Learning to Coach, Not Just Manage
What 57 New Mentors Discovered About Leadership
A note before we start: the government institution in this story asked not to be named, so we're respecting that throughout.
Being a good mentor sounds simple until you're actually in the role.
One government institution learned this while preparing employees for future leadership positions.
Management wanted a structured way to build that capability rather than leaving it to instinct, so they
partnered with Growthbeans to roll out the Mentoring Through Coaching (MTC) programme.
What we built
MTC was a structured framework that combined coaching technique, reflective practice, and guided mentor-mentee conversations, built around learning where mentoring ended and coaching began. The programme ran from 2022 to 2025, repeated across several cohorts and refined each time based on what the previous group needed more or less of.
What changed
Across 57 respondents, the numbers were consistent and, on a couple of measures, close to unanimous.
96%
rated the programme a 4 or 5 out of 5 overall
94%
felt more confident supporting
their mentees
89%
felt genuinely prepared and equipped to mentor
83%
built real rapport and trust with their mentees
Trainer effectiveness scored just as highly, at 93.0%, which mattered for a programme that lived or died on how well the coaching itself was modelled. The feedback pointed to something deeper than technique.
One participant said the environment made them feel safe enough to actually share, not just perform confidence. Another said they now knew how to guide someone to their own answer instead of handing one over, which turned out to be the harder skill to learn. A third put it plainly: learning to listen without judgement made them a better leader, not just a better mentor.
Why it worked
The clearest sign the programme worked is what happened after it ended.
01
Leadership Capability
Measurably stronger across the cohort, not just self-reported confidence
02
Culture & Collaboration
Better relationships, more trust, easier communication across teams.
03
Shared Frameworks
GROW and the questioning tools spread to officers who never took the workshop
04
Psychological Safety
The strongest outcome of the whole programme, not a side effect.
