Coaching, Mentoring, and Sponsoring as Career Development Tools

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring are tools academic leaders can utilize to develop junior faculty. Each tool has a unique goal, time frame and method. It has been suggested that sponsoring may be a particularly useful tool for furthering the careers of women in medicine. Our primary aim was to understand to what extent one group of academic leaders—family medicine department chairs—have benefited from each tool in their own career development and how often they use each to develop others. A secondary aim was to compare women’s experiences with sponsorship to their male colleagues. Methods: We surveyed all US family medicine department chairs electronically about their experiences with coaching, mentoring, and sponsoring. We collected data from August 2019 to October 2019. Results: One hundred five of 193 family medicine department chairs responded to our survey (54.4% response rate). Most indicated that mentoring played a significant role in their career development, with fewer reporting coaching and sponsorship played significant roles. More reported frequent use of mentoring to develop faculty compared to coaching or sponsoring. Training in mentoring and sponsoring was associated with increased use, but coaching was not. No gender difference was found in this study population. Conclusions: Chairs have less experience with coaching and sponsoring than mentoring. Personal experience being coached, mentored, or sponsored was associated with increased use of these tools. Formal training may increase use of mentoring and sponsoring. Contrary to our hypothesis, female chairs’ experience with sponsoring was similar to their male peers.

Coaching as a Model for Facilitating the Performance, Learning, and Development of Palliative Care Nurses

“…According to Rodenbach et al (2020) , coaching PC conversations could increase health care providers’ preparedness in discussing PC topics and completing goals of care. In contrast, mentoring implies a long period during which the mentor shares their experience and knowledge to help the individual in their development process ( Kowalski, 2019 ; Seehusen et al, 2021 ). Mentoring is typically less structured than coaching, the latter following a more non-directive and rigorous structure.…”

Making the difficult career transition: Writing the next chapter during the great resignation or in the future

“… Sullivan and Crocitto’s (2007) research has shown that the career change process can be easier for people who are earlier in their career as organizational practice tends to focus career stage learning and development efforts on this population versus those in later career. Elements like coaching and mentoring create a natural accountability toward goals, timeframes, and approaches allowing the individual to make the adjustments needed ( Seehusen et al, 2021 ). This is an iterative process that requires measurement and re-evaluation.…”

“…A mentor is an individual who can act as a role model, someone to share ideas with, point out blind spots, collaborate on ideas, and can support development and growth ( Seehusen et al, 2021 ). A coach enables individuals to recognize their capability and acts more deliberately by providing performance and behavioral guidance as a periodic practice ( Seehusen et al, 2021 ). A sponsor, however, acts as a career advocate.…”

“…A sponsor, however, acts as a career advocate. They act in a capacity that voices the value the person brings and navigates them toward the career transition goal ( Seehusen et al, 2021 ). One individual can act in the role of all three, or different individuals may play these roles in a career transition.…”

Mentoring Requires Trust

“…While there are multiple strategies in the toolbox for career development, Dean Seehusen, MD, MPH, and colleagues in this issue highlight mentoring, sponsoring, and coaching from the experiences of a sample of family medicine department chairs. 1 The majority of these chairs had received career help through these strategies and were using these same approaches with their faculty. They are paying it forward.…”