DILIMAN, Quezon City—The skills and knowledge on mentoring and coaching of staff in the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) were put to test during the “Leadership Training Course: Mentoring and Coaching for Leaders” held in collaboration with the Civil Service Institute (CSI) of the Civil Service Commission.

The training was conducted among 40 staff from ATI Central Office, regional training centers, and the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry. Sessions focused on the concepts, conversations, roles, relationships, competencies, and strategies in mentoring and coaching in the workplace.

Al Marcial Bengco of CSI facilitated the participants’ learning experience. He pointed out that mentoring and coaching are collaborative processes between mentors/coaches and mentees/coachees.

Coaching addresses current performance needs by helping coachees find their own solutions, Bengco said. Mentoring, on the other hand, is used for both professional and personal development.

“The key is to learn how to balance motivation and discipline. The goal is not for people to comply but to commit,” he added, as he stressed the benefits of creating a culture for mentoring and coaching in the workplace.

Other activities during the training were a self-assessment of coaching skills, coaching exercise using the GROW (Goals, Reality, Options, and Way Forward) Model, and identifying mentoring roles and conversations in different scenarios.

The participants shared their key learning from the training course which include giving specific, timely, and balanced feedback in the workplace.

ATI Director Alfredo Aton was present during the opening and closing activities where he encouraged the participants to lead by example and always listen.

“Let us empower our Institute by empowering ATI people to do their best,” he said.

The training was held on May 23-24, 2019 at the ATI Rural Development and Education Center in this city.