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Dear Friends and Clients,

I first explored mentoring programs back in the 70’s, when we were finding ways to encourage women to move into careers that traditionally had been closed to them. In those days, “mentoring” was regarded as a counter-culture idea, and some managers found it a threatening concept.

Today, however, mentoring programs are firmly entrenched in American corporate culture and careerists are often on the lookout for helpful mentors.

The critical point they sometimes miss, however, is that you can enrich your career by serving as a mentor as much as you can by having one.

One of the strengths of my career is that I acquired an early understanding of mentoring and have had an opportunity to build a rich network of mentoring relationships. In this issue I’ll offer some comments about why becoming a mentor can be a great career move, as well as suggestions about how to be an effective mentor.

Finally, I’ll note that there’s still no agreement on what to call a mentor’s protégée, but here I’ll use the term “mentoree”.

Warmly, Bev

Enrich & Expand Your Career
By Becoming a Mentor

July 19, 2005 * Number 19

The term “mentor” comes from the Greek classics, where Odysseus asked his friend Mentor to oversee his son’s education. Typically in a mentoring relationship one party is viewed as a teacher, while the other is treated as a protégée.

The relationship is much more than that of a student and teacher, however. When mentoring works well, both parties are empowered and both are learners. The relationship is a reciprocal partnership with tremendous potential for strengthening both parties’ careers.

You may already be convinced that you could use more mentors in your life, but perhaps you have focused less on the benefits of becoming one. Here are points to consider if you have an opportunity to serve as a mentor:

Learn more. The old line is true: there’s no better way to learn something than to be forced to teach it. As a mentor you may find yourself rethinking aspects of your job that you’ve started to take for granted, or you’ll discover renewed enthusiasm for expanding your knowledge.
Change your perspective. As a mentor you’ll find yourself looking at your tasks, your organization and your professional field in new ways. Your prejudices may be challenged and your sense of the marketplace may be updated.
Attract mentors. As a mentor you will develop a deeper understanding of how the mentoring relationship works, and you’ll refine your own skill at asking for help. As you get a better feel for the give-and-take nature of mentoring, you’ll find it easier to identify and engage mentors when you need them.
Build a network. If you routinely find opportunities to be a mentor, you will build relationships that cut across the generations and extend far beyond your regular social group. As your mentorees find and help each other, your network will grow stronger, expanding into a source of support that can help to carry you through your most challenging times.

Mentoring relationships may be created through formal programs, they may arise at the suggestion of one of the parties, or they may develop naturally, without discussion. As with other relationships, the more you’re willing to invest in your role as a mentor the more you are likely to get back. Here are suggestions for being an effective mentor:

Listen. Good mentors are good listeners. Be fully present when your mentoree talks, and control the urge to rush in with advice.
Don’t judge. Offer advice, but don’t demand that it be taken. Respect your mentorees’ own career choices and help them to achieve their goals, not yours.
Be honest. Be kind when you deliver criticism, but offer honest and timely feedback when your mentoree falls off course.
Learn. Be open to your mentorees’ viewpoints and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from their strengths. Don’t hesitate to switch roles, and accept your mentoree as a teacher in areas where you may have less expertise.
Be a champion. A good mentor lets others know about the mentoree’s strengths and achievements, and on occasion may act to protect the mentoree’s interests.
Walk the talk. The best way to teach is by doing. Model the behavior that will help your mentoree to grow.

Want to Read More About
Mentoring Relationships?

Described below is a book that explores mentoring relationships. To order this book from Amazon.com, click on its title.For reviews of other helpful books, go to ClearWays Books and Services. If you buy a book through these links it will contribute to the cost of distributing Bev’s Tips, and be much appreciated.

Tao Mentoring, by Chungliang Al Huang and Jerry Lynch, Harper Collins, 1995.

Philosopher Chungliang Al Huang and psychologist Jerry Lynch collaborate here to describe a mentoring approach that draws from both Eastern tradition and current Western thinking. They define “Tao mentoring” as “a two-way circular dance that provides opportunities for us to experience both giving and receiving without limitations and fears.”

The authors speak broadly about “mentoring,” noting that a mentor may be a boss, a friend, a parent or a teacher. The book isn’t a “how-to” guide so much as a series of reflections on how the Path of Tao can enrich the development of relationships in many arenas of life.

Much of the book explores a series of Taoist principles, or “virtues,” and illustrates their application to mentoring relationships. In discussing “attentiveness,” for example, the authors write that “to create a safe environment and encourage open conversation, Tao mentors listen with full attentiveness, not with their ears but with their spirit and heart.”

It takes a team. A strong and varied team can strengthen and enrich your career, and a coach can be a powerful addition to your team. Coach Bev works with CEOs and public affairs executives to meet organizational challenges and bring new energy to their work lives. If you want to learn more about coaching, or if you’re looking for a speaker or workshop to inspire your team, contact Bev.

Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life is published on the first and third Tuesday of each month by Beverly E. Jones of ClearWays Consulting, LLC. Bev is a lawyer and former executive who now coaches accomplished attorneys and other professionals to bring new direction, energy and enjoyment to their work lives.

All rights in all media reserved. However, the content of Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life may be forwarded in full without special permission on the condition that (1) it is for non-profit use and (2) full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other uses please contact Bev Jones.

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