Mentoring (CONT’D FROM PAGE 24)
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
Teach Success So what specific skills should your mentoring program teach? Start with the vagaries of company culture. “Businesses are like playing fields,” says Frankel. “There are rules, boundaries and strategies that have to be employed if players — in this case employees — want to be successful. Most often these are not things that are written down, but rather things that people learn from ob- serving and working closely with colleagues.” Not knowing the rules of the game can be dangerous. New employees — and even some seasoned ones — might not realize they are going out of bounds until their careers or reputations have been damaged. Examples? Weiss offers one: “A mentee might ask ‘Is it appropriate for me to bring up a certain topic at the next employee meeting?’” Getting the right guidance on such a matter is important, says Weiss. “If you fail to speak up about a critical matter at the meeting you might be regard- ed as unobservant. But if you make the wrong statement, or the right statement at the wrong time, people may feel you lack sensitivity to the work environment.” Here are some other common mentoring topics: • How should a newly promoted individual deal with old friends who have suddenly become subordinates? “While new supervisors cannot hang out with their for- mer peers, sometimes it is not clear what interactions they should have,” says Weiss. “A mentor can help the newly promoted individual sidestep the old familiarities without being rude.” • Who are the influential players in each department? What is the best way to approach each, given their per- sonal management styles? • How are decisions made in the organization? Is there a common process by which new ideas are vetted? What is the best way to introduce a new idea without ruffling feathers? • How, and with whom, should a mentee network to get ahead? What players have the ears of the top people? • What steps should a person take to improve his or her professional stance? Earn a higher degree? Teach workshops? Solve a workplace problem? Maybe men- tor others? Share Expertise So what makes a great mentor? Before anything else, the individual must have expertise worth sharing. “Great mentors have something to offer because they have achieved success in their careers,” says Goruk. “They are willing to share their bad as well as their good work life ex- periences, pointing out the mistakes that they and others have made.” Such openness requires self-confidence. “A mentor must be able to trust people,” says Star. “Not everyone has that capability. Some people feel threatened by the act of sharing their talent, because they feel they might be
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August 1, 2022
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