On this page
Available to system partners
Our coaching and mentoring offers are designed to support individuals, teams and groups. They’re fully funded by The National Lottery and available for leaders and board members of Sport England system partner organisations. You can check if your organisation is a system partner through the link below.
Choosing the right support
Different levels and types of support will suit different leaders.
The table below outlines some of the key differences between coaching and mentoring to help you identify the best fit for you and your team. There are also some guiding questions to help you decide. If you’re still unsure, please contact us at leadingthemovement@sportengland.org.
|
|
|
An experienced coach will build trust and understanding to meet the leader’s needs. |
The mentoring relationship develops a trusted, professional relationship and opens up further connections. |
|
Provides a safe, independent and confidential space for discussion and reflection. |
Mentors share their knowledge, lived experiences and expertise to help a mentee tackle their leadership challenge. |
|
Coaches will ask thought-provoking questions to help the leaders find the best ideas or solutions to their challenges. |
Offers support during mentoring that enhances resilience and coping strategies for the mentee. |
|
A coach will help leaders work through their challenge whilst developing themselves. |
Mentoring can facilitate cross-cultural understanding and awareness for both parties. |
|
Coaches are out of sector senior leaders and specialists who can bring deep expertise and experience to leaders within the sector. |
Mentors are from within the sector, they have committed to sharing their experience with other leaders, helping to spread and deepen knowledge and learning within the sector about tackling inequalities. |
The most appropriate support for you may change over time, so we encourage you to revisit this page occasionally and consider the questions above to identify how Leading the Movement can best help you.
Coaching and mentoring opportunities will be continually open until March 2029, meaning if individuals don’t have capacity now, they won’t miss out as this is not a limited, time restricted opportunity!
Leading the Movement focusses on supporting leaders to tackle inequalities, but there are lots of great formal and informal mentoring opportunities out there for general leadership development. Consider if these are a better fit for you. Check out 'Our networks' page for communities of support.
Consider the questions below to identify the best course of action for you or your team.
What are your goals?
- Are you seeking support to achieve a specific professional or personal goal? Coaching is the best for you.
- Are you looking for guidance from someone with more experience to help navigate your career or personal growth? Mentoring is most appropriate.
What kind of support do you need?
- Do you require short-term, goal-oriented support with accountability and measurable outcomes? Try coaching.
- Are you interested in long-term career development, advice and wisdom from a more seasoned professional? Mentoring is your best route.
What do you want from the relationship?
- Are you seeking a more formal and structured process with a professional dedicated to helping you meet defined objectives? Coaching is most appropriate.
- Do you desire a long-term, informal relationship with someone who can offer career guidance and personal insights? This is the nature of mentoring.
Where are you in your career?
- Are you at a transitional point or facing and specific challenge that requires focused, structured guidance? A coach can help.
- Are you early in your career or facing complex professional decisions where insight from someone with greater experience could be valuable? A mentor is best placed to support you.
How do you prefer to learn and grow?
- Do you thrive on structured sessions, clear action plans, with space to reflect and find your own solutions with frequent feedback? Try coaching.
- Do you value storytelling, hearing about personal experience and advice that comes from someone who has been through similar situations? Consider mentoring.
What level of responsibility works best for you?
- Do you prefer a relationship with clear actions that are designed to help you achieve your goals and challenges? Coaching is most suitable.
- Are you comfortable with a more fluid arrangement where you take responsibility for undertaking any actions that arise from your conversations? This is a mentoring approach.
'Thank you for unlocking so much good and awareness to tackle obstacles and create moments to stop and consider who I am and what I can do in any given situation to affect positive change.’
Kate Peckham, Senior Partnership Manager, UK Coaching
‘The Team coaching for our Senior Management Team has come at an opportune time as we lead through a period of significant organisational change, and as we look towards being in the best place possible to support our place work.’
Claire Morley, CEO at RISE (Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham)
Stay up-to-date
You can find out exactly how we'll look after your personal data, but rest assured we’ll only use it to make sure you receive our newsletter, to understand how you interact with our newsletter, and to provide administrative information about our newsletter.