Module Nine

Mentoring

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Few Questions…

• Think of a person you consider(ed) to be a mentor. • How did that person assist you? Be specific. • Was the relationship always positive for you? For the

other person? • Did you ever assist the person in a meaningful way?

How so?

9-2

Mentoring Functions – What do Mentors Provide?

Career functionsChallenging work assignmentsProtectionExposure/visibility Sponsorship Coaching

Psychosocial support FriendshipCounselingAcceptance Role modeling

9-3

Mentoring Phases – How do Mentoring Relationships Evolve?

• Initiation (first six to twelve months)– Get acquainted; establish expectations

• Cultivation (two to five years)– Time during which most mentoring occurs; protégé

gains competence and skills • Separation (undefined)

– Protégé, having gained needed support, seeks autonomy; often marked by feelings of loss or distress

• Redefinition (undefined)– Relationship redefined as parties become peers; this

phase does not always occur9-4

Mentoring BenefitsBenefits

Protégé More promotionsHigher incomes Greater job and career satisfactionClarity of professional identity Enhanced self-confidencePersonal learning

Mentor Heightened personal and job satisfactionFaster promotion rateDevelopment of base of support within the organization

Organizational Enhanced employee retention and organizational communicationImproved leadership development

9-5

THE MENTOR/LEADER - DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE LEADERS (Boyatzis, 2006)

• Leadership requires the exercise of influence or power

• Leaders are under a steady flow of stress related to the exercise of power and its responsibility

• For leaders to sustain themselves, the human response to stress must be ameliorated.

• To sustain their effectiveness leaders should emphasize coaching (with compassion) as a key part of their role and behavioral habits (Boyatzis et al, 2006)

9-6

Potential Mentoring Relationship Dysfunctions

• Sabotage (e.g., a mentor or protégé could ignore the other party or seek revenge for a perceived wrongdoing)

• Negative relations (e.g., a mentor may exploit or bully the protégé)

• Submissiveness (e.g., if a protégé becomes overly dependent upon a mentor)

• Deception (e.g., active attempts to deceive the other party)

9-7

Mentoring Alternatives: Other Developmental Relationships

• A mentoring relationship—a relationship between a senior, more experienced mentor and a junior protégé—is one type of learning vehicle

• Other types– Peers at “co-learners”– Community organizations– Teams– Family members– Friends outside of work– Task forces– Network groups

9-8

Diversity and Mentoring

• Gender • Race • Age

9-9

Successful Formal Mentoring Programs

A clear set of objectives aligned with human resources and business strategy

Sponsorship by senior leaders Communications and training Choosing appropriate mentors and matching of

mentors and protégés Evaluation and review of the mentoring program The need for a skillful program coordinator

9-10

Newer Mentoring Themes

• Mentoring to aid expatriate assignments (e.g., assignment of pre-departure, on-site, and repatriation developers)

• E-Mentoring• Leveraging one’s developmental network in a

turbulent career context

9-11

Developmental Network “A group of people who take an active interest in and

action to advance a focal person’s career.”

CommunityOrganization

MentorFamily member

Peer

Friend

Focal Individual

Spend a few minutes thinking about who is in your network.

9-12

Using Your Developmental Network to Experience Growth

1. Create a career and personal growth plan Identify goals, desired skills, strengths to build upon

2. Identify your current developmental network3. Conduct a gap analysis

Consider skills and strengths you need to get to a desired future state; key events that need to happen

4. Outline what your network should look like in order to “fill the gaps”

5. How can you foster a network that will be responsive to your needs?

9-13