I read this short interview with Martha Samuelson in one of the Sunday Daily News “Corner Office” business section. She had touched upon few interesting issues and one of them is mentoring. She said that one of the biggest mistakes people make is that they are trying to show their mentors what they can do instead of asking them for help. The title of the piece is “Ask Your Mentor for Help, Not Brownie Points.”
In a way we are all looking for some sort of approval, whether it is professional or social, and want to show our mentors, teachers or friends (talking of social) what we are capable of and that we are worth their time.
Martha advises pick somebody you like and figure out how to make it safe and comfortable for somebody to help you and give you feedback. Our management class did touch upon mentoring in a sense that it is important. Is it important to have a contact on a daily basis with your mentor or can someone who inspires you do the job just as well? Is it ok to admit that we don’t know and need help, especially if the person you ask is your boss or supervisor?
Do you have or had a mentor and how did you find one?
Zana
At my consulting firm, we recently started a Mentor program, where your mentor is assigned to you (by HR). The idea was to team up a senior staff member with junior staff… preferably someone who you may not ordinarily work with to develop a casual relationship and safe environment to express yourself. The idea was to schedule 1-2 meetings a month in or outside of the office (e.g. for coffee) to discuss work, life or anything you want to talk about.
ReplyDeleteI know several peers of mine have built successful mentor relationships with senior staff at my office, though, I tend to be biased to this type of arranged relationship. My gut reaction to this program was that you can never really be sure that your discussions are actually “safe”. I think that an arranged relationship like this one is not an automatic reason to entrust someone with confidential information (especially if you’re discussing important facts about your life or frustrating events pertaining to your job!).
I have, however, developed mentor-type relationships with other senior staff at my firm and found that these developed naturally without the pressure of a forced environment. I also stay connected to colleagues from past jobs (or even those who have left my current firm). I believe that a mentor can be anyone really: current or past co-workers, or even a hard-working friend that just landed that promotion. I choose my mentors based on those who have had successful career paths or that I get along with well. Either way I think it’s important to keep these relationships thriving… you just never know when you may cross paths with that person in the future!
Shikha Dalal
I think there is great value to having mentor relationships, but I actually learned something really valuable from one of my mentor relationships that went sour - last year I asked one of my colleagues (whom I like a great deal) to be a mentor - she is a great person to bounce ideas off of and give me advice on how to respond to some of the challenges we all have with Senior Leadership. However, she is also rather disorganized and scatterbrained, which results in an inefficient working style. What has been extremely valuable in this relationship is observing how others view her, and in talking with her how she perceives what is happening to her. She is really smart and sharp, but not really self reflective. If I were a manager I might actually consider removing her from the team, however I am not - but, the value for me from this relationship - insight into how I can improve my own work performance. This I think is an example of good coming from bad.
ReplyDelete-Ken
I also think it's invaluable to finf a mentor in the work-place. And I have struggled in the past with the "is it ok for me to ask this? or "will she think less of me if I have to ask that?" but in the end, it's part of a learning process. I am lucky to have a great metnor (my direct manager) who pushes me in directions I was not aware were even close to my strengths. Sometimes people see things in you that you dont even see; while I resisted that at first, the reality is that a mentor can truly guide you in the right direction. Similarly, I have developed a solid relationship with a colleague in a different department who is usually my "go-to" person for other forms of work advice - things I may not feel comfortable approaching my manager with.
ReplyDeleteValeria Bonanome
To answer your question, Zana, I think it's important to have someone at work who you can go to for direction when you're unsure. Similar to what Valeria mentioned, when I first began my career, I struggled through some of my tasks because I was too afraid of how I would be viewed if I asked for help. One of the most important lessons that I've learned is that you do more damage than good if you don't ask for help when you really need it. If you don't know something, you need to ask the questions so that you can learn. Like Valeria said, it's part of the learning process. I don't think that a good boss expects you to know everything, so I think it's perfectly fine if you need to ask questions once in a while, especially if you ask the right questions. I think your boss will appreciate it if you ask for help so that you are efficient in your job, versus not asking for help and ending up being inefficient. And for the record, you don't necessarily have to ask your boss for help either. That's where your other work relationships come into play. It's important to have positive working relationships throughout your organization. Aside from simply creating a better working environment, these relationships can be very beneficial when you need to ask specific questions.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of having a mentor, I think it's a great idea to have a person--or two--who you can seek guidance from. I have great relationships with both my past and current administrators, so I seek guidance from them on an as needed basis. I've never established formal mentor relationships, and I don't think I really need to.
I don't think that having a mentor is a bad idea, but is there any benefit to formally designating or asking someone to be your mentor?
Thanks to all for your interest in the issue and comments. I just came across this website: MicroMentor.org, which is a free online service that connects small business owners with volunteer business mentors and it is run by Mercy Corps, a nonprofit humanitarian agency. Apparently participating businesses (note private businesses) had a 75% increase in median annual business sales and 87% survival rate year over year. Because you can have more than one mentor there is also an opportunity to create a virtual advisory board.
ReplyDeleteIt is sort of what we are doing here on this blog.
Cheers everyone :)
Zana
Sorry--I forgot to include my name in the comment above from December 10th.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, I just read in one of my other textbooks that there are actually several benefits of having a mentor. One benefit is that it can "significantly influence the protege/protegee's future career". According to the reading, a study revealed that employees who had mentors received higher compensation and more promotions than non-mentored employees. In addition, the study revealed that mentored employees were more satisfied with their job and career.
Deanne
Reference: Kreitner, Robert, Angelo Kinicki (2007). Organizational Behavior, 7th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hi Zana--I think our messages crossed, but I also wanted to mention that the reading also specifically says that having a mentor within the organization is more beneficial, because that mentor can also assist with embedding the organization's culture.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess using MicroMentor.org is not a bad idea, but if you can find a mentor within the organization, I guess it would be better.
Good luck!
Deanne
Deanne
Thanks Deanne! I am glad you revealed your identity:) Best of luck to you as well.
ReplyDeleteZana
Similar to Ken, I feel that I have learned a lot about leadership through observing leaders-in-action as well as perceptions of those leaders by the members of their organization. This has really given me an appreciation for the fact that being a leader that is both effective and well-liked is not always an easy combination to come by. In addition, managing one's reputation among subordinates, peers and external stakeholders requires different techniques and personality traits. That said, I believe that the advantage of observing a leader within your own organization is that you may have a more nuanced understanding of the terrain that that leader is facing: what are the political factors, how is the organization structured, etc. In this way first-hand experience can be invaluable.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it's easy to get caught up in one's own workplace culture. A mentor from another organization may be able to shed fresh perspective on a situation that colleagues "on the inside" aren't able to access.
In college I had a professor I considered a mentor. She opened up to the class about her struggles and we valued her honesty and how candid she was when describing her own pitfalls.
ReplyDeleteI like that the article is called “Ask Your Mentor for Help, Not Brownie Points”. I think this title illustrates what our perceptions are and how they differ from reality. When you have a mentor it is second nature to put this person on a pedestal. However, when this person is honest with you and criticizes you it stings. So its best to go into a mentor-ship with the mindset that this person is here to guide you.
Also, I agree with Molly. That it is easy to get wrapped up in your organizations culture and its strategies and methods. Using someone from the outside for advice and guidance will actually prove to be more beneficial. We are searching for emotional intelligence when consulting with a mentor. It's best to get out of your comfort zone.
Angie Marin