| Course | WMBA 6633 Personal Leadership: Mentoring and Coaching |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Boundary memo |
| Length | About 880 words, 5 pages |
| Format | Memo, APA 7 citations |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for WMBA 6633 Week 8
Memorandum
To: Human Resources Business Partner and Second-Shift Manager, Tri-County Logistics
From: Operations Manager
Date: July 16, 2027
Re: Limits of the developmental conversations I hold with D. R. and M. T.
Purpose
I coach D. R., our second-shift supervisor, twice a week, and I have mentored M. T., an inventory planner, over monthly lunches for about two years. In the past six weeks, three conversations reached a point where continuing as coach or mentor would have been the wrong role for me. This memo records where those edges were, what I said at each and where the conversation went afterward, so that both of you know what to expect when one of these relationships sends something your way. It shares no session content beyond what each person agreed I could share.
Edge One: A Personal Strain Beyond Coaching
On June 24, D. R. began our session by saying he had been sleeping about three hours a night since his father's stroke in May and that he felt he was "losing it" at work. The coaching agreement covers his handoffs and his work as a new supervisor. It does not cover grief, sleep or family care, and I am not trained to help with any of them.
What I said: "I'm glad you told me, and I don't want to treat this like a handoff problem. This is bigger than what we do in these sessions. The employee assistance program is confidential and free, and they can talk with you about your dad and about sleep. Would it help if I gave you the number now?" He took it. I also asked whether he wanted his shift manager to know, so that schedule changes could be considered; he said yes, and I passed on only that he was dealing with a family medical situation.
Where it went: to the employee assistance program, by his own call, and to the second-shift manager for scheduling. We kept our coaching sessions but agreed he could cancel one without rescheduling if he needed to.
Edge Two: A Request That Would Use My Position
On July 1, M. T. told me she was interested in an analyst opening at one of our largest clients and asked whether I would mention her to the client's logistics director, whom I introduced her to last year. Our service agreement with that client limits either party from recruiting the other's employees, and an introduction from me, as the manager on the account, could look like exactly that.
What I said: "I'd like to help, and I can't help this way. If I put in a word, it comes from Tri-County's operations manager on their account, and that crosses a line in our contract. You're free to apply on your own, and HR can tell you what the agreement means for you. I'll still talk through the decision with you as much as you want." She was disappointed but said she understood.
Where it went: to Human Resources, which she contacted about the agreement. Our lunches continue, and the decision about whether to leave remains hers to discuss with me.
Edge Three: Something I Cannot Keep Between Us
On July 8, D. R. mentioned that Carl, a senior picker, had made remarks about a temporary worker's religion during a break, and that D. R. had "let it go" because Carl is a friend. Our coaching agreement says that matters affecting another employee's employment cannot stay inside our sessions.
What I said: "I need to stop us here. What you just described could be harassment, and that's not something either of us can keep between us. It has to go to HR today. I'll go with you if you want, and you can tell them what you saw in your own words." He asked whether Carl would be fired. I told him I did not know, that HR decides, and that reporting it was part of his job as a supervisor.
Where it went: to the HR business partner the same afternoon. D. R. made the report himself, with me present.
What the Three Edges Have in Common
Each edge appeared when the conversation needed either expertise I lack, authority I should not use or confidentiality I could not offer. Bono et al. (2009), in a survey of executive coaches, found wide differences in coaches' backgrounds and in how they handled issues near the line between coaching and counseling, which is a reason for any coach to state limits in advance rather than decide them on the spot. Eby et al. (2000) found that protégés described negative mentoring experiences that included mentors who lacked relevant expertise or misused their position, both of which I would have risked by continuing past these edges.
Higgins and Kram (2001) describe development as coming from a network of people rather than one relationship. In each case above, the right next step was to hand part of the conversation to someone else in that network, the assistance program, Human Resources or a manager, while keeping the coaching or mentoring relationship open for what it is suited to.
Requests
I ask that HR confirm whether employees may consult the business partner about the client non-solicitation clause without their manager's involvement, and that the second-shift manager let me know if D. R.'s schedule changes affect our session times.
References
Bono, J. E., Purvanova, R. K., Towler, A. J., & Peterson, D. B. (2009). A survey of executive coaching practices. Personnel Psychology, 62(2), 361-404. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2009.01142.x
Eby, L. T., McManus, S. E., Simon, S. A., & Russell, J. E. A. (2000). The protege's perspective regarding negative mentoring experiences: The development of a taxonomy. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1999.1726
Higgins, M. C., & Kram, K. E. (2001). Reconceptualizing mentoring at work: A developmental network perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 264-288. https://doi.org/10.2307/259122
The Walden WMBA 6633 Week 8 instructions
Week 8 asks for a memo that defines the limits of your role as a coach or mentor through real situations. Rather than a general policy, the memo should describe two or three specific edges you have reached or can foresee, each with the words you used, or would use, at the moment the conversation had to change direction. For each edge, say where the conversation went next: a counselor, an assistance program, Human Resources, a manager or a legal adviser. The memo should explain what the edges have in common and support that analysis with research on coaching or mentoring practice. Use a memo layout with To, From, Date and Re lines, addressed to whoever picks up what the coaching passes on. Two to three pages is typical.
How the WMBA 6633 Week 8 example is put together
The memo is addressed to the HR business partner and the second-shift manager, and states its purpose: to record where two developmental relationships reached their limits. The first edge is D. R.'s disclosure that he was sleeping three hours a night after his father's stroke; the coach's words acknowledge the strain, name the assistance program and offer the number. The second is M. T.'s request for an introduction at a client whose contract limits recruiting; the words decline the introduction while keeping the mentoring open. The third is D. R.'s mention of remarks about a temporary worker's religion; the coach stops the session and walks him to HR. A section links the edges to expertise, authority and confidentiality, citing Bono and colleagues, Eby and colleagues and Higgins and Kram. Two requests close it.
Where the marks sit in the WMBA 6633 Week 8 rubric
A strong boundary memo makes the limits concrete. Each edge needs a specific situation, the actual or intended words and a named destination, and memos that stay at the level of principle earn less. The words matter because they show whether the coach can redirect without damaging the relationship. Graders look for edges of different kinds, such as lack of expertise, conflicts of interest and confidentiality obligations, rather than three versions of one. The analysis should explain what the edges share and how a coach can recognize the next one. Research should support that explanation. Respect for privacy within the memo itself, sharing only what each person agreed to, demonstrates the boundary in practice and is noticed.
WMBA 6633 Week 8 help: mistakes that cost marks
List conversations in which you felt unsure whether to keep going, and pick the two or three clearest. For each, write down what you said, or what you wish you had said, in a few sentences. Name where the conversation should go and how you would help the person get there. Students often lose credit for writing about boundaries in general terms, for edges that are hypothetical when real ones are available and for disclosing more about the people than the memo needs. Another frequent gap is forgetting to keep the relationship open after the handoff. Address the memo to someone who would actually receive the referral. If you want a model boundary memo based on your own coaching or mentoring, outline the situations with names removed, and one can be drafted.
Get a WMBA 6633 Week 8 example written to your instructions
With the Week 8 prompt, the rubric and a note on the setting, a memo drafted around edges from that setting returns in 24 to 48 hours, and the opening request is free. Where an organization has named services, listing them means the referral sections point somewhere real instead of somewhere generic.
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WMBA 6633 Week 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free WMBA 6633 Week 8 sample paper?
Every edge in the boundary memo, along with the exact words used there, appears below, free of charge.
What three edges does the Week 8 memo describe?
A personal strain beyond coaching, a request that would misuse the mentor's position and a disclosure that could not stay confidential.
Where did each conversation go next?
To the employee assistance program and the shift manager, to Human Resources about a contract clause and to the HR business partner the same day.
Why does the memo quote the coach's words?
Because the wording is what lets the coach redirect the conversation while keeping the relationship intact.
Who is the WMBA 6633 Week 8 memo addressed to?
The HR business partner and the second-shift manager, the people who receive what the coaching relationship hands off.