Category

Mentoring

5 Tips for Effective Mentoring

By | Accounting, Mentoring, Nonprofit | No Comments

Mentors play an important role in our lives. From the coaches who taught us to draw from the strength within to the parents, relatives neighbors, friends and teachers who believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves, mentors change lives.

So why aren’t business people talking more about mentoring? Part of the reason is that we often think of mentors as something we only need when we first embark on our careers. We think that college students need mentors, not seasoned professionals. Thus, we may inadvertently miss opportunities both to be mentored and to mentor others.

What makes an effective mentor? Here are a few key takeaways on what effective mentoring looks like and how you can give and receive mentorship to others.

Mutual respect: For mentoring to be effective, there must be a feeling of mutual respect between the mentor and the mentee. Mentors must respect the personal space and boundaries of the people they are mentoring, and mentees must respect the wisdom, experience, and boundaries of the mentor.

  1. Accountability: Mentors aren’t just cheerleaders urging you on with praise. Instead, they hold you accountable to your goals and your talents. They know what you are capable of before you know it and they encourage you to stretch to reach higher goals. They call you on the carpet when you fail to live up to your promises.
  2. Trust: The mentoring role involves a great deal of trust. Mentors often trust mentees to take on greater responsibilities. Business leaders may assign tasks and goals to subordinates they are mentoring that feel like they are impossible to achieve, and then guide and encourage mentees to reach those goals. There’s a great deal of trust involved in this process since failure may mean a negative reflection on the mentor. In return, the mentee must trust the mentor’s wisdom in assigning, delegating, and evaluating their work.
  3. Generosity: The mentoring role is one of generosity. Mentors must generously share their time, talents, and feedback with those they are mentoring. You can’t be stingy and be a mentor.
  4. Encouragement: Mentors need to be unfailingly positive, encouraging even in the face of adversity or stumbling blocks. While a Pollyanna mindset isn’t desirable, an optimistic one tinted with reality is the best direction for a mentor.

Other key takeaways include:

  • Mirroring the good in the mentee and reflecting back what is right, true, smart and strong.
  • Teaching new skills and guiding mentees to their strengths.
  • Maturing, in that the mentor has walked the road before the mentee and knows that setbacks are temporary and can be overcome.
  • Positivity, an enduring sense that things will work out for the best.

Finding a Mentor

Given the value of the mentoring relationship, and the fact that mentoring can be a lifelong process, how do you find a mentor as an adult? As a child, teenager or young adult in the business world, mentors seem to come out of nowhere. A favorite teacher, grandparent, neighbor, coach steps into the role easily and naturally, and before we know it, we are learning and growing.

As a professional in the nonprofit world, it can be challenging (but not impossible) to find a mentor. Senior-level executives may find mentors through formal business organizations, nonprofit organizations, or among peer groups.

Reach out to your junior members and provide opportunities for growth and professional development. Slowly build up trust by allowing them to lead projects that increasingly stretch their talents and comfort zones. Guide, teach, and lead, but do not dictate; allow the person’s talents to grow at their own pace.

Keep in mind the concepts of mirror and positivity. Mirroring back the positives and reflecting back the good work without ignoring the mistakes is also an important part of mentoring.

Mentoring can be a lifelong event, one that enriches and supports personal and professional growth. Your organization will benefit from a culture that embraces mentoring and the role of mentors in the organization.

 Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Mentoring: It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore

By | Grant Management, Mentoring, Nonprofit | No Comments

The concept of mentoring was developed a long time ago to help young people develop business skills. More recently, the concept has expanded to include managers and executives who seek to improve their skills even at an advanced stage of their career. Here’s why mentoring is important at all levels of a professional career and how you can embrace a mentoring mindset – and become a mentor or mentee in your professions.

Here’s why mentoring is important at all levels of a professional career and how you can embrace a mentoring mindset – and become a mentor or mentee in your profession.

Benefits of Mentoring for Senior-Level Executives

Climbing the corporate ladder of success means mastering challenges on each rung before proceeding to the next level. But as you rise to the top, there are fewer peers to share ideas, ask for guidance or clarification, or gather feedback. The expression “it’s lonely at the top” comes to mind.

Mentoring pairs you with someone at or above your level of expertise so that you’re no longer alone. You now have a seasoned professional upon which to bounce ideas, seek input, or ask for help.

Many executives dislike asking for help from their peers within an organization. They may be afraid that asking for help means they are showing weakness as a leader. When your mentor is at the same leadership level as you but works for another organization, the fear of appearing weak evaporates.

Priorities for Executive Mentoring

“But wait,” you may ask, “if I’m an executive, doesn’t that mean that I have mastered the skills I need to do a good job?” Yes, and no.

Executives have clearly mastered many of the skills needed to lead an organization and have gained the trust of others. They may still have blind spots, however. Most executives need help with three areas: delegating, time management, and running effective meetings.

Delegating tasks is a skill many top workers struggle with. They feel it is easier to do a task themselves than to explain and delegate it to others. The problem with this attitude is that you can quickly become overwhelmed with work if you do not have good delegation skills.

Time management is another area many executives need coaching on because they spread themselves too thin. They overbook their schedules or burn out because they do not book any personal or ‘down time’ into their schedules.

Lastly, executives aren’t alone in the struggle to run effective meetings. Running a good meeting is a skill that can be learned. A mentor can coach you through the steps needed to improve your skills in these areas.

Finding a Mentor and Building a Relationship

Mentors can be found among professional associations, business groups, and other groups in which you already participate. Seek someone whose skills you admire and who you believe you can learn from on a regular basis.

Mentors and mentees should meet regularly, such as once a month. Mentors and mentees should establish clear goals, timelines, and milestones to achieve the goals. Expectations and accountabilities should be set for the relationship so that the time spent working together is focused and practical.

A specific plan, especially a written plan of action, helps with accountability issues. So too does meeting face to face. Schedule time to meet together so that it’s in your planner or calendar.

Lastly, be open and receptive to feedback from your mentor. Growth can be painful, and hearing feedback even if it is couched in gentle terms can be difficult.

 

Mentors are no longer relegated to college graduates entering the workplace. Today, executives at all levels know that having a mentor can make all the difference to their careers.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information