Mentoring Human Needs - March 2011

Mentors are faced with unique challenges every day!

As a mentor, we often are placed in positions where, based on our experience and expertise, we can quickly identify a problem and the solution – given that resources and capabilities are available to resolve the issue. However, in most cases, we have neither the authority nor the capability to change the outcome of events, except through persuasion and mentoring our partners - as they have the power to recommend, initiate, or even apply change.

Effective mentoring shouldn’t be seen as “just a job” because, in reality, mentoring is the impetus to provide meaningful change to our partner’s and their organizations.

To provide the best mentoring, a mentor works within the partner’s current system. That is why the assessment is so important. Mentor’s determine what is currently available to the partner and how the partner’s current system can be benefited by focusing efforts on the partner’s needs. Needs which the partner has identified with the mentor’s assistance..

Much of the effort we make, as mentors, is best done through human nature. It is not effective to force issues on our partners that might be seen as counter-culture, counter-tradition or even counter-system.

Many of us are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs. This psychological framework is a working model that can impact each of our partner’s and their organizations, no matter where we are serving. Maslow's hierarchy is one of the first theories taught in marketing classes as a basis for understanding consumers' motives for action.

Let’s briefly show the relationship between Maslow’s Hierarchy and our mentored partners needs, to identify how our mentoring program can have a positive impact. For purpose of illustration, I will reverse the traditional profile of the pyramid

Maslow's Needs                                             Mentored Partner's Needs
Level 1: Physical Needs                                  Physical capability to perform assigned tasks.
Level 2: Security Needs                                  Work environment that promotes task accomplishment.
Level 3: Association Needs                             Part of a team that supports planning and execution.
Level 4: Confidence Needs                             Participation in discussions and recommendations.
Level 5: Mastery Needs                                  Makes decisions that positively impact the organization.

As mentors it is our responsibility to help our mentored partners increase their skills to deal with their individual needs. This will increase their personal and professional capabilities as well and building organizational capacity.