Mentoring: Developing Visionary Leaders for a Changing World (and Develop the Leader in You) AACRAO 2008

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1 Mentoring: Developing Visionary Leaders for a Changing World (and Develop the Leader in You) AACRAO 2008 Julia Pomerenk University Registrar Washington State University Kathi Baucom Associate Provost for Enrollment Mgt. UNC Charlotte

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4 Satisfactions for Mentors Passing the torch. Gaining fresh perspectives. Expanding our professional network. Investing in our profession. Helping others thrive and flourish, too. That you will be better than I ever was.

5 A Hand to Guide Me: Legends and Leaders Celebrate the People Who Shaped Their Lives (The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 2006) Denzel Washington:... You can draw a line from every great success back to some rock-solid foundation. A parent. A teacher. A coach. A role model Bonnie Rait named Joan Baez as a mentor: She became my first hero.... She s stayed a touchstone for me since before I knew her. Gloria Steinem named Louisa May Alcott:... A lifeline because there were no living role models out there for a young woman Colin Powell: Look all around and you ll see people who are living good lives, who are making a difference.... Learn from them.... There are mentors and positive influences in every direction you look.

6 Mentoring Myths Mentoring must be one-to-one, long-term, and face-to-face With modern technology mentoring can take place by , telephone, or fax and may only need a few hours Taking time to mentor decreases productivity Mentoring improves productivity through better communication, goal clarity, increased commitment, and succession planning A mentor needs to be 5-10 years older than the protégé Innovations happen so rapidly and personal experience is such a great teacher that younger people often have opportunities to mentor older workers; peers are often effective mentors (Source: Peer Resources

7 More Mentoring Myths It is a rare experience and only occurs for a few great people Informal mentoring is probably the most frequent method of transmitting knowledge and wisdom in society; virtually everyone has experienced it It takes a greater time commitment than workers can afford Being mentored or being a mentor does not guarantee career advancement, but it does significantly increase on-the-job learning, accelerating career opportunities The protégé is the only one who benefits from the relationship For mentoring to be effective, all parties must perceive benefits; this is the principle of mutuality

8 Financial Benefits of Mentoring By Barry Sweeny, 2001 Do YOU want to cut your cost of employee attrition by half? 35% of employees who did not receive regular mentoring plan to look for other jobs within the next 12 months (as reported in The "Emerging Work Force Study in Business Week, 3/1/99). Only 16% of employees who did receive mentoring expected to change jobs. Do YOU want to get great results from your training program? The American Society for Training and Development conducted a study which found that training alone increased manager productivity by 24%. However, when combined with coaching and mentoring strategies, implementation of training and productivity were increased by 88%!! 2006 by the International Mentoring Association

9 Additional Benefits Mentoring and coaching model the importance of being life-long learners, by showing that senior staff must keep learning. Mentoring establishes the norm that career-long professional growth is an expected part of work, by showing staff getting better at their jobs and getting better results every day. Mentoring increases the opportunities for positive leadership by employees, by showing support for individual employee growth that contribute to organization agendas. Mentoring is a perfect means of incorporating new staff into the culture and traditions and new initiatives of the organization by the International Mentoring Association Additional (non-financial) Benefits

10 The Cost of Not Mentoring Struggling new employees remain focused more on their own needs and day-to-day survival than on the success of the organization and its mission. Unsupported employees adopt less-effective coping strategies that lead to lost productivity, results and loyalty. Veteran employees--who could benefit from a new challenge yet who see no career growth in the organization--leave or lose their enthusiasm. Excellent, gifted employees--who want to make a greater impact yet are given little experience as managers and leaders do not seek that advancement.

11 8 Mentor Functions Kathy Kram (1985), Mentoring at Work: Developing Relationships in Organizational Life 4 Vocational/Career Functions o Sponsorship o Coaching o Protection o Challenging Assignments 4 Psychosocial Functions Role Modeling Acceptance and Confirmation Counseling Friendship

12 Role of the Mentor listen question, find facts guide career development pass on info & knowledge offer different perspectives offer support, encouragement take lead (initially) confront difficult issues celebrate success (Source: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals - CILIP) And to encourage mentee to: listen check their understanding share their thoughts review & reflect on learning be open to new perspectives take responsibility for own development get the most from the relationship celebrate success

13 Structured Mentoring Supports succession planning Plans for professional development Shows commitment and care for your colleagues Can benefit both mentor and protégé Builds trust, respect, and can improve office communication Allows mentee to stay on track with tasks BUT Requires organization and willingness to commit the time Requires ability to keep up with a structure May be perceived to be micro-management by some people

14 Unstructured Mentoring Allows flexibility in the relationship Can create a general mentoring atmosphere Can be used (or not), as wished or needed Allows a mentoring sensitivity to develop May encourage protégés to seek advise when needed Does not set roles in stone, so everybody can wear the mentor or protégé hat depending on the situation BUT May discourage shy people from seeking help Some people simply need structure SO Know what would work best for your co-workers!

15 Qualities of a Potential Protégé a learning attitude a genuine interest to learn from you a willingness to listen trustworthiness, honesty, dependability a sufficient independence Look first at folks in your office, your division, your campus. Who would be receptive to your mentoring? Who has the potential to become a leader with your help?

16 Mentoring Relationship Phases Building Relationship Developing Common Expectations Developing Protégé Ending Formal Relationship

17 OK I want to be a mentor and I ve identified a potential protégé. What do I do now?

18 Widen the Colleague Network Introduce your protégé to everyone on campus Include your protégé in meetings, conferences, committees, and organizations Volunteer your protégé to facilitate and present Give your protégé collaborative projects Connect your protégé to colleagues at other institutions Notice how your network has increased, as well

19 Additional Actions Recommend your protégé for membership on taskforces, search committees, subcommittees, etc. Recommend professional publications and websites your protégé should read or review. Send your protégé articles, news releases, or professional presentations related to topics in which he/she is interested. Offer to be a sounding board for your protégé to discuss difficult work situations so he/she can test various approaches and solutions.

20 More Actions Recommend workshops or seminars that might help him/her develop an area of expertise. Discuss topics/ideas your protégé could research and develop into proposals and/or presentations. Offer to review your protégé s articles, proposals or presentations before the final presentation or submission.

21 What Else? Recommend your protégé for appropriate recognitions or awards on your campus or within your professional organization. Offer to co-present with your protégé if that will help him/her to gain experience or expertise. Alert your protégé to issues that are politically sensitive or problems that may be on the horizon so he/she can prepare ahead. Offer to review your protégé s resume to identify gaps in their experience and provide you with information about their expertise.

22 To Begin Difficult Conversations 1. Observe without evaluation. 2. State your feeling, being careful not to substitute thinking for feeling. 3. Express your need concretely. 4. Use clear, positive action language to make request. For example: When you did not have your project report ready by the deadline, I felt embarrassed and angry, because it s important for me that you meet our expectations. I think we need to clarify our expectations.

23 Mentoring Relationship Challenges Clarifying expectations involves many steps. The mentor and protégé need to anticipate, communicate, and manage the challenges inherent in these phases. Knowing that these phases are part of the cycle can help both parties avoid personalizing failures. A single mentor is unlikely to meet all the mentee s needs.

24 More Challenges The protégé and mentor both have developmental needs that can be met in the relationship. Ending the relationship involves planning, evaluating process and outcomes, and discussing future options. The greatest challenges are: time and energy, setting goals, keeping momentum, and giving good feedback.

25 Dangers in Being a Mentor Your own natural preferences Your personal bias Giving advice & suggestions just to appear helpful Thinking you can do it all Allowing dependency to develop Thinking your mentee needs you Assuming you always know best! (Source: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)

26 What do I do it if isn t working? If you want it to work, talk about why it isn t. Re-arrange your time, if necessary. Be honest. Time is too valuable to spend time in a relationship that isn t working.

27 Mentoring Resources Masterful Mentoring Newsletter- US Coast Guard (see their monthly newsletter about mentoring ) Nurturing the Mentor in You: The Mentor Survey International Mentoring Association, frequently asked questions FAQs.html#anchor AACRAO Mentoring Committee, sessions, and workshops AACRAO website. Especially for past mentoring presentations

28 What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. Pericles

29 Questions? For later questions, please contact us. Julia Pomerenk Presenter AACRAO Mentoring Committee Member Kathi Baucom Presenter AACRAO Mentoring Committee Member