Coaching, Mentoring and Talent Development

Most organisations say people are their key resource, yet development is often left to chance. Managers are promoted for technical skill and have never learned to coach. Mentoring schemes start with enthusiasm and fade because pairs are poorly matched and objectives unclear. Talent is identified by visibility rather than evidence, development plans are copied from year to year, and succession plans list names without readiness. High performers leave when they cannot see a path.

This programme joins individual development skills to the organisational talent system. It moves through five stages: the foundations of coaching and mentoring, practical coaching skills, designing and running mentoring programmes, identifying and developing talent, and building succession and a development culture that lasts beyond the programme.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Core Competencies, the EMCC Global Competence Framework, the GROW coaching model, the 70-20-10 model of workplace learning, ISO 10015 guidelines for competence management and people development, and recognised talent review and succession planning practice. Participants learn how to apply these in their own teams and organisations.

Decisions this programme improves. When to coach, mentor, train or direct; how to match mentors and mentees; who is identified as high potential and on what evidence; which development experiences to invest in; and how ready successors are for critical roles.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, with regular practice. Participants coach in trios with observer feedback, design a mentoring programme for a case organisation, take part in a simulated talent review and build individual development plans and a succession plan for a critical role.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own competency framework, talent review and succession process, and used to launch an internal coaching or mentoring programme with managers and mentors trained together.

Who Should Attend

Managers and team leaders: line managers who want to coach and develop their teams more effectively

Senior leaders: leaders acting as mentors or sponsors of talent programmes

Talent and learning professionals: talent management, learning and development and succession planning specialists

HR professionals: HR business partners and HR managers supporting development

Internal coaches and mentors: staff preparing to coach or mentor colleagues

Objectives

Explain the principles of coaching and mentoring and choose the right approach for a situation

Conduct a structured coaching conversation using a recognised model

Use listening, questioning and feedback skills to build ownership and motivation

Build trusting development relationships across cultures and generations

Design a mentoring programme with clear objectives, matching, guidance and review

Identify potential using defined criteria and evidence rather than visibility

Prepare individual development plans that combine experience, relationships and formal learning

Contribute to a talent review and a readiness-based succession plan

Support people through change and new roles with coaching and mentoring

Measure the outcomes of coaching, mentoring and talent development activities

Course Outline

Foundations of Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching, mentoring, training and managing: differences and overlaps
The manager as coach and the value of development conversations
ICF Core Competencies and the EMCC Global Competence Framework
Ethics, confidentiality and trust
Adult learning and motivation
Development across cultures and generations

Practical Coaching Skills

Active listening and powerful questions
The GROW model and structuring a coaching conversation
Feedback that builds awareness and ownership
Coaching for performance and for growth
Handling resistance and low motivation
Coaching practice with observer feedback

Designing and Running Mentoring Programmes

Purposes of mentoring: onboarding, leadership, knowledge transfer and inclusion
Programme design: objectives, eligibility and duration
Matching mentors and mentees
Preparing mentors and mentees and setting agreements
Reverse, peer and group mentoring
Reviewing and closing mentoring relationships

Identifying and Developing Talent

Defining talent and potential for your organisation
Assessing performance and potential, and the limits of the nine-box grid
Talent review meetings and calibration
Individual development plans and the 70-20-10 model
Stretch assignments, job rotation and action learning
Digital learning platforms and AI-assisted development tools: uses and limits

Succession and a Sustainable Development Culture

Identifying critical roles and succession risk
Readiness assessment and succession pools
Retention of key talent and career conversations
Competence management and people development with reference to ISO 10015
Measuring impact: engagement, readiness, retention and internal promotion
Action plan: strengthening coaching, mentoring and talent development in your organisation

Competencies

Coaching and mentoring principles

Structured coaching conversations

Development feedback

Mentoring programme design

Potential identification and talent review

Individual development planning

Succession planning and readiness assessment

Talent retention and career conversations

Measuring development outcomes

Live Online

Access Elite Academy’s complete training portfolio live online. Organizations, distributed teams and professionals can join scheduled interactive sessions or request any program to be delivered online, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Elite Academy’s Live Online Training provides access to our complete portfolio of professional programs without linking availability to a physical destination. Organizations, multi-location teams and individual professionals can join scheduled instructor-led sessions or request any program from the Elite Academy portfolio for live online delivery, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. The format preserves real-time interaction, expert guidance and practical learning while removing the need to travel. Browse the current Live Online schedule below or request your preferred program and dates.