In mentoring, a more experienced individual acts as an adviser or guide to a less experienced person. A mentor should be able to share with you practical and hard-won wisdom that will make a difference to your performance and career trajectory. Usually, the mentor will have deep experience in the mentee’s organization or sector.  

What do I mentor in?

I have 35 years experience in the application of economics and evaluation to public policy, with the International Monetary Fund, UK government (HM Treasury and DCLG), Deloitte consulting, the National Audit Office and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. I have worked in technical delivery, managerial and senior leadership positions, and I have an extensive personal network of contacts. So if you work in those or adjacent areas, or are thinking about moving into those fields, I can certainly offer mentoring. My broader experience in management, leadership and people development, built over more than 20 years in senior positions in a range of organizations, may also be a source of useful mentoring input. 

What’s the difference between mentoring and coaching?

Mentoring is more directive than coaching, with more “putting in” and less “drawing out”. Mentoring tends to focus more on professional than personal issues. But, as in my coaching, I believe it is often helpful to take a broad approach, considering you as a whole person, rather than just the particular job- or career-related issue.

Coaching and mentoring can and do overlap; you may be interested in a combination of the two approaches. We can discuss and clarify this in our initial conversations.