| Faced with
increasing internal and external forces such as downsizing,
businesses are responding by seeking ways to maximize
productivity. One way is by cultivating human resources
encouraging employees to be responsible for not only
producing but also growing (p. 2). One way to facilitate
this personal growth is mentoring which is described
as strategically affecting “the professional life
of someone else by fostering insight, identifying needed
knowledge and expanding the other person’s horizons
(p. back cover).”
The book thoroughly
steps through the mentoring process by discussing the
foundation and progression of the mentoring process.
It begins with covering what mentors do and how they
do it. The central goal for mentors is to inspire protégés
to “learn and grow; to see new things and new
possibilities not only in their jobs, but in themselves
(p. 6).”
A number of
roles are described that a mentor must assume and reasons
for each role. The three main ways to accomplish mentoring
are ally, catalyst and coach. To accomplish these effectively,
a mentor will find him/herself teaching, advising,
storytelling, or whatever the situation dictates (p.
6). Empathetic listening is a critical skill for a
mentor to assist protégés with discovering
what the “real, true, underlying issue is (p.
7).” Empathetic listening is defined as “listening
in order to understand – but not sympathize with – where
the other person is coming from, what he or she is
feeling, thinking, or experiencing (p. 7).”
A valuable section is provided on types of questions called high-gain
questions. Three types of questions are evaluated: investigative,
discovery, and empowering questions. Examples of each type of question
and conducive environments as well as structure of the questions
are provided.
A concept
called an “internal checklist” is used
throughout the book. This enormously beneficial set
of checklists provides a variety of available questions.
This encourages the mentor to verbalize thought processes
to afford the protégé access to decision-making
processes to incorporate for future situations as needed.
This practice guides in the development of critical
thinking skills. This concept was also addressed as “Reflection-in-Action” in
the Reflective Practitioner.
The book’s
unique approach is to demonstrate the various aspects
of the mentoring process by providing various scenarios
between Ruth, the mentor, and Art, the mentee. Both
are employees of a company participating in its corporate
mentoring program. The phases of mentoring presented
through these scenarios include the preparation for
and conduct of the initial meeting. Mentoring to address
problems is also demonstrated as well as feedback strategies,
developmental assignments, and evaluation of the mentoring
process.
Information
gleaned from the initial demonstration includes the
greeting, contents of the initial meeting, clearly
articulated expectations, and discerning the mentee’s
goals, strengths, and weaknesses (p. 21). Helping mentees
address problems includes help identified the issue,
mentoring also seeks to find value in the process of
resolving issues. Mentors also assist mentees to clarify
and articulate their mental processes in approaching
the problem (p. 37).
Feedback styles
are presented in two major categories: Judging Presenter
and Dialogue. “Judging Presenter” comes
in two forms, corrective or confirming feedback. Dialogue,
however, is a “discovery dialogue” between
mentor and mentee (p. 50).
A clever mnemonic
to frame feedback is provided (p. 50):
Specific
Explicit
Achievable
Timely
The third
scenario between Ruth and Art illustrates activity
development. A few key concepts are stressed to ensure
the mentee participates in the development of the process
and plan. Expectations and goals for the outcome must
be clear. As in every phase of the mentoring process,
listening to the mentee is crucial. Listening at this
phase encourages the critical-thinking skills mentioned
earlier. An element of teaching may be required to
ensure success if the mentee needs a model due to inexperience
or lack of knowledge. Finally, monitoring the progress
is essential (p. 66-67).
The final
scenario looks at the termination of the mentoring
relationship (between Ruth and Art.) This phase of
the process is referred to as “After-Action Tactical
Mentoring (p. 77).” This step allows for reflection
of learning and experiences throughout the mentoring
process. Additionally, any mistakes that are made need
to be clarified and corrected, activities escalated
to outlive the mentoring relationship, and to ensure
application of learned concepts to future work (p.
77).
Finally, a
helpful concept is introduced “The Mentor’s
Notepad” throughout this book. This notepad highlights
important information conveyed in the text via a succinct,
bulleted format.
The epilogue
summarizes six important keys to the mentoring dialogue:
1. Growth
ultimately defines success of the mentoring process.
2. The mentor is not the source of all knowledge and that collectively,
mentor and mentee can achieve far more.
3. Mentors must challenge their own realities.
4. Awareness of any bias is key to any successful mentoring relationship
or interaction.
5. Mentoring should foster an open and trusting environment in
which thoughts can be shared freely.
6. Protégés are colleagues with valuable knowledge
and experience.
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