Tag: mentoring

February 6th, 2021 was the toughest day that I have ever experienced and a day that was filled with sadness, sorrow and a whole bunch of unknown. That was the day that I lost Debra, my partner for life to cancer. She had so much more love to share with others for her to be gone. We had so much more living to do, things to see, places to go. She was only 62 and it wasn’t her time yet to depart, or so I thought. So early – it wasn’t fair. I asked myself over and over again what could I have done to change the outcome. I was to be her protector and I obviously had failed. Why couldn’t it have been me. What was the criteria that had Debra pass before me? Did I do something wrong that factored in to why she was to pass before me.

All these questions kept percolating in my mind as I tried to rationalize what had taken place and begin the grieving process. I struggled with believing that there was a process that I would have to go through. All the things that would need to be taken care of – that we were going to do together now rested on my shoulders. Why didn’t I get the extra time to spend with her to tell her how much I loved her and how much she means to me. Life without her would seem meaningless – there would be no purpose in what I would do. I would go through the day on auto-pilot.

Over a year has past and I spend a lot of my days filled with memories of things we did together and days where we shared what each other had done. We laughed, offered advice, listened and sometimes cried together at different lived experiences we had been a part of that day. Some were success stories, some were things we needed to work on, and some were learnings that each had experienced that would make our relationship stronger. Now all of that are memories. This is part of that grieving process.

Were those memories going to be strong enough to help me get to wherever it is that I am suppose to be going without Debra by my side? Little things seem to kick my emotions into overdrive and I wonder if I am loosing my mind some days. My mental sharpness is not what it was and that worries me.

I drive past the hospital where she had passed and it triggers memories of my back and forth to the hospital to visit her and eventually for her to pass. Tears run down my cheeks as I drive past where I had parked my car to go and spend time with her. The window where I had remote started my car from so I could go home and grab a couple of hours sleep before going back to the hospital.

I had moments where I was depressed especially when I tried to imagine what life would be like without Debra. I kept asking myself what could I have done different or better. Some things there are no real answers for the many questions that I had. People tell me that I just need to keep moving. Moving where and why? More questions.

I look forward to Monday as I can focus my attention on work related activities. I hate week-ends as I find myself alone. Week-ends were a special time as Debra and I would do all kinds of things but we did them together. That togetherness was priceless – even more so now.

I have noticed that my mental health isn’t where I think it should be. I wanted to share with you what I have been going through as mental health is a significant issue today and we don’t seem to be allocating the time to it that we should.

I am just one person and I was able to get closure but not everyone is that fortunate. Think of the 5.9M people that died due to COVID and all their families that may not have been able to get closure. Debra passed in February and we could not celebrate her life until August. Some people were not even able to do that. Not getting closure plays on your mental health and mental well-being. Think of the families of the approximately 59M people that die annually and the impact that it has on their friends and families. It is no wonder that our mental health is in the state that it is.

Just having someone to talk to is so important. Someone that is non-judgmental. Someone that can build a trusted relationship with you. That is where having a mentor that will walk beside you as you begin your healing journey. Grief is part of your mental health and mental well-being and mentoring can be a part of your support structure. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. It is so important that you tap into a support structure which would include a mentor and work together on your healing journey.

Mentoring and your mental health – a journey of healing and support.

https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/coping-with-loss-and-grief

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-deaths-per-year

 

 

Making Sense of Self Isolation Mandates and Sudden Mass Lay-Offs

We live during an unprecedented global pandemic. Many employees of organization big and small are in flux, feeling the impact of uncertainty, anxiety, and a sense of loss of control. Disruption and doubt are their new routine.

The employees in my mentoring circles are experiencing stress at a level they have never been subjected to before. For others unable to cope with mounting stress and uncertainty, if left unchecked, have the potential to develop symptoms far more serious than ever before, and without resources required to support them.

We also understand that Employers, HR, and C-Suite are under similar stressors for different reasons. It is not just the ones who are at the working level who are under pressure, but also the senior executives of a company too might have to undergo a lot of stress during these trying times, which have led to physical and mental ailments. These problems could potentially lead to bigger consequences, leading to the disruption of business as well. For cases such as this, business owners could opt to get key person insurance for the employees who they deem to be essential for the company.

To be fair, organizations have no policy or process to counter the COVID-19 and no lead time to address it at the expense of their employees because nobody saw this pandemic coming. No one had the support structure in place to deal with post-traumatic stress caused by the mass employee layoffs and the sudden skeleton crews.

Perhaps, if the wellness and healthy lifestyle of the employees were kept in check with group health insurance jacksonville fl or similar other health insurance, the companies could have tackled the times better. This could have also helped in improving employee morale and decreasing employee absenteeism.

Employee Compared to Organization Perspective:

Currently, employees are experiencing high anxiety and stress with the uncertainty.

In just a few weeks, concern replaces confidence that their employment will resume when the threat is over. They have no assurances their job will be waiting for them once the situation normalizes. Many employees are not eligible for short-term employment, but they still must feed their families. There is still no end-date on the duration for self-isolation and social distancing. Employees are beginning to lose hope, affecting not only their physical health, but their mental health as well. Many already:

  • See the world entirely in negatives
  • Disengage with family and friends
  • Mask feelings into alcohol and drug abuse, etc.,
  • Increased anxiety
  • Sense of being overwhelmed
  • Become highly depressed and suicidal

The reality is employee health is declining from mass stress and anxiety.

The question is, what resources can organizations put in place to assure employees?

Currently, organizations are in a state of flux.

Organizations want to continue providing services, products, and programs to their customers. They want to continue providing for their employees. However, organizations struggle to provide either with the constantly changing landscape. Organizations are severely limited by the bottom line. To keep their doors open and the lights on, is sometimes at the cost of employee's financial, physical, and mental well-being.

Expectation over the next One to Three (1 to 3) Months:

Well into the pandemic (one to three months in) employee stress levels mount with continuing unemployment and the funds to support their families running out. Employees scramble to figure out when their funds will run out. They hope that the supply chains continue to provide the necessities.

Most organizations may have viewed the global pandemic as being something short lived. As a result, organization may fall short continuing to provide services, products, and programs to clients and their employees. Some organizations especially the small to medium sized will struggle most and face the tough decision whether to finally fold or continue to struggle to remain solvent.

Contemplating the future does not appear bright.

However, there will be an end to the pandemic. There will be a new norm and a sudden swarm of available jobs.

This unprecedented situation does provide a unique opportunity for organizations to pause and consider, evaluate, and prioritize their challenges. They can use this downtime to revise old systems and integrate new solutions for the future.

Including effective mentoring at this stage will assist organizations by providing the support and the resources employees desperately need.

A program that trains mentors on the process of working with struggling employees will yield better physical and mental stability to addressing feelings of anxiety, periods of stress, and get them past dark or negative thoughts.

Several recruiters also seem to be seeking graduates in Clinical Exercise Prescription. This can be because these graduates would be able to prescribe exercise as a part of the healthcare treatment regime for their employees. Moreover, the exercises recommended by experts might be helpful for the employees in overcoming stress and anxiety.

Therefore, it is never too late to bring in a qualified mentor (or other experts) to start the healing process. Now is the time to put effective mentoring to work to create that workplace (however virtual) to focus on the work community and ensuring employees' well-being.

If you want more information of how your organization can get support through effective mentoring, don't hesitate to book an appointment >> https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

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Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC and Co-founder of the International Mentor Community.

Doug leads organizations to experience the benefits how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee onboarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug's Practice of Mentoring has resulted in his accumulation of 2,000 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 197 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor.

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life. Doug is currently working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD.

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published "The Gift of Mentoring" in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

Contact Doug directly to discover how mentoring can improve your organization.

>> https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

I am asked on numerous occasions to respond to questions regarding mentoring, mentoring process and how mentoring can bring value to individuals and/or organizations. Here is a question I received recently and my response.

Will a bully make a good corporate leader?

No.

We don’t need or want a bully at the helm of the organization. What happens when this occurs is that the good employees will leave because they can. I have seen this in a number of situations where a leader or leaders were bullying. Bullying is a way to mask insecurity and it can lead to Mental Health issues for the victims of bullying. Mental Health issues when not addressed properly in an organization can result in increased sick time and lost productivity. More importantly it can also cause pain and suffer for someone that does not need to experience pain and suffering.

Bullying is not good for the organization, their clients and their employees. It is not a leadership trait - never has been and never will be.

Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and the co-founder of the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug Lawrence leads organizations to experience how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee on-boarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug’s Practice of Mentoring has resulted in his accumulation of 1,970 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 197 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor.

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life. Doug is currently working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD.

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published “The Gift of Mentoring” in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

Contact Doug directly to discover how mentoring can improve your organization.
>>  https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

 

 

I am asked on numerous occasions to respond to questions regarding mentoring, mentoring process and how mentoring can bring value to individuals and/or organizations. Here is a question I received recently and my response.

What are the four main stages of mentoring?

There are a number of different viewpoints on this topic with responses ranging from 3 to as many as 10 stages in the mentoring relationship.

I have broken it down into three.

Trusting phase: This is during the very early stages of the mentoring relationship where expectations of each participant are discussed and defined. This is where it is very important that trust be developed between the two participants. Building a trusted relationship will provide the foundation to move forward with your mentoring relationship. It is important for the mentor to be whole as a person. This may take only a few sessions or it may take a while to develop the level of trust needed to move forward.

Learning and Development phase: This is where you will spend a large part of your time as a mentor/mentee. This is where the “heavy lifting” takes place in the mentoring relationship. You will explore personal growth challenges as well as professional (career related) challenges. You may encounter challenges such as self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence. I call these the “self-challenges”. This phase can go on for a long period of time.

Maintenance phase: You may reach a time where the mentor and mentee decide that you have addressed the majority of the challenges and that you feel you no longer need to meet on a regular basis. With the Maintenance phase you can agree to meet less frequently or not at all. What I do recommend is for mentors to check in every so often to see how things are going. I periodically check in either via email or in person depending on the location of my mentee. If things are going well we can stay in the Maintenance phase and if they are not then we can transition back to the Learning and Development phase.

Looking at the stages/phases in this manner keeps the mentoring process less complicated.

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Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and co-founder of the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug leads organizations to experience the benefits how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee onboarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug’s Practice of Mentoring has resulted in his accumulation of 1,950 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 200 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor.

Doug is recognized as a “Most viewed writer in the Business Mentoring and Mentors and Mentoring categories on the Quora website (www.quora.com).

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life.

Doug is currently working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD.

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published “The Gift of Mentoring” in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

Contact Doug directly to discover how mentoring can improve your organization.

>>  https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

 

 

I am asked on numerous occasions to respond to questions regarding mentoring, mentoring process and how mentoring can bring value to individuals and/or organizations. Here is a question I received recently and my response.

Q: Does every successful person have a mentor in their life, or are some just self-taught?

A: Everyone can benefit from an effective mentor. Here are some excerpts from various research that you should be aware of:

  1. 70 percent of mentored businesses survive more than five years, double the rate for non-mentored small businesses over that same period.
  2. The same study, conducted by UPS, showed that 88 percent of business owners say having a mentor to lean on is "invaluable."
  3. While more than 75% of professional men and women want to have a mentor, only 37% have one.

An effective mentor will facilitate an environment where you will learn and grow personally and professionally. Out of that will come some elements of self-taught as you discover different approaches and philosophies to you day to day challenges. My suggestion/recommendation is to find that effective mentor that will walk beside you on your journey.

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Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC®.

Doug leads organizations to experience the benefits how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee onboarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug’s Practice of Mentoring has resulted in his accumulation of 1,950 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 200 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor.

Doug is recognized as a “Most viewed writer in the Business Mentoring and Mentors and Mentoring categories on the Quora website (www.quora.com).

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life.

Doug is currently working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD.

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published “The Gift of Mentoring” in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

Contact Doug directly to discover how mentoring can improve your organization.

>>  https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

 

I am asked on a daily basis to respond to questions regarding mentoring, mentoring process and how mentoring can bring value to individuals and/or organizations. Here is one those questions and my response.

Q: How would you mentor a talented intern who has great potential but has difficulties in communication with other staff? The intern has difficulties with eye contact and voice projection.

Some of the difficulties that you have mentioned usually indicate a self-esteem/self-confidence issue. I have worked with people regarding their personal growth where self-esteem and self-confidence required some work. We would first work on understanding who they are –their self-worth, and would use a number of techniques to help them understand and believe in themselves.

I then focus on giving them the essential tools they need to communicate effectively. As their mentor I would be guided by their body language which can tell or confirm a story of the journey they are on. There are a number of other things that we could do to address this challenge.

**************************************************************************************************

Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and the co-founder of the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug Lawrence leads organizations to experience how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee onboarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug’s Practice of Mentoring has resulted in his accumulation of 1,950 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 199 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor.

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life. Doug is currently working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD.

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published “The Gift of Mentoring” in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

Contact Doug directly to discover how mentoring can improve your organization.
https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor

 

 

 

 

 

“Dear Mentor, Something is Changing…!” by Yvonne Thevenot, ICM-P, ACM-F, CCMP

Job eliminated?  Tapped for an executive appointment?  Applying for your first role?  Applying for your next role?  Declined for a role?  Starting a new role?.....  The list goes on.  As we consider these critical career moments it is almost guaranteed that if you have experienced any of these, you will recall the role of the people who helped you think through your journey, helped you stay positive and focused despite the ambiguity, and who absolutely believed in you every step of the way.  There is a strong likelihood that the people you are thinking of, are your mentors.

“How could they possibly have been my mentor?  They never once told me what I should do!”

A common myth of mentoring is that the mentor provides the answers.  The mentor somehow knows the right path for the mentee and instructs them along their journey.  The mentee, grateful for the mentor’s wisdom follows the path, and somehow magically all turns out just right.  Magical, mythical, and…not true.  A mentor in fact will guide their mentee through questions, and with thoughtful listening, support and encouragement, will help the mentee uncover the answers for themselves, framed in their goals, their values, and their personal commitment to themselves.

So why then a mentor in a time of change?

In “Employee’s Survival Guide to Change” by Jeffrey M. Hiatt, he asks the employee to ask themselves the question “what does this change mean to me?”  The power of engaging a mentor in times of change truly stems the power and simplicity of this question.  While of course someone can ask themselves this question, imagine how even more powerful this question will be coming from the voice of your mentor.  And through reflecting your thoughts back to you, allowing you to consider this question even more deeply.

  1. What does this change mean to you?
  2. What do you love about what this change holds in store?
  3. What has you worried, or concerned?
  4. How have you helped yourself explore the alternatives?
  5. If you chose not to make this change, then what?

Broad-based organizational change often impacts multiple levels of the organization at the same time.  What that means then, is that just around the time that you might want to talk to your manager about the impact of a change, they are experiencing all the anxiety, ambiguity and complexity of change themselves.  A manager may have a vested personal interest in your change that may be challenging to set aside to have a mentoring discussion centered on strictly your goals.

So, if you find yourself in the middle of a change, feeling anxious, unfocused and conflicted, this is no doubt the perfect time to reach out to your mentor.  And when you do, keep these tips in mind:

  1. Your mentor will guide you, ask you questions and help you think, but cannot possibly know what is “best” for you.
  2. You will feel emotional: hopeful, angry, sad, excited, conflicted.  Notice and accept those emotions as expected, human, and welcome – take some deep breaths, and allow yourself to transition to a space of clarity of thought and a plan for next steps.
  3. It’s ok to change your mind. As more information is available, as you transition through the change, you can fully expect your first impression or bias changes as well.  That would be reflected in your views even on as simple a question as “what does this change mean to you?”
  4. Accept that information will be incomplete and do not spend “mental calories” trying to solve the unsolvable. Life is full of decisions that we make with incomplete information, accept that this might be another on that list.
  5. And if you don’t have a mentor to reach out to – make the most of a journal to pose some questions for yourself and then in a thoughtful and mindful way, respond with all the honesty and candor to yourself that a mentor would demand of you.

And mentors, some tips for you:

  1. Resist the urge to “tell”: be extra diligent about jotting questions down in advance and prepare your mind to listen deeply to what is being said…and not said!
  2. Accept that your mentee may be emotional:  mentally prepare for this and have a plan of how you will stay in the moment, and respond.
  3. Be prepared for “I don’t know” and understand that may in fact be true: your mentee simply may NOT know at that moment.  Your role is to scratch at that with the next set of probing questions such as “what additional information would be helpful?….”have you tried writing down the pros and cons”… “have you been in this position before and how did you move through it then”….
  4. Support the dialogue with pro-activity: an off-cycle check-in may be just the friendly reach-out that your mentee needed…but didn’t know how to ask for.
  5. Be prepared to have unfinished business: sometimes as your mentee “crosses over” into a more contented and focused state they may not even realize that you helped them get there, and you may simply stop hearing from them or being updated as they move onto the business of their future.  Understand your role on the path has been of value, and knowing that life always has more change to offer, they will no doubt be back.

Best wishes, and Happy Mentoring!

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Yvonne Thevenot – Business Effectiveness, Change Management and Performance Excellence

 Yvonne Thevenot is role model, coach, mentor and relentless advocate when it comes to business effectiveness, change management and performance excellence.  Her consulting practice draws on extensive first-hand experience in change management as a sponsor of change, business lead and change manager at both strategic and tactical levels.  With degrees from the University of Manitoba and Dalhousie University, her passion for learning contributes to professional designations as a Professional Agrologist, a Certified Financial Planner, a certified mentor and an accredited change manager from two different global organizations.  Her mentoring practice extends to a wide range of professionals in corporate, privately held, and not-for-profit businesses, in a variety of sectors, and with mentees at all stages of career.

 

 

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is something that can affect anyone who has been through a traumatic event. Most people learn to live with it, but there are treatment options out there. Some sufferers manage it with medication, especially with the way that ptsd and marijuana have been found to balance each other out. Of course, not every country has legalized the use of marijuana as of yet, which means that some patients suffering from PTSD may not be able to receive this treatment until the laws are changed. However, there are other, similar products that are derived from hemp rather than marijuana, and they have been more widely accepted in modern medicine as they have less than 0.3% of THC, the psychoactive element that produces mind-altering effects. Even with all of these treatment options, the problem is, that many organizations are still ill-equipped to deal with employee stress and PTSD in the workplace.

One of the biggest mistakes with managements' approach to dealing with employees is treating everyone the same cookie-cutter approach. PTSD shows up differently in different people and does not tend to effect men and women the same. In fact, women tend to be more susceptible to PTSD than men, and tend to be affected over a longer period of time. Both may find benefits from Amuse items, but the situation will still affect them differently. This is not intended to label women as being weaker but to highlight that multiple approaches and solutions are required.

About 10 out of every 100 women (10%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives
compared with about 4 out of every 100 men (4%).

*Stats based on U.S. population (2019) (https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp)

Before diving into the gender differences and why we must offer multiple approaches and solutions; we must be clear on what PTSD is.

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault. PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as "shell shock" during the years of World War I and "combat fatigue" after World War II.

However, while PTSD is typically associated with military and first responders, PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality, culture, beliefs, and at any age.

The topic of "PTSD Has No Boundaries" will be explored in a future article in this series.
Subscribe to the TalentC Blog to receive this article and more: (www.talentc.ca/blog )

PTSD triggers are often accompanied with depression, substance use, memory issues (such as accelerated Dementia & Alzheimer's), and other physical, mental, and spiritual health challenges. All of these potential PTSD symptoms are worrying, especially as most people who suffer from PTSD are older veterans. For those who do start displaying signs of memory issues, it might be worth learning more about a memory care facility that could improve the lives of individuals that might be suffering from dementia or memory loss.

The topic "PTSD Accelerates Dementia & Alzheimer's" will be explored in the next article in this series.
Follow LinkedIn Articles to receive: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor/detail/recent-activity/posts/

* Reference: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd

PTSD differences between men and women

In general, PTSD will affect about 4% of men and 10% of women in a typical North American sample.

* Reference: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd

Women have over double the PTSD rate than that of men. Women's PTSD also tends to last longer (4 years versus 1 year on average). Women are more at risk for chronic PTSD than men.

How men and women deal with trauma - what does the research say?

Research shows that men and women tend to experience the same trauma in different ways.
Both Men and Women at some point in their life may deal with the stress of:

  • Accidents
  • Natural disasters
  • Disasters caused by humans
  • Bullying – in school, home, community and workplace
  • Family stressors
  • Daily stressors – personal and professional

Research shows that men and women tend to experience different stress and traumas.
While both men and women serve in the military, more Men are likely to experience:

  • Combat and military trauma

In demanding work environments both men and women experience stress and traumas as:

  • First responders
  • Field workers
  • Fear, intimidation, dismissiveness, and demeaning behavior in the workplace, sometimes daily

Personally, both men and women may experience stress and traumas

  • Family strife
  • Illness
  • Accidents

Additionally, women are more likely to experience stress and traumas (sometimes daily) from:

  • Dealing with sexist dismissiveness, and unwanted advances at the workplace
  • Fear, intimidation, dismissiveness, demeaning, and sexist behaviour at home
  • Physical and mental domestic violence
  • Sexual abuse and assault

Does experiencing PTSD in genders differ?

  • On average, women tend to be more susceptible than men to additional mental health challenges:
    • anxiety disorders
    • environmental depression
    • genetic vulnerability to depression
    • high anxious temperament
    • societal attitudes
    • gender roles
    • income inequalities
  • Research shows that women have higher rates of PTSD than men. Women's greater exposure to sexual trauma, sexual coercion, and intimate partner violence plays a role, as well as biological, environmental, and coping factors. When families, social groups, government bodies, news media, or organizations disbelieve, disrespect, or minimize girls' and women's experiences of sexual trauma, this can cause a great deal of harm to mental health.
  • On top of that Women tend to report about a third less traumas they suffer than men do. This means women are at higher risk of PTSD even though they experience fewer traumatic life events than men on average. This is surprising and suggests there may be something about the type of trauma or women's reactivity that puts them at higher risk.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201809/why-women-have-higher-rates-ptsd-men

Help Us - Help You - Support Them

Effective Mentoring – Organizations (and Communities) – Employees suffering from PTSD

How can Effective Mentoring – Help Organizations (and Communities) – Support Employees suffering from PTSD

How can Effective Mentoring Help Organizations Support Employees Suffering from PTSD?

  1. Assign an Effective Mentor to the organization to assess and create the organization's customized PTSD Support System
  2. Build the PTSD Support System customized to the organization's needs
  3. Train new mentors inside the organization to participate in the PTSD Support System to become extraordinary mentors demonstrating proper mentoring strategies
  4. Increase employee awareness of the PTSD Support System to start the healing process
  5. Continually monitor, analyze, and augment the PTSD Support System for employees
  6. Seek addition organization and community involvement
  7. Demonstrate how the PTSD Support System helps to heal:
    • Employee (individual)
    • (workplace) Organization
    • Family
    • Community

We see situations all the time where organizations require sending employees to external professional resources. Those waiting lists are long, often waiting months for assistance, and the employee is then left to deal on their own with the trauma in the meantime.

This causes more stress for other employees, less productivity, and more leave time.

Bring in Effective Mentoring will assist in the healing process for the individual and the organization, creating an engaging, thriving workplace environment.

Effective Mentoring does not only assist with PTSD, but in all workplace stressors and challenges, creating an engaging, thriving workplace environment for all employees in all situations.

If you have any questions about how Effective Mentoring can create a more engaging, thriving workplace environment for your organization, contact me.

https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor

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Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and the co-founder of the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug Lawrence leads organizations to experience how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee onboarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug's Practice of Mentoring has resulted in his accumulation of 1,875 hours of mentoring (in person and virtual), 197 hours of speaking opportunities and 672 hours teaching others how to effectively mentor.

Doug is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life. Doug is currently working with researchers to examine the role of mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring and PTSD.

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published "The Gift of Mentoring" in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

Contact Doug directly to discover how mentoring can improve your organization.
>> https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

 

 

 

 

 

Mentoring has reached a paradigm shift that comes from mentoring being recognized as a solution to business challenges. However, some confusion exists as to “what is mentoring” and “what is the best way to apply the mentoring” concepts? Countless myths exist about mentoring and the mentoring process. Mentoring is still sometimes seen from the Traditional mentoring perspective rather than Effective mentoring.

The Traditional view sees  the mentor to be older than the mentee, to share their wisdom and knowledge more from “telling” rather than “asking a series of questions” to guide.

The paradigm shift taking place is premised on the following definition:

Mentoring is a two-way trusted relationship where both the mentor and mentee will learn and grow personally and professionally together.

There are two foundational pieces to consider if we want to have meaningful mentoring experiences.

First is a two way trusted relationship.
We are unable to build that two-way trust then we cannot have a successful mentoring experience. Building trust requires that we share something personal with our mentee. This trust may not happen in the first meeting, but the more comfortable you are with sharing, the easier trust is to build.

While we sometimes talk about mentoring from the “Traditional” style, we also talk about “Reverse Mentoring”, a style the younger person mentors an older person. They will typically guide them in exploring technology and how to use it. I am not a fan of this term as “reverse” means going backwards. We at the International Mentoring Community (IMC), prefer to substitute “reverse mentoring” with the term “effective mentoring.”

The second foundational piece to consider is effective communication. If we do not understand how to communicate effectively then we will struggle with building a mentoring relationship. There are 7 Effective Communication Tools:

  • Active Listening (listening and hearing)
  • Listening for trigger words in a conversation
  • Deflections
  • Pausing
  • Crucial conversations
  • Body language
  • Use of the Socratic Method

Each Effective Communication Tool addresses the definition of effective mentoring which is always a two-way trusted relationship, where both the mentor and mentee will learn and grow personally and professionally together.

The paradigm shift of effective mentoring occurs in the present and future needs of the workforce and in organizations.

With the diminishing use of Traditional style mentoring, we need to create a more modern and business focused mentoring approach.

The mentoring paradigm shift also addresses focusing on the personal growth or psychosocial needs mentees have before addressing professional growth. In future articles we will explore the aspect of personal and professional growth as part of the effective mentoring process.

Effective mentoring is the future; creating a learning and development environment benefits all.

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To discuss how the Mentoring Paradigm Shift will affect your workplace or organization, book an appointment with Doug.

>> https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

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 Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC®.

Doug shows organizations how mentoring will encourage workforce culture to flow in harmony (mentors), improve productivity from employees (mentees), reducing costly employee onboarding improving the bottom line (organizations).

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Doug is an international speaker and author about all facets of Mentoring. He published “The Gift of Mentoring” in 2014 with his second book set to publish in 2020.

Doug works with organizations to establish mentoring programs, influence mentoring as a culture, and provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals of all backgrounds and levels globally.

To contact Doug: https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your organization's annual employee turnover rate is bleeding your bottom line.

A company with 150 employees typically has an annual turnover rate of @11%.

If it costs $25k to hire and onboard a single employee, while losing $10k in development and a loss of $50k of interrupted existing productivity and missed opportunities, then those 16.5 turn over employees have cost this company about $1.57 million. While Hospitality has a voluntary turnover rate of 20.7% and the legal sector is able to maintain the highest earners, we are still seeing a high number of turnover rates across the world.

Reducing turnover employees by just 20% would save this company about $300k, which can now be allocated to new ventures.

This also helps support the existing employee's emotional drain, professional headaches, and says little about the emotional headache and cultural disruption felt from losing great people.

For larger companies of 1000 or more, expect the annual turnover rate to start @ 15%, bleeding the bottom line.

We take our clients, who are frustrated business owners like you, and reduce the employee turnover rate typically by 50%. We do that with THE MENTORING PROCESS, a 7- step proven system that works for any organization.

If you want to know how the Mentoring Process can reduce your employee turnover rates, let's talk: https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

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Doug Lawrence is an extraordinary mentor and mentor certification trainer with TalentC and is the International Mentoring Community Director of Education.

Doug shows organizations how mentoring programs will influence a happy workforce culture (mentors), improve employee productivity (mentees), reducing costly employee high turnover (onboarding), improves the bottom line (organizations), which saves 150% to 200% of the annual salary of each departing employee. He provides one-on-one direct mentoring for individuals and groups, all backgrounds and industries locally and internationally.

Doug is an International Certified Mentor Practitioner (ICMP), an International Certified Mentor Facilitator (ICMF), and has obtained his Certificate of Achievement – Mentoring and his Certificate of Competence – Mentor from the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

An international speaker and author of The Gift of Mentoring (2014), Doug's second book is set to publish in late 2020.

Do you have a workplace crisis or issue to resolve? Schedule a time to meet with Doug: https://calendly.com/doug-lawrence

 

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