Business Mentoring Matters

Knowledge sharing is a very big buzzword in talent development these days. And even though people are beginning to understand that an organization has a wealth of knowledge and expertise residing in its employee population, this knowledge is frequently overlooked and untapped. 

Getting the most value out of your investment—your employees—and helping them to develop means finding ways to share their expertise among all of your employees.

Anytime Mentoring, our online software system, is an easy way to access and tap into those valuable resources. Anytime Mentoring is a software that’s built on social networking media, and it is used to tie the connections that people make to a company’s competencies.

For example, a company is likely to have employees with leadership proficiencies, and so if a mentoree wants to find a mentor with leadership competency they would create a project in Anytime Mentoring, and then search on that competency for an appropriate mentor.

This type of process allows any employee at any point in time to reach out to experts within the organization to build relationships, whether mentoring or coaching, and to take control of their own development.

Sharing the organization’s competencies are critical for the companies’ future growth. As technology continues to grow, talent management professionals will find increasingly new ways of using that technology in creative ways to increase a company’s return on investment. 

To learn more about Anytime Mentoring, click here. And for a FREE white paper and to learn more about Knowledge Sharing, click the button below:

People often confuse coaching and mentoring. Though related, they are not the same. A mentor may coach, but a coach does not mentor. Understanding the definition of mentoring is crucial. Mentoring is relational, while coaching is functional. That’s the short answer, but the truth is that the answer to this question deserves a deeper look.

Check out some of our most popular blog posts on mentoring vs. coaching. And if you are interested, download our FREE white paper on the subject below.

When You Don't Need A Mentor

How We Learn in Coaching and Mentoring 

Is A Good Coach Also A Good Mentor?

Not Again! Corporate Mentoring vs. Corporate Coaching 

If you're hungry for more, we’ve devoted a whole white paper to this topic of coaching and mentoring. You can download it here. 

Mentoring benefits the organization, mentors, and mentorees.

A successful mentoring program benefits the organization by:

• Enhancing strategic business initiatives 
• Encouraging retention
• Reducing turnover costs
• Improving productivity
• Breaking down the “silo” mentality that hinders cooperation among company departments or divisions
• Enhancing professional development
• Linking employees with valuable knowledge and information to other employees in need of such information
• Using your own employees, instead of outside consultants, as internal experts for professional development 
• Supporting the creation of a multicultural workforce by creating relationships among diverse employees andallowing equal access to mentoring
• Creating a mentoring culture that continuously promotes individual employee growth and development

Mentors enjoy many benefits, including:

• Gaining insights from the mentoree’s background and history, which can be used in the mentor’s own professional and personal development
• Gaining satisfaction in sharing expertise with others • Re-energizing the mentor’s career
• Gaining an ally in promoting the organization’s well-being
• Learning more about other areas/departments within the organization

Mentorees enjoy many benefits, including:

• Gaining from the mentor’s expertise
• Receiving critical feedback in key areas, such as communications, interpersonal relationships, technical
  abilities, change management, and leadership skills 
• Developing a sharper focus on what is needed to grow professionally within the organization 
• Learning specific skills and knowledge that are relevant to personal goals 
• Networking with a more influential employee 
• Gaining knowledge about the organization’s culture and unspoken rules that can be critical for success 
• Finding a friendly ear with which to share frustrations as well as successes 

A great job candidate wants to develop not only for his personal career goals, but also for the goals of the company.

In a recent article by Recuiter.com, "7 Questions Great Candidates Ask" the author discusses the difference between job candidates that don't ask any questions, the candidates that ask very basic questions, and the candidates that ask more detailed questions. 

I found the types of questions he listed very interesting and thought our mentoring-minded audience would appreciate what they have to do with leadership, training and development, and mentoring programs. Also, if these questions are asked by GREAT candidates, what does that say about the potential employment pool?

Today's job candidates seek training and development programs, leadership development programs, and mentoring programs to be personally successful and to bring the company success.

The 7 Questions Great Candidates Ask:

1. Why did the previous job holder leave?

2. What are the training and development opportunities?

3. What is the career progression potential at your business?

4. What is the company culture at the business?

5. What is your personal management style?

6. How do you plan to deal with changes in the market?

7. How do your employees wind down? 

Mentoring CAN help your employees—present and future. Check out our free white paper to learn more: 

As we reflect on some of our most popular blog posts this year to date, we can't help but notice some of the blog posts that have had the highest percentage of action taken by our readers. Here are some posts that you may have missed the first time around, but that definitely warrant a second look:

Understanding Mentoring Matchmaking

Business Mentoring Tips: Saving A Match

The Role of Mentors in Talent Reviews

Why You Should Use Mentoring Experts to Create a Mentoring Program

Identifying Model Program Managers for Your Mentoring Program

Bonus:

How to Build A Professional Mentoring Program

It's happening. The snow has melted, the flowers are blooming...spring is in the air! As we move into the next season, we thought we would share with you the top 5 mentoring blog posts of the last season. These posts have had the most views on our site during Q1 2013. And boy, you liked them—you really liked them!

7 Habits of Highly Successful Mentors & Mentorees

Effective Mentoring Skills

How To Build A Professional Mentoring Program

What to Talk About in a Mentoring Relationship

Mentor and Mentoree Communication Style Tips

Bonus Blog:

Your Mentoring Questions Answered: Matching Pairs

We came across a well written article recently on Inc.com that really hit home— How To Find A Celebrity Mentor. This piece offers some great advice on how to find a mentor — no matter if your goal is to find a celebrity mentor or a business mentor. 

The author offered 5 strategies to get what you want when seeking a mentor. We like the strategies and want to share them with our mentor-minded audience. 

5 strategies to finding a business mentor:

1. Choose your mentor targets-It's a good idea to target more than one individual when seeking a mentor. People are busy, and you don't want to put all of your proverbial eggs into one basket. Also, you may be looking for mentors that can provide you with guidance on different topics. Is there someone in your industry who has achieved great success that you feel you could benefit from a relationship with? How about someone who has overcome challenges similiar to what you are facing? Make a list of folks you would like to target as possible mentor options for you. 
2. Know what you want-This strategy is extremely important. If you are going to approach someone and ask them to take time out of their schedule to mentor you, it is your responsibility to have a game plan. What is it that you hope to gain from the mentoring relationship: Leadership skills? Growing your professional network? Overcoming hurdles? Make it clear to your prospective mentors that these are the specific strategies that you would like to work on so that he can decide how comfortable they are mentoring you for these skills/attributes. 
3. Put yourself on the playing field-How do you know your prospective mentor? Is he a business acquaintance? Someone you've worked with in the past? Someone you've heard of but not yet met? Take some time to do a little background research if you do not personally know the individual. Get to know what types of things are important to him to discover common ground. Maybe you are both members of an industry organization? Maybe he travels to Brazil often and hey, so do you. A mentoring relationship can—and should—have an element of personalization. 
4. Look in your own backyard-How are you going to connect with your prospective mentor? Just sending an email to someone you've never met before may not cut it. Look for connections that the two of you may have and ask for an invitation. LinkedIn is a great tool for this. You may also try to follow the person on Twitter, and re-tweet some of his content (not just for the sake of re-tweeting, though...make sure it is content that you are truly interested in).
5. Don't take it personally-Time is priceless. We all know that. Try not to take it personally if your #1 says he just doesn't have the time. Thank him for considering you and be grateful that you at least made the connection. You never know what could happen down the road. Go to your list of targets and ask the next person on your list. Refine your process as you go along and don't give up! Mentors have a lot to gain from a mentoring relationship as well and there are many people who jump at the chance to mentor. 

For more information on how mentoring can help to advance your carer, download our free white paper by clicking the button below.

Like any other relationship, mentoring creates expectations. Some of these are part of the definition of mentoring while others are things that we carry within ourselves and expect, yet we may not articulate them to the other partner.

Expectations are natural and can often be met if they're realistic and if they're negotiated properly. However, if they're not articulated or if they're not consistent with the purposes of the relationship, then this can lead to disappointment and problems. Therefore, an important step in creating an effective mentoring relationship is to discuss and negotiate expectations.

Here are 4 tips for managing expectations in mentoring relationships:

• Have a discussion early on with your partner to discuss each other's expectations. The mentor should lead this conversation. Make sure that both partners articulate expectations but also follow this formula:
• State the expectations. Allow the other partner to ask clarifying questions to understand what the expectation means.
• Agree on this expectation or mutually agree on a common definition and then move on to the next expectation.
• If an expectation is not realistic or is inappropriate, this should be noted and put aside as "not applicable" or "to be discussed at a future time." In the future, there might be a way to make it a more realistic expectation in light of the mentoring program goals.

Mentors and Mentorees must be able to have these discussions and come to mutual agreement before the actual mentoring begins. This is not a situation when it's okay to agree to disagree. The "rules of engagement" are based on a common understanding of expectations.

Here are some other questions to ask:

• What do I expect of my partner in this mentoring relationship?
• What do I think my partner's expectations are of me?
• [If you're a mentor] What are my expectations of my mentoree's immediate manager?
• [If you're a mentoree] What are my expectations of my immediate manager?
• What are my expectations of the Mentoring Program Manager? 

Remember, expectations play a key role in mentoring. We're usually unaware of our expectations, and, even when we are aware, we often don't articulate them to the other person we're dealing with. If mentoring is to be successful, each partner must know his or her own expectations, articulate them, and agree on whether the stated expectations are achievable in the mentoring relationship.

Business mentoring fosters career development. Developing solid mentoring relationships is a large part of that process. Check out our free white paper on the subject by clicking the button below:

The baby boom generation has begun to retire in droves. Has your business been affected by it yet? Senior managers, senior executives, and workers have begun exiting the workforce. With them, they take the experience and practical knowledge that has built and sustained some of our county's most successful companies.

The impact of this exodus is still largely unknown, because so many benefits of good management are intangible. But what we do know is that the composition of senior staff is on the verge of significant change. The challenge facing companies today is how to most effectively prepare the next generation of leaders to continue the successful growth of tomorrow's corporations.

One of the most significant and empowering tools available to face this challenge is executive mentoring. Unlike traditional mentoring programs that focus on having senior staff work with junior staff to familiarize them with the company culture, political structure and hierarchy, executive mentoring is a formal program that facilitates the transfer of knowledge, practical experience and grass roots know-how from senior- level executives to mid-level career professionals.

The primary goal of executive mentoring is to prepare mid-level managers and executives to move successfully into senior-level positions. Although many mid-level professionals believe that they already possess the knowledge to advance to a senior level, there is a vast difference between the perspectives and approaches of the different levels. Mid-level professionals focus primarily on effective problem solving for the people they manage, and the profitability of the divisions they run. Senior executives focus on the evolution of the company, ensuring enterprise-wide profitability, and strategies for gaining or retaining competitive advantage within their market space.

While mid-level professionals contribute to all of these goals, they rarely possess the perspective to develop the high-level planning that will ultimately drive the company to attain these goals. A formal, well-developed executive mentoring program provides mid-level executives with insights into the nuances of strategic planning, teaches them to see the big picture by bringing it into focus for them, and provides expert counsel as they prepare themselves for challenges of ever-increasing magnitude.

Remember, executive mentoring is one of the most powerful and cost effective strategies in preparing your future leaders for the challenges of tomorrow. Don't let the value of your experienced senior managers leave with them!

To learn more about the benefits of Executive Mentoring, check out our free white paper: