Mentoring - Maintaining a Valuable Relationship

As a leader, how do you sustain a learning relationship with your mentor?

Securing the right mentor is a major hurdle, but maintaining the relationship can be just as challenging. To keep the mentoring relationship going, try these three things:

• Provide structure. Set up regular meetings with agendas so your conversations don't degenerate into aimless chitchat. Make sure each meeting moves you toward your goals.
• Expect rigor. If your mentor doesn't provide regular assignments, ask for them, and work them into your agenda.  You have a mentor for learning so ensure that the learning occurs.
• Know when to move on. Once you've achieved your goals, move on before the law of diminishing returns kicks in. But stay in touch. Your mentor may become a valuable supporter of your 'leader learning' even once your formal relationship ends.

Adapted from Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need (HBR OnPoint Collection).

Mentoring or Coaching - Part 2

As a leader, do you engage in coaching? Do you support your staff in receiving coaching?

As mentioned in the previous post, the terms 'mentoring' and 'coaching' are often used interchangeably but research literature differentiates between the two.  The difference between mentoring and coaching needs to be understood if we wish to use the terms correctly.

It's coaching if:

• the coach has been trained in a specific style of coaching and uses it at all times while coaching
• the coachee has a learning plan which forms the basis of the coaching conversations
• the coaching conversations are intended to support the coachee in the development of identified skills
• the coach mediates the thinking of the coachee
• reflective thinking is routinely incorporated into the coaching conversations to deepen the learning
• the coaching conversations are focused on the growth of the coachee
• the coach does not talk about him/herself.  It's always about the coachee.
• there is a time limit to the coaching relationship

Adapted from 'Coaching For Learning' - York Region District School Board

Mentoring and Coaching - Part 1

As a leader, do you have a mentor?  Do you support your staff in working with mentors? 

The terms 'mentoring' and 'coaching' are often used interchangeably but research literature differentiates between the two.  Mentoring is defined as a broad range of supports for individuals transitioning into new roles.  Mentoring is often a long-term relationship between a less-experienced person and a mentor who is well-experienced.  Coaching, on the other hand, is a formal and intentional process designed to focus on a coachee's learning needs and is led by a trained coach. 

Mentoring can be an invaluable support because individuals often choose their own mentors and maintain the relationships over a long period of time.  Below are a few suggestions about mentors over the life of a career.  These suggestions below are adapted from: "Keeping Great People with Three Kinds of Mentors" by Anthony Tjan.

• Peer mentors. In the early stages of a person's career, a mentor can help speed up the learning curve. This relationship helps the mentee understand how things work at the organization.
• Career mentors. After the initial period at a workplace, employees need to have a senior staff member serve as a career advisor and advocate.
• Life mentors. A life mentor serves as a periodic sounding board when one is faced with a career challenge. Organizations can't necessarily offer a life mentor but they can encourage seeking one.

Four Hats of Shared Leadership

As a leader, which of the four hats do you wear and is there balance among the hats you wear?

In an adaptive organization, leadership is shared - all the players wear all the hats.  All the players must have the knowledge and skill to manage themselves, manage [those they supervise] or lead adults.  Leadership is a shared function.  ...  Recognizing the hats and knowing when and how to use them is vital for you as a leader. 

The Four Hats

Facilitating - To facilitate means 'make easier'.  A facilitator is one who conducts a meeting in which the purpose is dialogue, shared decision making, planning, or problem solving.  The facilitator directs the processes to be used.

Presenting - To present is to teach.  A presenter's goals are to extend and enrich knowledge, skills, or attitudes and to have these applied in people's work.  A presenter may adopt many stances - expert, colleague, novice, or friend.

Coaching - To coach is to help someone take action toward their own goals while simultaneously developing their own expertise in planning, reflecting, problem solving, and decision making.  The coach takes a nonjudgmental stance and uses tools of open-ended questions, wait time, paraphrasing, and probing for specificity.

Consulting - A consultant can be an information specialist or an advocate for content of process.  As an information specialist, the consultant delivers technical knowledge to another person or group.  As a content advocate, the consultant encourages the others to use a certain predetermined strategy.  To effectively consult, one must have trust, commonly defined goals and the desired outcomes clearly in mind.

From: The Adaptive School by Robert Garmston and Bruce Wellman