be having on their
performance or behaviour with other individuals.

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3. Understand the role of contracting and the process to

effectively coach or mentor
3.1. Review a model or process that should be followed when formally
coaching or mentoring. {8 Marks}
{Various models to choose from:

OSCAR
GROW
VROOMs theory of pleasure and pain to motivate others
Performance Wheel

Review the theory behind the model or process, explain the model and how it works and if
appropriate any shortcomings in using the model or process. Give specific examples of
how youve used the process or model in practice and how it has (or hasnt) helped your
coaching practice.}
Assessor notes remember to discuss the principal features when describing your chosen
model.

3.2. Analyse the rationale for and the characteristics of effective

contracting within coaching or mentoring. {8 Marks}
{Refer to the theory (pages 66 to 69 in your workbook).
Discuss why contracting with the client, and key stakeholders is important and analyse
what could happen if you didnt effectively contract with key stakeholders. (Mismatched
expectations, lack of clarity, support, nothing to evaluate/measure etc).
Give specific examples of how youve contracted with your client and relevant
stakeholders (or havent) and the impact this had on your coaching.
Attach a copy of an example coaching contract and plan as an appendix and explain how
you use these in your own coaching practice and the impact they have.}
Assessor notes as well as the above, remember to talk about the characteristics of
effective contracting, and why they are important.

3.3. Explain the necessity of exploring the expectations and boundaries

of a coaching or mentoring programme with all stakeholders. {8 Marks}
{Refer to the theory (pages 66 and 69). Emphasise that the role of the coach is to provide

safe and confidential conditions for coaching and agree the boundaries/expectations. Talk
about the conditions needed in the organisation to maximise coaching effectiveness
(support, senior managers as role models, culture of organisation etc). Explain that the
buy-in and understanding of key stakeholders is vital. If different stakeholders have
conflicting expectations that will impact of the effectiveness of the coaching and
mentoring.
Explain the importance of three way contracts (see page 68 in the workplace)}
Assessor notes: talk also about the how you ensure that you agree expectations and
boundaries with stakeholder, and then expand to discuss why it is necessary to explore
expectations and boundaries with all stakeholders,, what is the impact of not doing this.

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3.4. Justify the rationale for supervision of coaches and mentors in

practice.
{8 Marks}
{We cover supervision in Session Nineteen (pages 145 to 148). Talk about the aspects of

supervision Qualitative, Developmental and Resourcing. On-going supervision is

essential whether you are an external executive coach or an internal coach providing
coaching to individuals and teams in your own organisation.
Organisations investing in developing the coaching skills of their managers also need to
invest in on-going supervision to ensure that these managers are coaching consistently,
effectively, ethically and to the highest possible standard.
Talk about the type of supervision you would like to receive and what type youd
recommend to be used within your own organisation (1:1, group or peer etc).
Talk about the theory and bring it to life with your own examples.}
Assessor notes: talk about why supervision is necessary in coaching. Include here the
views of Hawkins and Smith (2006) and your views of the upsides and downsides of the
various approaches to supervision.

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4. Understand the principles of effective coaching or

mentoring in practice and how to evaluate benefits
4.1. Critically review the elements required for effective and integrated
coaching or mentoring. {8 Marks}
{Here you need to critically review (i.e. talk about the various theories about whats

important and either agree or disagree and give your reasons why).
Points to cover include:

Skills and behaviours of the coach (pages 52 to 66)

Contracting with all stakeholders (page 69 in your workbook)
Aligning coaching and mentoring with the learning & development and performance
management strategies and approach (see pages 12, and 89 to 97)
Buy-in and support from the organisation developing a coaching culture pages 98 to
106)
Measuring ROI (pages 70 to 71)
Benefits of coaching (pages 134 to 137)

Example: Zeus and Skiffington (2008) believe that the capacity to manage professional
boundaries is a key element of successful coaching. For me personally, the ability to
clarify and agree the boundaries and expectations with key stakeholders was vital to the
success of the coaching programme etc}
Assessor notes this section is a real hot spot, with a number of candidates
missing the criticality . You need to explore the elements required for effective
coaching (see examples above). You need to include theory, practice, or experience to
evaluate and make a judgement.
Here is an example to support the comments above - you need to critically review some
theories, and then discuss whether you agree with the findings or not. You can include
some personal examples to support your comments and increase the criticality:
Skills and behaviours:
Coaches operate from principles of success, according to Julie Star (2008) the effective
coach:

maintains their commitment to support the individual

remains detached and non-judgemental
builds their coaching relationships on honesty, openness and trust
believes that the coachee is responsible for the results they are creating
believes that the coachee is capable of much better results than they are currently
generating
maintains their focus on what the coachee thinks and experiences
believes that coachees can generate perfect solutions (i.e. perfect for the coachee, if
not for the coach!).
ensures that their coaching conversations are based on equality

In my experience I would agree with the above. During my coaching sessions I have
focused on building a strong relationship with each coachee as it is important that they
feel relaxed and comfortable to open up and trust me with information that they disclose.
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I try to mirror body language and words used by each individual, to create a relaxed
environment.
I strongly agree that 2 key skills required of an effective coach are to listen and question
effectively.
Contracting with all Stakeholders
According to Peter Hill (2004) it is important that a three-way contract is used between
the coach, the coachee and their manager.
He states that many coaches only contract with the coachee, but effective coaches would
clarify the expectations of coachee and the manager. This ensures that all information is
shared with both, objectives and boundaries are clarified and how progress will be
monitored is discussed with both parties at the onset of coaching.
In my experience it does make the coaching programme much clearer from the onset if a
three-way contract is used. All parties are clear about the purpose of the coaching
support, and expectations and boundaries can be set, to avoid confusion later.

4.2. Analyse how the benefits of coaching or mentoring should be

evaluated.
{12 Marks}
The sufficiency descriptor states to pass you need to analyse:
How an appropriate theory, process or model should be used to evaluate the benefits of coaching and provide a solution or conclusion or
recommendations is correctly and appropriately summarised.

We need a description of how evaluation coaching can lead to a conclusion about its impact or
recommendations for improvement/change

{Talk about how youd evaluate the effectiveness of the coaching or mentoring. Talk
about ROI and what evaluation criteria youd use. Explain how you might use the
performance wheel to measure progress.
ROI what will you measure? Reduced absenteeism, stress, morale. How can you relate
this to the bottom line? Focus on the benefits. Think about the qualitative/quantitative
evidence you could obtain to help measure the value and impact of the coaching or
mentoring programme.
Business benefits what do you hope to achieve increase in morale, greater retention,
better output, and more skilled employees. What will success look like in this area?
Impact on the individuals increase in confidence, better decision making, increased
awareness, improved meetings.
Impact on the team increased achievement, improved morale, more effective team
working, better relationships, improved meetings.
Organisational benefits fewer grievances, reduced absenteeism, increased retention,
increased productivity.
Evaluation Techniques could include:
Cost Benefit ratio business result e.g. meetings used to be 3 hours, now 1 hour. Look
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at money saved by calculating the salaries in the room and the 2 hour saving.
Staff Surveys
Performance reviews
360 feedback
Again, talk about the theory and bring it to life with your own examples.
Performance Wheel page 45 to 50.
ROI and evaluation pages 67 to 71.}
Assessor notes: here talk about how theory/process/ models (see above) should be used
to evaluate the benefits of coaching, and provide a solution/conclusion/recommendation.

References
{List all the references you have used in your assignment using Harvard
Referencing. For example:
Covey. Stephen R. (1989) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon &
Schuster UK Ltd.}

Bibliography
{List all the books and articles you have read as part of your assignment
compilation. For example:
Covey. Stephen R. (1989) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon &
Schuster UK Ltd.}

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Page - 14 -

Appendix 1: Example Coaching Contract

It is both coach and coachees responsibility to work through this contract
together in the introductory session, to ensure mutual understanding of
the basis of the coaching relationship, roles and responsibilities.
What you can expect from the coaching process:
In a coaching relationship, the coachees agenda is at the centre of the
relationship and will be worked on jointly by both coach and coachee.
As coach I do not have the answers to your issues, but I am committed to
working with you to explore them and help you identify how to move
forward.
I will at all times do my best to help you achieve all you want for yourself
but there are no guaranteed results; you get out what you put in.
At all times, I will treat you with respect and treat all you tell me in
confidence. There may be occasions when something you share with me
needs to be shared more widely, but we will discuss this first so that you
are comfortable, and wherever possible, you will take the lead in sharing
the information with others.
I may be asked to feed back generic information regarding issues such as
learning needs, how public services are faring generally or other points
that can help inform further programmes; I will not however feed any such
information back if I cannot completely guarantee confidentiality.
As a workplace coach, I may work with a variety of people who may, or
may not be known to you. I will let you know if there is likely to be a
conflict of interest. Where we work together with this knowledge of others,
the focus of our work will be on your situation and your responsibilities. I
will not therefore refer to situations or any knowledge I have about these
individuals, gained from my interactions with them.
Your commitment to the coaching process:
I agree that the prime purpose of this coaching contract is to support,
maintain and enhance my personal development and performance over an
agreed period of time.
As the coachee, I will ensure that, to the best of my ability, I have met the
agreed objectives and action plan set out at the end of each session.
I understand that taking part in this coaching contract places
responsibilities on me. I agree to prepare for each session, to be punctual
and to actively participate. I agree to carry out any follow-up actions that I
choose to commit to within the coaching sessions as per agreed
timescales. I understand that all that is discussed between us will be
treated in absolute confidence, unless we agree that information can be
shared with another party.

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I agree to complete all evaluation forms during and following the final
session.
I will ensure that the session is not interrupted, in order to give full
attention to the interaction.
How the process will work:
We have both agreed the parameters of this relationship and discussed
their practical implications for us.
We have agreed to meet every . weeks for .. sessions. We have
agreed that 1 to 2 hours is a suitable length of time for our sessions. We
will time these sessions to coincide with specific stages of work or
situation, so that constructive feedback can be provided and objectives
reviewed.
It is the joint responsibility of both the coach and the coachee to agree the
scheduling of these sessions.
Our first coaching session will be on:
Date: Time: ..
Venue: ..
If for any reason a session is cancelled, we will meet again at the next
mutually convenient date. The person who has cancelled the session has
the responsibility to re-arrange the session. (Each coach will have their
own cancellation policy, considering how many sessions can be cancelled
before they review the situation with their coachee and consider ending
the relationship).
Any changes in circumstance will necessitate the discussion and
agreement of a new coaching contract.
Either party can request a termination of the agreement if there is a
breakdown in the coaching relationship, inadequate commitment to the
process or lack of progress being made.
I have read, and agree, this coaching contract.
Signed:
Coachee:

Date: .

Coach:

Date:

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