Mentoring

Taking g a Journey y to Help p Others on Theirs

Daniel Campbell
Administrative Program Coordinator, COBRE/Idaho Host Pathogen g Interaction Research Center

Nancy y Shrope p
Assistant Director, Office of Grant and Research Development
October 2009

To begin, mentoring really is fun!

Our Journey Today

Our Definition of Mentoring Mentoring Vs. Coaching Why seek a mentor Why be a mentor Why mentor at all? Roles of a mentoring partnership Myths and Realities Choosing a Mentor Pitfalls to avoid Interactive The home stretch References

Definition of Mentoring
Dictionary - Greek myth, was the name of Odysseus teacher Wise and trusted counselor S Someone who h has h been b there, th done d that th t and got the t-shirt

Famous Mentors and Mentees

Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great

Martin Scorsese mentored Oliver Stone

Famous Mentors
Johann Christian Bach mentored Mozart

Obi-wan Kenobi mentored Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke Skywalker

The Point
Mentoring relationships are quite common They can happen in any industry or sector They are historically proven Th can be They b helpful, h l f l and d beneficial b fi i l to t everybody, everywhere
Even E i a galaxy in l far f far f away! !

Mentoring vs. Coaching

Mentoring:
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher to (another person)

Coaching:
To train or tutor or act as a trainer or tutor

Can you have one with the other? YES

Why Seek a Mentor?

Increase your skill level Get G t help h l in i setting tti career goals l Networking Help develop listening skills

Why Seek a Mentor?

Build confidence and self awareness Identify and take advantage of your opportunities for growth Benefit from the experience with your mentor Learn how to transfer acquired q knowledge to current issues

Why Seek a Mentor?

You can learn from someone with more experience, training, or might have a deeper understanding You have someone to look to for advice i a professional in f i l setting tti You can gain an enormous amount of insight g and knowledge g from them

Why be a Mentor?
Develop/enhance relationship skills Benefit from the experience of your mentee Discover new ways of helping people that you can apply in your life Develop p a learning g context in which your cross-functional skills are enhanced

Why Mentor at all?

It can be a way to help employees to grow It can be beneficial to your organization Your mentee will provide you with feedback on how you are as a mentor, giving you an opportunity to grow and learn It is rewarding, both personally and professionally

Mentoring is NOT cloning!

Attributes of a Mentor
A good mentor is someone Who keeps a mentees trust and confidences Is honest honest, truthful and straightforward Is willing to spend time with you when needed d d Has the ability to accept a different opinion

Finding a Mentor
Professional Associations and Groups Committees and reports (who is doing what) Open you eyes to those around you!

Choosing a Mentor
Find individuals with experience in the area you are interested in
A colleague, a supervisor, an employee (yes it can be someone who reports to you)

Ask someone who is as excited about learning as you are

Finding a Mentee
Most likely they will find you! Be open to when someone asks for mentoring If y you cant mentor them at that time, explain p why, and help set them up with someone else (if possible) Treat you mentees like gold, word will get around! d!

Why Have Different Mentors

Variety different viewpoints can give you a better, y , broader and more global g perspective Different aspects of life not everyone has the same personal or professional experiences

A bad example of a mentoring relationship

Types of Mentoring Relationships

Source: Shea, Gordon F., Mentoring (3rd ed..) 2002 as adapted from UW Human Resources

Examples of Mentoring Relationships

New Hire pairing of a new employee p y with a more seasoned employee
Helps expose a new employee to the organization g Provides a ready conduit to understanding the culture and common practices Can reduce start-up costs (training) while providing a go to person for the new employee

Examples of Mentoring Relationships

Guiding Mentor (MKO)
Provides the mentee with access to a person who has a better understanding p g or higher skill level in an area Can be a type of recognition to the mentor for their service and expertise Usually ad-hoc or project/task specific

Examples of Mentoring Relationships

Model Mentor A junior or new individual who identifies someone whose footsteps they want to follow in
Provides mentee with chance to learn from one who is where they y want to be someday y Can create a pipeline for new employees to fill critical positions in the organization

Types of Mentoring Relationships

Buddy Mentor a friend or close g board for associate who is a sounding thoughts, ideas and feelings
Provides an outlet for inventive ideas, frustrations and g general conversations Helps to build strong network connections for down the road

Roles of a Mentoring Partnership

Mentor
Listen to them, help them to learn and be there for them Provide honest constructive feedback, guidance and observations Not be a decision maker or problem solver, but rather a guide g

Roles of a Mentoring Partnership

Mentor
Make their needs/goals a priority for the relationship Be willing to take honest constructive feedback from them as well

Roles of a Mentoring Partnership

Mentee
Listen to them, learn from them and grow g Be willing to accept and give honest constructive feedback both as a learner and a teacher feedback, Have realistic expectations p of what you y want your y mentor(s) to help you with Not e expect pect them to do it for you, o b but t rather help you find the way to do it for yourself

You find each other, now what?

Break the Ice, get a plan

Finding a mentor (mentee) is different from actually mentoring. You need to have some sort of icebreaker to take the mentoring partnership to the next level An effective method is to identify (and d develop) l ) a mentoring t i plan l

Why have a mentoring plan

Outlines what you are trying to do, where you are trying to do, and what you are trying to learn. Keeps you from becoming the pest and turns you into the mentee Will encourage someone to MAKE the time f you! for !

Developing a mentoring plan

Identify the areas you want to grow and develop (goals identification) Identify individuals that may be influential Lay y out expectations p for y yourself and what you hope to gain from them Determine communications methods and frequency of contact

Myths and Realities

Myth: I have to have the same personality with my mentor/protg

Myths and Realities

Myth: I have to have the same personality with my mentor/protg Reality: R lit While Whil it may h help, l the th common reality is an understanding that the relationship l ti hi will ill contribute t ib t to t each h others success

Myths and Realities

Myth: Mentoring is a one on one experience

Myths and Realities

Myth: Mentoring is a one on one experience Reality: R lit I In t today's d ' environment i t that th t is i not t always what works
G Graduate d t committees itt Professional societies with one person adopting multiple individuals with varying strengths and abilities

Myths and Realities

Myth: Mentoring must consume a large amount of time.

Myths and Realities

Myth: Mentoring must consume a large amount of time. Reality: R lit It Its not td daily il h handholding, dh ldi but b t rather making yourself available to help guide, id to t listen li t and d to t learn l (both (b th ways) )

Myths and Realities

Myth: You can only be a mentor or mentee, you cant can t be both at the same time.

Myths and Realities

Myth: You can only be a mentor or mentee, you cant be both at the same time. Reality: y Think of the roles we know of so far, , you have to learn and be willing to learn. By agreeing to serve in one role, you are agreeing to serve in both at the same time!

Myths and Realities

Myth: As a mentor, your mentee expects you to have all the answers

Myths and Realities

Myth: As a mentor, your mentee expects you to have all the answers Reality: y Be honest, , you y p probably y have more answers than they do, but no one has ALL the answers. If that happens, then tell them and work with them so you can both find a solution/answer.

Pitfalls to Avoid
Neither the mentor or mentee should undertake the relationship lightly. S Some thi things to t watch t h out t for: f Power (instead of partnership) Control (instead of cooperation) Manipulation (instead of respect)

Pitfalls to Avoid
Neither the mentor or mentee should undertake the relationship lightly. S Some thi things to t watch t h out t for: f
Unclear or poorly defined goals for the relationship No plan for success Not having a exit strategy if the relationship does in fact have a timeframe or if it is not working for either

Pitfalls to Avoid
Neither the mentor or mentee should undertake the relationship lightly. S Some thi things to t watch t h out t for: f Mismatch between mentor and mentee
sometimes people just dont mesh

Unrealistic expectations,
when the mentee expects (or demands) too much

Breaches of confidentiality,
when the mentor breaks the trust with their mentee

Interactive
5 Second Quiz:
You have to explain what a mentor is and does beyond what we have said here today. Your Answer is

Interactive
5 Second Quiz:
If you have been a mentor, list the top 5 most important things you were able to give to your mentee Now list the top 5 most important things that you received from your mentee

Interactive
5 Second Quiz:
If you have been a mentee list the top 5 most important things you were able to give to your mentor Now list the top 5 most important things that you received from your mentor

Where to draw the line - Mentors

Investing financially in mentee's business or life pursuits
You may be asked by your mentee to invest or participate in a business opportunity. Called a dual relationship in counseling This is a bad idea
I'm honored that you asked, AND I have to say no. I'd like to keep our relationship strictly a mentoring partnership at this time Once our formal partnership has ended time. ended, I'd I d be glad to entertain a discussion about options like that. How about if we identify some other sources for you.

Where to draw the line - Mentors

"Working" for your Mentee
Mentee asks or hires hires you to help write their resume, complete applications or solicit reviews of their performance from others Remember, R b you are a guide, id not t an employee l
I appreciate your faith in my ability to do that task. However, this is a step I'd rather not take. I prefer working behind the scenes with you and helping you do this important task yourself. I'll be very glad to give you feedback as you go along. l

Where to draw the line - Mentors

Playing personal counselor
You may be crossing crossing the line line if you give advice outside your areas of expertise If things go badly, they may want to blame you or even retaliate t li t Depending on the situation, you may also be placing yourself in an actionable position
I'm glad you mentioned ____. I care very much about you and want to support you as you deal with this. this As we discussed when we set up our relationship, we may run into something I'm not an expert on. I believe this is one of those situations. How about if we talk with ______ on this and come up with a way you can get the assistance you need?

Just Remember

References
Washington ES, Mentoring in today's workplace, www.csinet.org online archive April-May 2005 The American Heritage College Dictionary, Third edition 1993 Mason C., Bailey E., Benefits and Pitfalls of Mentoring; STC 50th Annual Conference Proceedings - http://www.stc.org/ConfProceed/2003/PDFs/STC50-003.pdf Bell, C.R., Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning, 2nd ed, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, Francisco 2002. 2002 Cohen N., The Manager Pocket Guide to Effective Mentoring, HRD Press, Amherst, MA., 1999. Covey S.R., Principle-Centered Leadership, Summit Books, New York NY, 1991. Shea G.F., Mentoring: A Practical Guide, Crisp Publications, Menlo Park. CA, 1997. Solomon M., Coaching the Boss, Computerworld, Vol. 35, Iss. 5, Framington, Jan. 29, 2001 Warner F., Warner, F Inside Intel Intels s Mentoring Movement Movement, Fast Company Company, Coston, Coston April 2002. 2002 The Free Online Dictionary, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dict.asp?Word=mentoring

Mentoring Partners Handbook, Center for Coaching & Mentoring, Inc. http://coachingandmentoring com/ http://coachingandmentoring.com/

References
Linda Phillips-Jones, Ph.D., The Mentoring Group. www.mentoringgroup.com Date Accessed December 1, 2008.