I would like to take issue with the Inbox article in the June issue under the heading “Meet your coach, it’s your manager”, which is indicative of confusion between coaching and mentoring. What the quoted authority is advocating is unlikely to be effective as an in-house line management function.
In my experience as an NZIM accredited management mentor, I inevitably encounter conflict situations that are unlikely to be revealed to superior who may be seen as the cause of it.
Coaching is different matter in that it contains elements of advising and directing that fall outside the scope of mentoring. Managers will also be perceived as lacking in objectivity and fail to recognise external factors that could involve privacy issues.
I agree that coaching is primary management function and if correctly applied can enhance individual and team performance.
Avoiding the AI minefield: How NZ businesses can stay on the right side of the law
Guest Contributor
February 4, 2026
Most businesses with a digital presence will likely one day be using AI-generated content for their marketing and social content. Buddle Findlay’s Sophie Thoreau writes that getting the fundamentals of
