Tag: mentoring

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) impacts about 8 people out of 100 at some time point in their life. About 8 million people will have PTSD in a given year. Many do not reach out for help or are not able to get help.

(https://www.psycom.net/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/)

The Practice of Mentoring (effective mentoring) focuses on professional development (career-related) and psychosocial outcomes. Psychosocial mentoring includes interpersonal support, friendship, emotional support, satisfaction and personal development. The Practice of Mentoring includes the referral to professionals in the area of psychology, psychiatry, counseling and various forms of coaching based on the needs of the mentee. The mentor always maintains a relationship with the mentee.

The Department of Veteran Affairs (USA) introduced mentoring (2008) as a potential solution to providing tools to PTSD Program Directors in delivering the administration and clinical practices of care to veterans with stress related mental disorders to improve the overall quality of care to veterans. The program which provides mentorship to care providers has been deemed a success and is continuing to grow as part of continuous improvement initiatives. (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b122/ad5b52b171b36e883facb65511ef80acc9e6.pdf)

This is a great example of thinking outside the box when it comes to the business value for mentoring. It demonstrates a deeper and richer appreciation for not only the professional growth perspective of effective mentoring but the psychosocial aspect.

In a lot of corporate workplace mentoring programs the focus is purely on the professional (career) development and not on the personal development (psychosocial).

As an extraordinary mentor practicing effective mentoring I must always be listening and hearing what my mentee is saying. I need to recognize when it is time to seek professional help for my mentee and to always own the relationship that I have developed with my mentee. Listening, hearing and being supportive are keys to psychosocial support in this type of mentoring relationship or any mentoring relationship.

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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: If you could be mentored by a "rich" business person who would it be and why?

A: I highly recommend that your criteria for a mentor not be based solely on someone’s financial status. They may well have some great experience to share but there is more to mentoring than your financial status. You need to look beyond that when selecting a mentor.

I can think of a number of people that I would ask to be my mentor and none of them are what I would call “rich” financially. They are rich however in other areas which are more important to me.

Q: What is the best people skill advice that you would like to offer to someone?

A: To build relationships with your team - relationships premised on trust. Learn how to communicate effectively. I see a lot of people in leadership roles that create a fire storm rather than quelling it simply because they are not great or effective communicators.

Q: As a coach / mentor, what offends you the most?

A: I think that the word offend is a bit strong. I would suggest that I may be disappointed but I am never offended. If I look at this from a mentor-mentee relationship I could be disappointed when both parties are not committed to the relationship and the mentoring process. To not be part of the “gift of mentoring” is an error in judgement to say the least.

Q: How and where can I find a free legit mentor on entrepreneurship and business?

A: I would be doing some searching via Google to see what you can find. There are lots of organization that work with entrepreneurs and provide mentoring as part of their service. Some of the organizations charge a fee for their services which may include mentoring.

I would recommend exploring a couple of options that would include paying for mentoring services and mentoring being provided for free. As a mentor I find that people are more inclined to be committed to the process when they have to pay something for the service. The ROI is greater all around.

Q: What should you never say to your mentor?

A: It would depend on the relationship that you have with your mentor. With all the people that I spend time with in a mentoring relationship we focused on building a trusted and respectful relationship. As a result there is truly nothing that we could not say or share. If you define the terms of the relationship up front this question will never come up.

Q: How can I get a business mentor and co-founder?

A: From my perspective finding a business mentor and a co-founder are two separate things. The co-founder would be too invested in the business to not bring bias to a mentoring relationship. While there may be some elements of mentoring that takes place it would not be to the full extent that a business mentor would bring.

Q: Why does a command and control leadership style still exist when business demands and research show other leadership styles are more effective and needed?

A: I would suggest that it is hopefully the tail end of the old guard who lead by command and control. Command and control is a leadership style that may have served us at one time point but it is certainly not the style that we need to move forward with. We need to be people focused, inspiring our employees to be the best that they can be. We need to communicate better as we have lost the art of effective communication. The majority of the organizations that bring me in to work with them are experiencing a lack of effective communication skills. We need to better understand what the statement “lack of” means as it is causing us to begin to spiral and that is not good from the organization’s perspective and the people that they serve. People don’t respond all that well to command and control. I know that I never did!

Q: Does leadership training work?

A: Depends on your definition of training.

Most organizations provide the academic piece of a leadership development program. Most do not provide mentoring as a support to the leadership development program. The two go hand in hand.

What needs to take place with any leadership development program is - 1) the classroom - academic piece, and 2) a mentor assigned to the perspective leadership candidate to work with them after the classroom - academic part is done. Weekly meetings initially to reflect on what has taken place over the past week will make the transition into leadership roles more successful.

I am working with an organization that provides mentorship to new managers in order to set them up for success. The transition from employee to manager has gone smoothly.

Q: How can one hire a mentor for a career in the petroleum industry?

A: Understanding what you might get from a mentoring relationship is important. Mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where the mentor and mentee will learn and grow together on a personal and professional basis.

You can acquire (paid or free) a mentor with industry experience or you can acquire (paid or free) a mentor that has some form of training and can guide you on your journey. My experience is that industry experience is a nice to have - not a need to have.

I would search using Google to answer your question. Paid mentors are usually by the hour or by the session (similar to business coaches). You need to make sure that the person is a good fit for what you wish to accomplish especially if you are pursuing a paid mentor.

Q: Why do some people flourish with mentors, others not so much?

A: There are two variables in this equation, the mentor and the mentee. If there isn’t commitment to the mentoring relationship/process on either part then the relationship will not be successful. If you have a mentor who is mentoring because they have been told that is what they must do then you lessen the chance of a successful relationship. If you have a mentee that has been told that they must participate in a workplace mentoring program then you will likely struggle for anyone to succeed.

If you have a trained mentor and they are able to build a trusted relationship with the mentee you will see success. If your mentor is open and flexible to learn as well as the mentee then you have created an environment of learning and development for both parties in the relationship. A win-win situation.

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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).

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

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

Do you have a workplace crisis or issue to resolve?  Schedule a time to meet with Doug:     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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: Have you ever mentored students on research projects remotely?

A: The short answer is yes.

The mentoring process that I use is premised on the definition of mentoring - a two way trusted relationship where both the mentor and mentee learn and grow on a personal and professional level.

Virtually mentoring does require a different skill set when it comes to mentoring but it can be just as effective if done correctly.

Q: What is an example of executive mentoring?

A: Executive mentoring typically can take place at senior levels within the organization. I work with Presidents, Vice Presidents, Directors, etc and the process that I use is much the same. The mentoring experience however is customized/tailored to the specific needs of the person requesting the mentoring.

There is a focus on their personal growth as well as professional growth. I spend a fair amount of time discussing the topic of communication and the importance of effectively communicating.

If you would like to learn more please reach out to me and we can explore this further.

Q: How important is reverse mentor ship in corporate life?

A: I prefer to not use the term reverse mentoring. The definition of reverse is to go backwards. I prefer to call it effective mentoring as it is a two way trusted relationship where the mentor and mentee are going to learn and grow on a personal and professional basis. Nothing reverse about that.

Effective mentoring is a strategic objective that all organizations need to embrace as part of their short and long term strategic plan. I have worked with organizations that have done just that and it has helped shape the culture in a positive way. It has assisted in the retaining of quality employees and reduced employee turnover. It has created an organization where people want to work because of the culture powered by effective mentoring.

Q: Is it possible to find an architect (mentor) online who will provide guidance?

A: If you do a search via Google you will generate 20M plus hits on the phrase “architect mentoring program”. Check out a few of these as some on the first page are architect associations that have a mentoring program. Some of those programs may have a virtual component to them. I am involved with an IT Association that does virtual mentoring and it works well.

Q: Architects told me to find a mentor to learn from him/her, so should I pay to a mentor or is it free?

A: If it is done via a mentor program through an association chances are that it would be free.

Some mentors will offer to mentor as their way of giving back to the profession.

Some mentors will charge for their services similar to what business coaches do.

Make sure you check out your proposed mentor as far as mentoring experience and training is concerned. They should be good at building trusted relationships, communicating effectively which would also include the ability to use storytelling to share lived experiences.

Ultimately the decision to pay for mentoring services vs getting it for free is your decision and will be guided by my comments above.

Q: How does leadership and management overlap?

A: Management: “the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.”

Leadership: “the action of leading a group of people or an organization.”

The overlap exists that both are dealing with people. How they actually deal with people is another thing. Organizations that are struggling are more than likely managing their people. Organizations that are flourishing are more than likely leading - guiding, motivating, etc.

Q: Why is it frowned upon (or is it?) to question the leader of an organization’s decisions?

A: It is all about communication and how you ask the questions regarding the leader’s decisions. If you can frame what you have to say in the form of a question and use the words “we and us” more often the results will be much better and different.

Pick and choose the place that you ask the questions as outright challenging someone and/or their decision in the presence of a number of people is not always the best path to take. Frame this in the context of a learning opportunity and ask questions accordingly.

Q: What does it mean if a smart, hardworking new hire is struggling?

A: There may be some external influences that are impacting the new hire from performing at the level that you expect.

This is a great place to have them work with a trained mentor. Having them work with an external mentor is recommended in order to maintain a level of confidentiality that is required. The trained mentor will explore the personal and professional challenges with the new hire.

The experiences that I have had with similar situations have turned out positive for the betterment of the new hire and the organization.

Q: What are the 5 best tips to reduce employee stress as a leader?

A: I would make sure that employees had the tools to manage stress and not allow it to manage them. Stress is manageable if you have the tools.

I would create a positive work environment with a culture of happiness and learning.

I would ensure that employees are engaged and empowered in the work place.

I would develop relationships with each employee to let them know that they are important and the organization will succeed if they succeed.

I would communicate regularly and would make sure that they understood how their role played a part in the organization achieving its goals and objectives.

Q: How can I grow as the leader of our group?

A: I would look for a mentor that can work with you on your journey as a leader.

A trained mentor will guide and support you and challenge you to think. Mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where the mentor and mentee learn and grow together on a personal and professional basis.

Choose your mentor wisely and embrace the power of effective mentoring.

Q: As a manager, how did you break up a verbal argument between coworkers?

A: This is a great place to use group mentoring techniques. I have done this with work groups that did not get along and with employees within the same work group and on an individual basis. One of the most important things is that you need to facilitate the dialogue and guide them where they need to go. I like to use effective communication techniques to get the conversation going and to provide them with those tools. You need to figure out the root cause for the behavior and then address that.

Q: What are some game-changing leadership capabilities?

A:

  1. Ensuring that your employees have the tools that they need to be successful.
  1. Build trusting relationships with each of your employees - it will go a long way in creating an engaged and empowered work force.
  2. Communicate effectively - listen and hear, pause before speaking, listen for trigger words and deflections.
  3. Embrace the “gift of mentoring” and have those tools in your leadership tool kit.
  4. Take time to guide not tell.

Q: Why do you need a mentor in business?              

A: A mentor is someone that can walk beside you on your business journey. I have a number of mentors - each bringing something special to the mentoring relationship. My mentor(s) are there when I need to talk my way through challenges or perhaps a change in direction. My mentor(s) are there to guide me not tell me what to do.

I think of all the people that I am working with today that are either entrepreneurs or working in the corporate space and I would like to think that the question they would ask you is, “can you afford not to have a mentor”.

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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).

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

An international speaker and author of The Gift of Mentoring (2014), Doug’s second book is set to publish in late 2019.

Do you have a workplace crisis or issue to resolve?  Schedule a time to meet with Doug:     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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: How does one find a farming mentor?

A: I just did a search via Google and used the words “farming mentor”. There over 9M hits and some that are really good points of reference.

Take a look at some of the organizations that offer farming mentors and see if any of them meet your needs.

Industry experience is a nice to have - not a need to have. An extraordinary mentor would prepare themselves to work with you by researching the industry and to be familiar with some of the trends. Lack of industry knowledge just means that they will be asking lots of questions which stimulates your critical thinking, demonstrates their interest in you, your industry and helps to build a trusting relationship.

Q: If you were given an opportunity to help someone with communication skills, what would be the greatest words that you’d speak?

A:

  1. Listen and hear what the other person is saying.
  1. Pause before speaking - ask yourself how you would receive what you are about to say - if in doubt then you need to rephrase it or not say it at all.
  2. Listen for trigger words in the conversation that will help you understand where the conversation is going
  3. Create a safe place for the conversation to take place.
  4. Practice crucial conversations - know when it is no longer safe to continue the conversation and back out until it is safe to engage.

 

Q: How would a 17 year old find a mentor in real-estate investing? How can I go find people to get help from in LA?

A: I would suggest finding someone in the industry and asking them for their advice and guidance. You could say, “I am interested in working in your industry once I have completed my education. What would you recommend that I do?”

As with anything in life there are no quick wins financially so be prepared to work hard for what you will achieve. It is refreshing to see that you have a vision and are seeking guidance early.

Q: As a team leader, how do you deal with individuals who struggle with cooperation and interaction with other group members?

A: I will respond to this from the role of a mentor and a team leader could take a similar approach.

Remember that relationships are two way so the other group members may be part of the challenge.

Using mentoring techniques and concepts I would engage with each of the team members to build a trusting relationship. I would focus on their individual challenges on a personal and then a professional level. By approaching it that way we will identify any barriers or obstacles that are impeding their ability to cooperate and interact with fellow team members.

From there it is a matter of providing them with communication tools as well as relationship building skills.

One thing that works well for me when it comes to group challenges such as this is to facilitate group mentoring to get them working together to critically think their way through a problem that they have been trying to solve.

A team leader that has been provided with proper leadership training supplemented by working with a mentor will be able to work through this challenge with a high degree of success.

Q: What advice do you have for people who interview badly?

A: I work with a number of people as their mentor while they are job hunting. Preparing for the interview is one of those steps. Your resume and cover letter can be rock solid but if you are not good at the interview process then you won’t be successful.

Dee has referenced using the technique of mental imagery/visualization which I fully support. I worked with a person who hadn’t been interviewed in over 19 years and we prepared for two interviews using this technique. She crushed both interviews and was successful in being hired by one of the employers.

Wayne’s recommendation to get a mentor is another great recommendation. Mentor’s will guide you and support you but they will not do the heavy lifting - that is your responsibility. I don’t write your resume - you do that but I will make suggestions. At the end of the day you own the resume and have to defend it so having me write it isn’t the path we want to take.

Q: Is leadership quality in every employee of an organization important?

A: I think it is a most definite nice to have - but I don’t think realistically that it would be a need to have. The leadership talent shortage that we are experiencing globally tells us that it is important but we are still trying to figure out how to address it.

I am a firm believe that we can prepare future leaders for tomorrow through the mentoring process. I have worked with potential leaders and current leaders to gain/enhance leadership skills using the mentoring process. There has been behavioral changes that has resulted in their leadership skills rising to the top. It becomes infectious in that other employees want to emulate the same behavior.

We have work to do but without strong leadership there is untapped potential that alludes us and lost productivity resulting in a huge impact on organization’s bottom line.

Q: How do you demonstrate the pros to someone focused on the cons?

A: I have worked with someone that was just like that.

What we did was to focus on the positive and we used reflection as a means to see both the pro and the con of something. We were able to look at what we might do differently the next time to make it a more positive outcome.

What I have also done is to use the Socratic Method to ask questions that helped us focus on the positive. Example, “What could we have said differently that would change the outcome”. Another approach is to provide two or three alternatives and have them think which would be the better approach.

If they are focused on the cons - they likely have low self-esteem so you may want to start there.

Q: Why would a mentor teach someone specifically how to succeed?

A: We need to look at the definition of mentoring in order to answer your question. Mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where the mentor and mentee learn and grow together - personally and professionally.

As the mentor shares their lived experiences with the mentee they are also learning something along the journey. It may be about the mentee, their organization, the challenges they have or had but just as importantly about themselves as a person and mentor.

It is about giving back but there is also the element that I as a mentor am going to learn and grow as well.

Q: How does a mentor choose his mentees?

A: Sometimes it is the mentee that selects the mentor as a result of a referral. The mentor needs to make sure that they have the capacity to take on the mentee.

When I am deciding whether or not I am going to work with a certain mentee it is usually due to the chemistry and whether or not the person appears committed to the journey. I need to be able to build a trusted relationship and that requires two people to make it happen.

The mentee would need to understand the difference between coaching and mentoring and what the outcomes of a mentoring relationship could be. I always recommend that the mentee take a day or two to reflect on our first meeting and if they feel there is chemistry and want to proceed then we can set up another time to meet. This ensures that we are starting the relationship/arrangement with both eyes open.

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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).

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

An international speaker and author of The Gift of Mentoring (2014), Doug’s second book is set to publish in late 2019.

Do you have a workplace crisis or issue to resolve?  Schedule a time to meet with Doug:     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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: What are some good ways for a small business entrepreneur to find a mentor? I am currently in the process of expanding my handmade business into wholesale.

A: Check to see if there are any incubators that work with small business entrepreneurs and if they provide mentoring as part of their service. Some include mentoring in their fee structure and some have it as an add on. I have also seen some cases where it is mandatory that mentoring be used.

You can also do some searches via Google to see if there are any associations that provide mentoring. I have seen some of the mentor software programs that have created a mentoring community and a data base of people wanting to mentor.

Make sure that you choose wisely when selecting a mentor. Ideally your mentor should have some form of training in order for you to get the biggest ROI for mentoring.

They don’t have to be from your industry - it is a nice to have but not a need to have. I am mentoring a number of different people and they are from industries that I do not have any experience in.

Q: If one of the top career mistakes is staying in a job too long, how do you know when it's best to find a new job?

A: One tell-tale sign is that it becomes a chore to get out of bed in the morning and go to work. You have become very negative about all thins - including your personal life. You bring home the negativity to an environment that is typically very positive. I have also seen where your productivity and quality of your work begins to decline to the point of you becoming toxic. When I am working with people in a mentoring relationship we touch on these elements and more especially when I sense that we have reached that crossroads. If the culture of the organization is not in alignment with your values it may well be time to move on.

Q: What can women do to have better representation within management and board level positions?

A: An interesting question and timely as I am doing research on this very topic and also exploring male vs female mentors - is there a difference, etc?

What I have seen is that mentoring can assist in providing tools that women need to move forward and assume roles in management or at the board table. Typically a women that is in that position has a male mentor or attempts to acquire a male mentor. There are some male mentors that are reluctant to mentor a women. Research is using the #metoo movement as a reason.

What I have done with one of my female mentees is to recommend having a male mentor and a female mentor - especially someone that has been on the journey to advance in leadership roles and acquire a board table seat.

Bottom line is that mentoring does help - you can leverage the full power of mentoring with a male and female mentoring team.

Q: Who is more effective, a Positive Leader or a Negative Leader?

A: A positive leader would be more effective. Ask yourself who you would rather work with - someone that is positive or someone that is negative. Think of the impact that a leader has on the culture of the organization. Would you want that to be positive or would you want that to be negative.

One thing to remember is that if you are working with a negative leader you need to observe the characteristics that you do not want. It was suggested to me a long time ago that, “you will work with many bosses over the course of your career. Learn to pick the good characteristics - characteristics that you want to emulate and keep those. Learn to recognize the characteristics that you do not want and cast them aside.”

Whether the situation is driven by positivity or negativity there is always something to learn.

Q: Are all 'soft skills' just interpersonal skills? If so, why don't people just call them that?

A: I think the term “soft skills” is one that is over used and with us not fully understanding what it means.

I am more inclined to use the term “essential skills”. I work with leaders and managers at all levels of organizations and what typically needs addressing are their essential skills. Technically they may be very strong but when it comes to working with others, communicating effectively, motivating and inspiring there is always room for improvement.

One thing I have noticed is that we have lost the art of communicating effectively. As a result there is more organizational turmoil and it is typically attributed to the lack of communicating effectively.

Q: If so much material is written about leadership, why are there so few real leaders in companies?

A: There is a global leadership talent shortage today. Check out the article on this site for more information: Are You Ready for the Leadership Shortage?

61% of the companies surveyed do not offer any leadership training - so we are setting people up to fail. What is also critical is to provide mentoring as part of the leadership development program. Sadly this is a process that can and will make a difference but it has to be implemented. Mentors need to be training. The organization from the top down has to recognize that leadership development is a priority.

Provide people with the tools to be successful - don’t set them up for failure. Don’t miss out on opportunities because you have not provided the training and mentoring for your leaders.

Q: Is it normal to only want mentors as my only circle of friends?

A: What this signals to me is that you have challenges with trust. A great mentor focuses on building a trusted relationship which explains you only wanting mentors in your inner circle/circle of friends. Your mentor(s) are filling a void.

Talk with your current mentor(s) to have them work with you to step outside that comfort zone and to build more relationships outside of your mentor(s). Focus on how to build trust and how to receive it from someone else.

The lack of trust will also have an impact on your professional life if it has not already done so. We need to address these personal growth challenges so that they do not become an obstacle to moving forward professionally.

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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 (on-boarding), 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).

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

An international speaker and author of The Gift of Mentoring (2014), Doug’s second book is set to publish in late 2019.

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

 

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL MENTORING COMMUNITY: What is it and How Can You Benefit from It?

 

 

 

 

 

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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: What kind of strategy should I look for in a mentor?

A: While each mentor is different they should all approach the mentoring arrangement/relationship using strong mentoring concepts and techniques.

Remember that mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where both the mentor and mentee learn and grow together. A good mentor will, 1) build a trusted relationship with you, 2) be willing to share something personal about themselves in order to build trust, 3) create a safe environment for your conversation, 4) communicate effectively with you and share that technique to help you grow, 5) ask for your feedback - “what value did you get from our time together today?”, 6) Ask a series of questions to guide you to the answers - DO NOT TELL you what to do, 7) help facilitate the growth of your critical thinking skills and ideally have a calming presence.

Q: How is 'effective management' possible through the delegation of authority?

A: Delegation of authority is part of “effective management”. You should be striving for a work force that is engaged, empowered and accountable and a step towards that direction is delegation of authority.

There will be an element of trust that comes into place with delegation of authority. It will also create an environment of learning opportunities.

There are not many organizations that can demonstrate today that they are practicing “effective management”. Effective communication is always what holds them back.

Q: How do you manage a team of employees if you are not as smart as they are?

A: I would look at this from a different perspective. I would suggest that your team of employees possess certain skill sets that you may not have and you in turn possess skill sets that they don’t have. You have created the beginning of your learning and development environment.

As a leader or manager it should never come down to who is smarter than the other. What matters is that you complement each other based on the skills that you bring to the table.

As the manager or leader you need to engage and empower your team and lead them to success. If they are successful then so will you be.

As a trained mentor when I hear a statement like this I immediately begin to think of self-esteem challenges and I know that is not the case here.

Value your employees for what each brings to the table. Provide them with your guidance and show them the path that lies ahead to success for all.

Q: How can you tell if a business coach/mentor is good? Are there red flags to look out for?

A: Define your expectations up front. What do you hope to get from the relationship? One of the things that I always do with people that I am working with is to ask the question, “what was the value that we got from the time we spent together today?” A mentoring relationship is all about value. What value can the participants bring to the relationship?

Some things to consider:

  1. Watch the body language - it will tell you whether or not there is chemistry and whether or not the person is engaged in the conversation.
  2. Be mindful of your own body language as it will send a message as well.
  3. Are they present or do they appear to be someplace else when you are talking.
  4. Do they hold you accountable - what I mean by that is,  do they ask you questions to guide you to answers rather than telling you what to do.
  5. If they say something such as, “You should know how to deal with this so just go and deal with it. My time is too valuable for little things like this.” It is time to end the relationship and look for another mentor.
  6. You need chemistry, a trusted relationship and effective communication. If any or all of these are missing then it is not a relationship for you.

Q: What are the most important leadership skills for the future?

A: Effective communication is at the top of my list for leadership skills for the future. I work inside organizations from a mentoring capacity and I see the lack of being able to communicate effectively as the root cause for a lot of the challenges that they have. When we have provided employees with the tools they need to communicate effectively the difference is like night and day. Better communicators become better problem solvers. There are a lot of segments to consider when we talk about communicating effectively. Each is key to becoming that effective communicator.

Another skill set that is definitely needed for the future is the ability to build trusted relationships. Most managers, supervisors and leaders do not take the time to build those relationships. This can and will create a culture of disengagement.

It is okay to make a mistake. If we “FAIL” at something that is alright. FAIL is short for “first attempt in learning.” As supervisors, managers and leaders we need to encourage our employees to go beyond and that it is okay to make a mistake. Let’s determine the cause of the mistake, address it and move on.

Q: What are some tips to establish a solid foundation for good corporate culture in a young company?

A: There have been some very good responses to this question already.

I would offer some points from my lived experiences working as an external mentor in some organizations.

  1. Involve employees in the building of the culture. I built a culture in an organization from the bottom up and it was very rewarding for all once it was embraced. It was torn down after I left and became top down and it became a toxic work place.
  2. Share your strategic vision and work with employees to understand how their function/role in the organization on a daily basis contributes to the success of the organization. Most organizations do not do this and it is most definitely needed to build a strong culture.
  3. Provide mentorship to everyone in the organization but in particular to people that are new to the supervisor/manager role. If they do not have the tools it will be difficult to build a positive work place. I have observed this far too often and there is a solution.
  4. Leaders in the organization need to be the role models of your culture. It should be something that they do without thinking.

These are just a few things that I have observed that would assist in building a good work place culture. It can be a daunting task but the rewards are well worth the journey.

Q: How important is it to have a mentor for starting a start-up for the first time?

A: It is very important. A must have. There are number of incubators that have built in mentoring as a service that start-ups can obtain. Some offer it as part of their fee structure while others charge extra for that service and may make it mandatory.

I had an advisory board of mentors when I first started my company and it was something I could not imagine being without. Each of my mentors brought something different from their forte and lived experiences.

Q: How do I go about finding a mentor and how do you approach someone for mentorship (especially in places like NYC)?

A: I would ideally like a little more information in order to properly answer your question.

  1. What are your expectations in acquiring a mentor?
  2. Is this for personal or professional growth or both?
  3. What industry are you working in?
  4. Are there professional associations within your industry that you could check with regarding mentoring?
  5. Virtual mentoring is also a solution that you can look at it. I mentor people internationally and we do that virtually using technology to bridge the distance.

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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).

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

An international speaker and author of The Gift of Mentoring (2014), Doug’s second book is set to publish in late 2019.

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

 

 

INTERNATIONAL MENTORING COMMUNITY: What is it and How Can You Benefit from It?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: After working with a client, as a life coach what is your next step if any, if they seem to be where they need to be after you've helped them change?

A: I can answer this from a mentoring approach.

If they seem to be where they need to be I would want to make sure that it was the client that reached that conclusion. I view the mentoring process as having three phases: 1) Trusting phase, 2) learning and development phase, and 3) maintenance phase. In the example you have given, I would be inclined to place them in the maintenance phase. We would still touch base periodically but it would not be as frequent as what we would be doing in the learning and development phase. We can always move the relationship back into the learning and development phase if the need arises.

Q: When and how did you discover what you wanted to do with your life?

A: I was always a person that wanted to assist others. I think that I finally realized what I wanted to do about 10 years ago. I launched my own company that is focused on mentoring and mentor certification which is something that I am extremely passionate about. I provide a number of mentoring services for people and organizations and that is what makes me want to get out of bed ever morning. To be of service and share the Gift of Mentoring is my calling!

Q: What are some wonderful stories from reverse mentorship -- a younger person mentoring an older person?

A: I do not use the term “reverse mentoring” as the definition of reverse means to go backwards. I do not want any of my mentoring experiences to be viewed as stepping backwards.

I look at the definition of mentoring as a two way trusted relationship where both the mentor and mentee will learn and grow personally and professionally.

There is no mention of age in this definition.

When I go back over the list of people that I am working with age has not been a factor in any of the relationships. We always discuss the outcomes of our discussions and we both come away with something from the time we have spent together.

Reverse mentoring is actually “effective mentoring.”

Q: Are great leaders better at asking questions or giving answers?

A: The ideal great leader is one that is very adept at asking the right questions to stimulate critical thinking in those they work with.

If you continually give the answers then you become a crutch that people will come to as it is easier to ask for the answer than to think your way through the situation.

I worked with a leader in a mentoring relationship who didn’t realize the impact on their productivity by continually providing the answer to the same question repeatedly. When they took the time to sit the employee down and work through possible options to the problem they had more time to work on their tasks and they had a more engaged work force. Engaged and empowered.

Q: What qualities does a good mentor have?

A: There are a number of qualities that a good mentor should have. I usually recommend that you be an effective communicator - listen and hear, knows when to listen and when to guide, creates a safe environment for a mentoring conversation, builds a trusted relationship. They are also caring and understand that each person they spend time with in a mentoring relationship is unique so you need to tailor how you mentor to meet the needs of each person. They would have a supporting network that they can refer you to when it is something out of their comfort zone (professional counseling, etc.). Here are some additional characteristics: Passionate, Genuine, Humble, Caring, Great Communicator, Great Listener, Socratic Method, Competent, Committed and Dedicated.

Q: How much would you pay for a lifetime access to a number of business and personal mentors who can help you overcome your main life’s difficulties and problems?

A: The type of mentor that you are looking at would most definitely be someone that you had a long standing relationship with. I have some of those mentors in my life that work with me on a personal and professional basis.

Setting aside what I just wrote if you were to be looking for a dollar value to attach to lifetime access you would likely be paying for their time on an hourly basis or a block of time. I offer either one.

I would take a step back and clearly define what you are looking for and be open to the idea that lifetime access may not be the best solution for you.

Q: How can you develop leadership skills as a young professional?

A: I would strongly recommend finding a good mentor that can work with you to develop the leadership skills that you desire.

I am working with a number of people at various stages in their career to either enhance the skills they have or to develop and nurture leadership skills as needed. The mentoring approach has been working great for them. We work on their critical thinking skills as well as the basic fundamentals of being a good leader.

I encourage you to think about finding a good mentor to work with you.

Q: Would you ever consider mentoring someone who is older and going through a period of transition?

A: Yes. Effective mentoring is not tied to the question of age. Mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where both the mentor and mentee will learn and grow on a personal and professional basis. It doesn’t matter if one person is older than the other.

The thing to remember in the situation that you have presented is that the mentor doesn’t need to have all the answers. What they do need to have is the ability to ask the right questions to nurture the critical thinking process. The other key thing is that the mentor will likely have a good network that they can access to assist in addressing this situation.

Q: What would personally motivate you to act as a mentor?

A: What continues to motivate me is the opportunity to be of service to others. It is most rewarding to watch someone grow on a personal and professional basis when you are on a mentoring journey with them.

What motivates me to act as a mentor is the opportunity to learn and grow personally and professionally myself. With each mentoring relationship/arrangement I learn so much about others and about myself.

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

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).

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

An international speaker and author of The Gift of Mentoring (2014), Doug’s second book is set to publish in late 2019.

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

 

 

INTERNATIONAL MENTORING COMMUNITY: What is it and How Can You Benefit from It?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you wondered what all the hype is about this thing they call “Mentoring” and what’s the difference between it and “coaching”?

Unfortunately, Mentoring and Coaching are two terms the public uses interchangeably. While there are similarities between the two, they are unique differences that set them apart:

Mentoring

The role of the mentor is to build capability. The developmental mentor helps the learner discover their own wisdom by encouraging them to work towards career goals or develop self-reliance.

The Mentor Helps the Learner discover their wisdom.

The mentoring relationship is off-line — on both a personal and professional basis intertwined. Mentoring use to be focused on just career development/professional growth but has evolved to now include the personal growth elements. The mentor does not have authority over the mentee — and centres on the learner’s personal goals.

Because the relationship is mutually beneficial strong bonds are often forged and may extend the lifetime of the mentoring relationship both Professionally and Personally

Coaching

The role of coaching tends to improve task and performance. The role of a skills or performance coach is to give feedback on observed performance. Consequently, coaching usually happens at the workplace.

The Coach Helps the Learner stay focused on key tasks to change their performance level.

The coaching relationship is more on-line — purely professional (unless a life coach) The Coach is likely to set or suggest goals for the learner; measuring performance periodically as the learner develops new skills. This needs a good working relationship between learner and coach.

If you attempt a Google search on coaching and mentoring, you will find varying definitions.  The above was pulled from both the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the International Mentoring Community (IMC).

Coaching and Mentoring can be further defined with:

Mentoring:

  • Ongoing relationship that can last for a long period of time

 Coaching:

  • Relationship generally has a set duration

Mentoring:

  • Can be more informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentee needs some advice, guidance or support

Coaching:

  • Generally more structured in nature and meetings are scheduled on a regular basis

Mentoring:

  • More long-term and takes a broader view of the person

Coaching:

  • Short-term (sometimes time-bounded) and focused on specific development areas/issues

Mentoring:

  • Mentor may be someone more experienced and qualified than the ‘mentee’. Often a senior person in the organization who can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities. Because mentoring is a two way relationship age is not a factor nor is industry specific knowledge. External mentors may be used along with internal mentors.

Coaching:

  • Coaching is generally not performed on the basis that the coach needs to have direct experience of their client’s formal occupational role, unless the coaching is specific and skills-focused

Mentoring:

  • Focus is on career and personal development with the emphasis on personal development first

Coaching:

  • Focus is generally on development/issues at work

Mentoring:

  • Agenda is set by the mentee, with the mentor providing support and guidance to prepare them for future roles

Coaching:

  • The agenda is focused on achieving specific, immediate goals

Mentoring:

  • Mentoring revolves more around developing the mentee on a personal and professional basis with the initial focus on the personal growth

Coaching:

  • Coaching revolves more around specific development areas/issues

We have a ways to go to properly educate the public to be able to clearly decipher what mentoring and coaching is, isn’t, and which is needed based on a unique set of circumstances.

The public has not caught on to what effective mentoring is. There is a paradigm shift that is focused on creating a deeper, richer understanding of the true business value of mentoring and how it can create positive change in individuals and organizations. This will increase productivity and retention rates, lower employee turnover and create an engaged, empowered and accountable workforce.

I have seen many cases and have consulted with organizations where the employee did not respond to coaching, but did respond favorably and quickly to the Mentoring Approach (a 7-Step Mentoring Process of the International Mentoring Community (IMC)).

When effective mentoring techniques are applied, the results are a deeper, richer mentoring experience that gets results.

 

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 2019.

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

 

 

INTERNATIONAL MENTORING COMMUNITY: What is it and How Can You Benefit from It?

 

 

 

 

 

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 are some of those questions and my responses.

Q: What’s in it for someone who mentors fellow professionals for free?

A: I have a mix of people that I am in a mentoring partnership with - some that pay for the service and some that I provide the service at no cost. I view that as a way that I can give back.

I firmly believe that it is not about me and my focus needs to be on the person I am being of service to.

I don’t want you to be misguided however as I always come away with learning something from the time I spend with someone. It can be about them, the mentoring process or about myself. Seeing someone else grow whether on a personal or professional note is rewarding enough.

One of the things that I always focus on and always ask the question is, “what was the value that we got from our time together today?” The answer to that question is “what’s in it for me.”

Q: How do you mentor junior project managers?

A: This is a question that I get asked a lot and it always focuses on the myth that I need to have experience in a particular field before I can mentor someone from that industry.

I mentor people in all different industries and sectors and I do not have experience in some of those areas. As a result of being open to learning and asking the right questions I am gaining that knowledge through the mentoring partnerships that I have.

Mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where both parties of the mentoring partnership learn and grow on a personal and professional basis. The mentoring of a junior Project Manager would basically require that you follow proper mentoring concepts. You guide through the asking of the right questions to help the person develop or enhance critical thinking skills. Through the asking of those questions you will gain knowledge in the job and the industry that the PM is working in.

What I have found that is the most important task is making sure that you focus on the personal growth at the beginning of the relationship. I have seen far too often that when we don’t address the personal challenges the relationship slowly begins to erode and fall apart.

Q: Do you have a mentor? If you do, how did they become your mentor?

A: I have a number of mentors each who address a specific need or they are capable of addressing more than one specific need.

Some of the mentors that I have had or currently have were as a result of participating in an entrepreneurial start up program where mentoring is a key service that is provided.

Some of the mentors I have today are those that I found through work related relationships and the sense that they could fill a void that I may have. Because of my function as a Certified Competent Mentor and providing of that service to others I have become very particular about who I ask to become one of my mentors.

I am truly blessed to have the mentors that I do as part of my mentoring partnerships.

Q: How would the world be without mentors?

A: I honestly don’t believe that we have tapped into the full potential of mentoring. There is still some confusion as to what mentoring is all about and a lot of people are unsure of how to unlock mentoring in their organization.

I facilitate a mentoring circle every two weeks and we discuss what would life be like without mentoring. We have lots of great examples of where mentoring has been of value but the uncertainty is still there as some struggle understanding the full potential.

My best example of what it would be like is to illustrate what it could be like if we truly embraced the “gift of mentoring”. Imagine a world where mentoring was in place right from the very moment you are brought into the world. Mentoring would begin in the home. As you embarked on your educational journey you got to experience mentoring in the schools. Mentoring that followed you through to your journey to higher education and finally into the corporate world. You would be experiencing a nation, a country, a world that pride’s itself on learning and the sharing of that learning with others through the “gift of mentoring”.

When you picture that and fully embrace the “gift of mentoring” and what it has the potential to do I believe we have painted a picture of what it COULD be like rather than what it is WITHOUT it.  Ask yourself - “can we afford not to?”

Q: What is the best way to find a mentor for my business?

A: There are a number of ways that you can search for and find a mentor. You need to determine first however what it is that you need. You also have to come to terms with the fact that your mentor(s) do not need your industry specific knowledge. It is a nice to have - not a need to have. I am mentoring a number of people in different industries/sectors and we are moving forward with no difficulty.

Check with your local business community to see if there are any mentoring programs where they match mentors and mentees. You can also look on line for various organizations that provide business mentoring.

You may also want to explore a referral. I get a number of people being referred to me so we can begin to discuss whether or not we could work together in a mentoring relationship.

Once you think you have found someone it is really important to explore whether or not there is chemistry between the two of you as without that your relationship will struggle. Make sure you define expectations on both parts. Understand that some mentors charge for their services - if that is the case then you need to do some additional checks to make sure that you will receive value for that service.

Make sure that you are committed to the mentoring relationship and are willing to do the work that is required to be successful on a personal and professional level.

Q: Do you think achieving your goals is the result of mentoring, network connections or luck?

A: When I look back over my career and all of my accomplishments I would have to say that it is a little of all three. My network has provided me with some open doors which has resulted in being able to make a difference. Some of my accomplishments have been luck or more about being in the right place at the right time. Overall though mentoring has been the most consistent process in helping me achieve my goals and continues to do so today. Working with a great mentor is a blessing and is something that we need to commit to the journey. If you don’t commit then you will only see minimal benefits.

Q: What people skills have you learned from a mentor?

A: There are a number of skills that I have learned as a result of mentoring whether it be as a mentor or the recipient of great mentoring. I see everyone as unique and I need to tailor my leadership skills to each person on an individual basis. Mentoring is much the same. Another set of skills that I have learned and how share as part of my mentoring process/technique is “effective communication”. “Effective communication” takes into account active listening - listening and hearing what the other person is saying, listening for trigger words and deflections in the conversation, learning to pause and reflect before speaking - “how is what I am about to say going to be received? “The use of the Socratic Method - asking questions instead of telling someone how to do something.

The list goes on from here. Understanding people and how they communicate is a leadership skill as well as that of an extraordinary mentor.

Q: What is your best advice for someone who is thinking of mentoring others?

A: One of the things that I always recommend to anyone interested in the mentoring process is that if at all possible get some training on mentoring techniques and processes. You will find that by doing so you are able to create a deeper, richer mentoring experience not only for yourself but the person you are going to be mentoring.

Be open to learn as well. With each mentoring session that I do I come away having learned something about the person I am working with or about myself.  I then use that in my reflection that I do before and after each mentoring session.

Be committed to the process and to the person that you are going to be mentoring. Do not impose your expectations on your mentee but seek to understand their expectations and ability to meet those expectations. There are a number of moving parts in the mentoring process.

Most importantly enjoy the journey!

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL MENTORING COMMUNITY: What is it and How Can You Benefit from It?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 are some of those questions and my responses.

 Q: Is a mentor crucial to success?

A: Mentoring focuses on personal and professional growth and we can have success in both of those areas. Anytime that you can have someone walk beside you as you continue your growth personally and professionally it is a good idea - in fact highly recommended.

When I look back over my career and where I am today I would not have achieved the success that I have had without the benefit of numerous mentors. These mentors have helped me grow on a personal and professional basis.

The short answer to your question is, “can you afford not to?”

Q: Who is an unlikely mentor and why?

A: Mentoring is a two way trusted relationship where the mentor and mentee will learn and grow together personally and professionally. It is all about building a trusted relationship and for the mentor to be able to create that safe environment for the relationship to nurture and grow.

To specifically answer your question an unlikely mentor for me would be someone that I could not make a connection with - that there was no chemistry with. I may realize part way into the mentoring relationship that this person cannot provide me with what I am looking for. It would be time to end that relationship and look for someone that can provide me with what I want.

What I am finding with all the mentoring that I am doing - paid and free is that the ability to listen is crucial. Someone that is not a good listener would not be a good mentor for me. Sometimes all we need is to talk our way through the problems that we are dealing with.

Q: If you were to pay someone for business coaching and mentorship, what would you look for?

A: I would be wanting to make sure that there was some form of chemistry between us. I would want them to be comfortable with addressing personal and professional growth. There are some business mentors that are not comfortable with the personal growth challenges. I have good examples of where the relationship went sour because they were not able to build a trusting relationship and unable to connect with the soft skills.

Ideally I would want someone that had some form of training. I recently was certified competent as a mentor and I see the value in that for me and how I mentor and it also has an impact for my mentees.

I would want my mentor to validate regularly that they are bringing value especially when I am paying for the service.

There are lot more variables that can come into play when selecting a mentor based on your criteria. These are some that I get most perspective mentees to consider before entering into an agreement for services.

Q: Can mentoring be a hindrance rather than a help to staff progression?

A: Mentoring if done correctly with a person who is committed to the journey would be more of a help rather than a hindrance.

What gets missed in the professional development via mentoring is the personal aspect. I always focus on the personal growth first in order to remove any obstacles or barriers that may be a hindrance to professional development.

Proper training for mentors in the mentoring process is key to all of this.

Q: What do the best Mentors do?

A: Best Mentors or extraordinary mentors want to be of service. They work with people to guide them on their journey to personal and professional growth. Extraordinary Mentors learn and grow along with the people they serve. There isn’t a time when I haven’t learned something from a mentoring session. Extraordinary Mentors are caring, humble and always put the people they serve first.

A great leader is a great mentor and a great mentor is a great leader.

Q: Do you have any mentors? Who are they?

A: I have a number of mentors. I have a mentor that provides me with business advice and guidance, someone that fulfills my need for relationships, someone who can advise me on technology but is also a good friend, someone that can advise me on marketing. This is just a sample of the marvelous people that I have been able to surround myself with.

In the majority of the relationships it is mutual growth on a personal and professional basis. We set expectations for our mentoring relationship and then begin the journey together. We check in every so often to make sure that each of us is getting value from our time together.

We all need to embrace the “Gift of Mentoring” and experience a deeper, richer mentoring experience that will help us personally and professionally.

Q: How can we ask questions to our mentor?

A: To answer your question you need to think what am I searching an answer for? Is it something to do with your personal growth or something to do with your professional growth? I would be asking you what is it that you wish to accomplish that has now become a question that you do not have the answer for.

When you begin the mentoring relationship you need to outline the expectations of that relationship. One of the topics may be how do we communicate (ask questions) of each other in a respectful manner.

When I work with people there is lots of dialogue back and forth until we reach a point where I need to listen rather than talk. Sometimes that is to allow the person I am in a mentoring relationship with to ask questions and other times it is to just listen.

If you are unsure still please feel free to reach out to me and we can set up a time to discuss.

Q: What does a mentor want from you?

A: What I hope for is a person that is committed to the mentoring process. They are ready to grow personally and professionally and are willing to do the heavy lifting in the mentoring relationship. They will be accountable for the outcomes whatever they may be. They understand and accept that I am there to guide - not tell them what to do.

Q: Can you have a mentor that you have never met?

A: You most definitely can. When I look at the people I am working with in a mentor partnership the majority I had never met before. They were introduced to me through referral or via my website and then the scheduling of a time to chat. I have had some mentors that I had known before and they became my mentor as they were able to provide guidance in an area that I needed guidance.(technology, finance)

It is important to note that if you have not met before then take the time to build a solid mentoring partnership. I break a mentoring partnership down into three (3) categories. They are; trusting phase, learning and development phase and the maintenance phase. In this case I recommend some extra time in the “trusting phase” in order to get to know your mentor.

International Mentoring Community - Talentc - Doug Lawrence

 

 

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 2019.

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

 

 

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