Business Mentoring Matters

Good morning, Management Mentors blog subscribers! We have an exciting announcement to make. On Monday, February 6, 2012 at 12:00 noon EST, our President and Founder, Rene Petrin will be a guest on the VoiceAmerica radio show!

To access the show, click this link or copy and paste the following url into your browser: http://www.utterance.voiceamerica.com/episode/59389/rene-d-petrin-president-and-founder-of-management-mentors-inc

Hosted by Cathy Greenberg, Ph.D. and noted coach, Rene will be discussing mentoring and answering questions on the value of mentoring. 

For those of you who may not be able to tune in on Monday, a copy of the show will be available on our website in the near future.

Entering into a business mentoring relationship is a BIG deal. It's a big deal for the mentor and it's a big deal for the mentoree. Maybe you've done this before. Maybe you've HEARD it all before. But don't downplay what your mentoree has to say and share with you. Remember your goal--to assist your mentoree to become a better asset for your company.

Take a minute to ask yourself the following questions. Do you recognize yourself?

1. Do you only listen for facts and miss the feelings, attitudes, perceptions being expressed? 

2. Do you interrupt the person speaking? 

3. Do you fake attention rather than really listen? 

4. Are you easily distracted by noise, temperature, etc., and do you distract with gestures and mannerisms?

5. Do you hear only what you want to hear rather than what is being said? 

6. Do you agree that you understood what was said even when you really don’t? 

7. Are you planning your response while the other person is still speaking? 

8. Do you do something else while the person is speaking and, therefore, fail to really pay attention? 

9. Do you have a need to be right rather than to have a dialogue which is of mutual benefit? 

10. Do you belabor a point by going on and on? 

11. Do you frequently jump to conclusions? 

12. Do you make eye contact when you’re involved in a conversation?

All mentors are unique in the skills they bring to mentoring.  But there are 3 that are the most critical in being an effective mentor.

1.  Be a good listener. This means not just listening to the words but to the whole communication: body language, tone of voice, gestures, etc. Many mentorees feel that when engaged in a mentoring session it is the only time where they get to speak and be heard. Being a good listener invites the person to share within a safe space.  

2.  Be a good facilitator and not a manager. Mentoring is a partnership between the mentor and mentoree not an employment relationship. It is sometimes difficult for mentors to step back and not take control of a situation as they feel by doing so they could solve the mentoree's problem. But this does not empower the mentoree. Facilitating involves sharing ideas, providing resources and offering sage advice when appropriate but not solving problems for the mentoree. "How do I assist my mentoree to gain what s/he needs to resolve the issue for themselves?"--that's the mantra of a good mentor.

3.  Be empathic. Understand things from a mentoree's viewpoint.  Provide support in terms of resources, encouragement and validate their feelings. It doesn't mean you have to agree with their perspective but it is important for the mentoree to feel that you are there and have genuine concern for them.  

Practicing these skills will not only make you a better mentor but will also make you a better co-worker.

Do you have any characteristics that you would add to our list? We welcome your suggestions and ideas. Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Many of our clients seek information and statistics on mentoring, talent retention, and managing employees in a growing global marketplace. 

As a result, we thought we'd share some research the Management Mentors team recently conducted. In Management Mentors' latest newsletter, we provide statistics, quotes, and links for further reading on Talent Retention, Mentoring, and Workforce Issues.

For the full copy of the newsletter, click here. And please feel free to contact us with any additional questions you may have.

We live in a fast-paced world with information overload.  As a result, many of us may avoid doing adequate preparation prior to meeting with our mentor. I would like to encourage all mentorees to think about preparation as not something to do, but rather, as time spent focusing on what's been important to you since your last mentoring meeting. Taking 5-15 minutes to reflect will not only enrich your meeting but may bring up issues that you hadn't thought of before that could benefit from your mentoring relationship.  So here are a few ideas on how to spend time preparing.

Go to a quiet place to do this and put your thoughts on paper.  Ask yourself:

• What was the most important event that has occurred since your last meeting with your mentor?  This could be a business event or a personal event.  Do you want to share this with your mentor?  If not, why not?  
• What was the most difficult/challenging event that occurred since your last meeting?  How was it resolved?  If not resolved, where do things stand at the moment?  How can your mentor assist you at this point in obtaining resolution of the issue?  If the issue was resolved, what lessons have you learned that you feel with be important to share with your mentor?
• Is there anything from your last mentoring session that you feel you want to revisit with your mentor?  
• What do you want to accomplish in your next meeting and what assistance do you want from your mentor?
• Have you provided your mentor with feedback about working together? If not, is this something you'd like to do at your next meeting?  What specific feedback would you like to give?  Is there any specific feedback you want from your mentor as well?

These are just some suggested thoughts in preparing.  Another approach is to write down your thoughts after each meeting and revisit your notes in preparing as this will allow you to complete any unfinished business or it may give you further ideas you've forgotten since then.

The key is to prepare so you gain as much as possible from each mentoring session. For more information, you may also download our free Tips and Tricks on Creating a Successful Mentoring Relationship.

We were asked a great question on our blog recently and thought we'd share the answer with the rest of our blog subscribers.  The question was:

Do you have any data on the impact of mentoring specifically for women in male dominated businesses/industries? 

One of our clients, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, has been using our mentoring program for several years and they have studied the impact on diversity and have found it to be a very positive impact in retention and in the promotion of women and people of color.  You may view the case study by going to our Case Study page and choosing the Enterprise Rent-a-Car case study.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about business mentoring. You may also post your question on our blog below.

In honor of National Mentoring Month, we are posting inspirational mentoring videos. 

Check out this one-minute video and take note of the hopes and dreams of these young people. While watching, ask yourself:

"Can I inspire my mentoree and make a difference in his/her professional life?"

Here's what some of these hopeful mentorees had to say about mentoring:

"Role models, they don't tell you what to do, but they help you to get where you're going."

"young people...we don't know everything...older people have experienced stuff that we haven't."

"...as long as there's somebody behind you, supporting you, then you feel like you always have the strength to keep going."

Powerful sentiments! We can all contribute to the greater good of the community. Whether mentoring on your personal time or in a business environment, be a mentor! Don't know where to start? That's what we're here for. Contact us!!

Please feel free to check out Management Mentors' Blog Library for more information on business mentoring.

Are you taking part in a mentoring program? Are you a a mentoree? Before you read our list of requirements for an effective mentoree, think about this for a minute:

What do you hope to achieve from this mentoring relationship? How do you plan on taking the reigns and ensuring that your time with your mentor is well spent and that you achieve the greatest benefits of this mentoring relationship that you possibly can? .........

.....okay, now you can read our list :)

Openness:  Mentoree must be willing to consider other viewpoints, other courses of action from what s/he may be inclined to do and remain open to constructive criticism that can provide information about blind spots and how to deal with them successfully.

Motivation:  The mentoree is the driver in this relationship and must accept that role rather than viewing it as a relationship whereby the mentor does "his/her thing" to the mentoree. This means the mentoree must be motivated to stay engaged in this relationship and to work toward achieving results.

Courage:  Being a mentoree requires the ability to share vulnerabilities with another so that this can be considered when planning how one will develop. It means avoiding hiding those areas that we all tend to hide with respect to issues of self-confidence, abilities, etc. It is crucial that the mentor be capable of challenging the mentoree in identified areas. In turn, courage and the willingness to take risks is essential components for success on the part of the mentoree.

Commitment:  Honoring appointments, arriving on time and, most importantly, completing agreed upon tasks are crucial if a mentoree wants the mentor to feel that his/her investment of time and effort is worthwhile.

How did our list match up to yours? We'd love to hear what your thoughts were before and after you read our list. Please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? Over the coming weeks, we will post short, relevant, and inspiring YouTube videos about the importance of mentoring.

If you are a regular subscriber to our blog, you know that we typically write about mentoring from a business perspective. Outside of work, though, we are all people, and we can all relate to the importance of helping and guiding another person along their path. Whether that person is a child, a peer, or someone coming up the ranks in your place of business, mentoring can be one of the most valuable experiences a person can have in their lifetime. 

Do YOU have what it takes to mentor? Please feel free to browse through our Blog Library on topics ranging from Famous Mentors and Mentorees to Developing Business Mentoring Programs to Corporate Mentoring and Diversity Initiatives.

The way that these children describe what they are looking for in a mentor is relatable to any mentoring relationship! Keep them in mind the next time you meet with your mentoree.

Last week, we blogged about the Ideal Mentor Profile. This week, let's check out what attributes are important for a MENTOREE to gain the greatest benefits of a mentoring program.

The ideal mentoree profile: 

Willingness to Take Risks:  Mentoring can only be beneficial if a mentoree is willing to engage in it with a positive attitude toward taking necessary but reasonable risks, such as thinking outside the box, taking on new challenges, confronting difficult situations, etc. 

Can Listen and Take Advice:  Hearing what the mentor is really saying and considering advice given seriously is essential for the mentoring relationship to be useful. This is most critical when it comes to receiving feedback about what areas need to be addressed.

Takes Responsibility for Learning:  Although the mentor is there for the mentoree's benefit, the success of the relationship rests largely with the mentoree. It's the mentoree who decides what advice to take or leave, what course of action to follow and what risks to take. The mentor's task is to help in that process but not to decide for the mentoree. Therefore, the mentoree needs to own his/her actions.

Are you a mentoree? Do you recognize yourself in this profile? Are there steps you could take to open yourself up more to your mentor? If you are not sure, start a dialogue with your mentor using this list as your guide. What a great conversation starter for your next meeting!