Over the past couple of years, mentoring has become the “operative” word in many organizations as the quick, panacea to success. Some organizations feel that if you change the name of previous practices, that that is enough to make the future different from the past. In most cases, a name change only camouflages the natural results which will be the same as nothing has really changed. Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing, the same way, and expecting different results.
Mentoring is more than just changing the name of the current method of “training.” It is changing the process by which we transfer skills and knowledge to create greater individual capability and organizational capacity. At MPRI we recognize that our mentoring effort is an expectation that our contract partners can succeed and progress in their environments by providing added value to them through the Mentoring Process of assessment, planning, execution and evaluation.
Mentoring is our “bridge of expectations”…and it can be crossed through the effective work of our mentors, the effort of our partners and the oversight of our program management teams.
Dr. Barry Sweeny, a member of the Board of Directors, International Mentoring Association (our accrediting organization) has taught on the impact of mentoring and its affect upon those we mentor. In his presentation he uses the terms coaching and training. At MPRI, we can also apply any of the mentoring skills that are required to influence our partners through the directive, cooperative, influencing and validating levels of mentoring.
Research has shown that:
• Learners that will transfer a new skill into their practice as a result of learning a theory = 5%
• Learners that will transfer a new skill into their practice as a result of learning a theory & seeing a demonstration = 10%
• Learners that will transfer a new skill into their practice as a result of theory, demonstration & practice during the training = 20%
• Learners that will transfer a new skill into their practice as a result of theory, demonstration, practice & corrective feed back during the training = 25%
• Learners that will transfer a new skill into their practice as a result of theory, demonstration, practice, feed back during training & in-situation mentoring = 90%
Dr. Sweeny reminds us that any skill, such as "coaching" must be taken within the context of the mentoring relationship, for just providing technical support (coaching, or other mentoring skill) is NOT enough to make sure that those we mentor actually implement in practice what they have learned in training. It has been realized that NO ONE will take the risks of growing in front of another person, or their advice and "coaching" unless they first have a relationship of mutual trust with that person. Mentoring provides that relationship within which effective coaching can lead to risk-taking and growth.
Dr. Sweeny describes the above picture, based on mentoring research by Joyce and Showers (1987), which has been proven accurate time and again over the past 20 years, shows that the “waters” of implementation are “shark-infested” and not fertile areas for risk-taking, growth, or learning.
He states that, “only when mentoring skills are provided is it reasonable to expect that our (mentored partners) will be able to:
o adapt strategies learned in training
o solve the problems of adoption and fitting new strategies to existing settings and other skills, and...
o master the new strategies
so that their day-to-day practice is improved and the desired results (expectations!) are increased.
In conclusion, he advocates that “whether that training is in a classroom and face-to-face, or e-learning on the web, these principles are at work and the results will be the same. Except in the case of increasing awareness when no implementation is expected, the only time we should even provide any training to begin with is when we will also provide the follow up support people deserve to help them implement what the training has taught them. Otherwise, why waste our time and resources to provide training we KNOW will never change practice?! We shouldn't!!”
Mentoring is not a solution to change it is the methodology of change. The solution is found only in the mentored partner. That is why our expectations must be realistic, our efforts consistent, and our support unlimited to our mentored partners.
MPRI advocates that mentoring is the most effective way to change people and organizations.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Ways to Communicate (November 2010)
Communicating with our partners is the most essential task we have as mentors! There are only two ways to communicate; verbal or non-verbal. Both ways can be powerful tools that establish, reinforce and transfer information about ourselves, our experience and our knowledge.
Often, when working in non-US environments, we have to pay special attention to the verbal and non-verbal communication of our partners. Different cultures have different ways of looking at similar things.
For example, hand and eye gestures can mean totally different things to people of different cultures. The clicking of the tongue, flick of the chin, or personal space as often misread by those not familiar with the cultures and traditions.
What can be seen as familiarity in western society can be seen as an affront to tradition, religion or cultural norms in another society.
How well we communicate will often determine our success on a daily basis and have a major impact on our long-term progress with our partners.
Even in a familiar, or similar culture, there are may be unintended slights that lead to serious consequences when we do not pay attention to common sense actions when dealing with our partners in their environment. Often we are the one from outside the environment, looking in and trying to accommodate the needs of our partners with realistic training and work experiences that will benefit both the partner and their organization.
In order to help with our communication, here are some simple reminders (courtesy of Lee Mun Wah, Stir-Fry Seminars) that can be used as we leverage our productivity as mentors.
1. Reflect back what is being said. Use their words, not yours.
2. Begin where they are, not where you want them to be.
3. Be curious and open to what they are trying to say.
4. Notice what they are saying and what they are not.
5. Emotionally relate to how they are feeling. Nurture the relationship.
6. Notice how you are feeling. Be honest and authentic.
7. Take responsibility for your part in the communication.
8. Try to understand how their past affects who they are and how those experiences affect their relationship with you.
9. Stay with the process and the relationship, not just the solution.
MENTORING TIP FROM THE FIELD
“I think developing (a) relationship is key to my success in Afghanistan. It is the relationships I have, with not only the Afghans, but the military, Coalition Forces and the civilian population as well. You must understand the Afghan culture in order to take the subject matter expertise you have, “Afghanize” that expertise, and nurture that “Afghanized” doctrine into practice within the Afghanistan _________________.”
“Continual communication, constant improvement, learning one new thing about my partner, his challenges, or my mentoring responsibilities every day, while building upon our professional relationship (mutual trust and respect) … even in small chunks.”
Often, when working in non-US environments, we have to pay special attention to the verbal and non-verbal communication of our partners. Different cultures have different ways of looking at similar things.
For example, hand and eye gestures can mean totally different things to people of different cultures. The clicking of the tongue, flick of the chin, or personal space as often misread by those not familiar with the cultures and traditions.
What can be seen as familiarity in western society can be seen as an affront to tradition, religion or cultural norms in another society.
How well we communicate will often determine our success on a daily basis and have a major impact on our long-term progress with our partners.
Even in a familiar, or similar culture, there are may be unintended slights that lead to serious consequences when we do not pay attention to common sense actions when dealing with our partners in their environment. Often we are the one from outside the environment, looking in and trying to accommodate the needs of our partners with realistic training and work experiences that will benefit both the partner and their organization.
In order to help with our communication, here are some simple reminders (courtesy of Lee Mun Wah, Stir-Fry Seminars) that can be used as we leverage our productivity as mentors.
1. Reflect back what is being said. Use their words, not yours.
2. Begin where they are, not where you want them to be.
3. Be curious and open to what they are trying to say.
4. Notice what they are saying and what they are not.
5. Emotionally relate to how they are feeling. Nurture the relationship.
6. Notice how you are feeling. Be honest and authentic.
7. Take responsibility for your part in the communication.
8. Try to understand how their past affects who they are and how those experiences affect their relationship with you.
9. Stay with the process and the relationship, not just the solution.
MENTORING TIP FROM THE FIELD
“I think developing (a) relationship is key to my success in Afghanistan. It is the relationships I have, with not only the Afghans, but the military, Coalition Forces and the civilian population as well. You must understand the Afghan culture in order to take the subject matter expertise you have, “Afghanize” that expertise, and nurture that “Afghanized” doctrine into practice within the Afghanistan _________________.”
“Continual communication, constant improvement, learning one new thing about my partner, his challenges, or my mentoring responsibilities every day, while building upon our professional relationship (mutual trust and respect) … even in small chunks.”
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
“Quick Start” Mentoring Certification (August 2010)
For the past two plus years our Mentoring Partnership Program has demonstrated a high degree of success in accomplishing our mentoring tasks with our mentored partners. During that time, our certification process has been a 12-month exercise, where a portion of the certification was accomplished each month, so as not to take time away from the important work that was being accomplished.
We have seen our mentoring work make dramatic changes with our mentored partners by the increase of time that is spent mentoring rather than doing the partner’s work. When we did our initial study we found that circumstances required us to spend 65% of our time to, literally, “do the partner’s work” rather than mentoring the partner on the skills and techniques to adapt universal concepts and principles into their operations.
Since establishing the Mentoring Partnership Program we have seen our mentoring work rise from 20% of our time to an average of about 45% of our time and the “partner work” drop to an average of about 20% of our time. This is an excellent trend as it shows that our mentored partners are becoming more involved in the mentoring process and that changes are being made in a consistent manner.
Because of this success, we have received numerous requests to increase the opportunity for mentoring certification. As the certification process is still a “self-initiated” program, we determined that for those who desired to spend a little more time enhancing their already excellent mentoring skills earlier in their assignment that we could modify the certification process into a 60-day period.
We have found that this 60-day period has been generally accepted as the optimum time that we initiate the mentoring process and assist our mentored partners. We have recognized that 60-days in generally the amount of time that our uniform partners expect newly assigned personnel to be up and running with their missions. We feel the same based on the survey’s that we get back for the field that indicates that 60-days are the make or break time for our efforts with our mentored partners. After 60-days we have pretty much determined the course of our actions for the next 180+ days.
As we send more mentors to the field, there has been a desire to obtain certification earlier so as to better perform their mentoring responsibilities. Beginning this month, we have established our “Quick Start” program to facilitate a more rapid certification process. Upon completion of the “Quick Start” checklist (which is attached) mentors will be certified. The process still takes about 12 hours of personal time to complete. This is well above the standards of mentoring certification found in most organizations, which only average about 5 hours of mentor preparation.
The key element in the certification process is the 60-day survey and the mentoring project paper. For those who have completed 60-days on assignment, you are encouraged to complete the mentoring process. If you have any questions on the certification process, please contact me at joseph.allred@L-3com.com.
We have seen our mentoring work make dramatic changes with our mentored partners by the increase of time that is spent mentoring rather than doing the partner’s work. When we did our initial study we found that circumstances required us to spend 65% of our time to, literally, “do the partner’s work” rather than mentoring the partner on the skills and techniques to adapt universal concepts and principles into their operations.
Since establishing the Mentoring Partnership Program we have seen our mentoring work rise from 20% of our time to an average of about 45% of our time and the “partner work” drop to an average of about 20% of our time. This is an excellent trend as it shows that our mentored partners are becoming more involved in the mentoring process and that changes are being made in a consistent manner.
Because of this success, we have received numerous requests to increase the opportunity for mentoring certification. As the certification process is still a “self-initiated” program, we determined that for those who desired to spend a little more time enhancing their already excellent mentoring skills earlier in their assignment that we could modify the certification process into a 60-day period.
We have found that this 60-day period has been generally accepted as the optimum time that we initiate the mentoring process and assist our mentored partners. We have recognized that 60-days in generally the amount of time that our uniform partners expect newly assigned personnel to be up and running with their missions. We feel the same based on the survey’s that we get back for the field that indicates that 60-days are the make or break time for our efforts with our mentored partners. After 60-days we have pretty much determined the course of our actions for the next 180+ days.
As we send more mentors to the field, there has been a desire to obtain certification earlier so as to better perform their mentoring responsibilities. Beginning this month, we have established our “Quick Start” program to facilitate a more rapid certification process. Upon completion of the “Quick Start” checklist (which is attached) mentors will be certified. The process still takes about 12 hours of personal time to complete. This is well above the standards of mentoring certification found in most organizations, which only average about 5 hours of mentor preparation.
The key element in the certification process is the 60-day survey and the mentoring project paper. For those who have completed 60-days on assignment, you are encouraged to complete the mentoring process. If you have any questions on the certification process, please contact me at joseph.allred@L-3com.com.
Four Things Good Mentors Do And One They Don’t! (July 2010)
Mentor Note: This is a guest editorial by Hal Portner, one of our mentoring colleagues of the International Mentoring Association. He writes a periodic column for the Boston Examiner on Mentoring Issues. His comment below demonstrates the universal value of mentoring practices and principles and supports our Mentoring Partnership Process methodology in concept, if not by name. Although his focus is on academic mentoring, the process works equally well in our mentoring environment.
* * * * * *
“Good mentors relate, assess, coach, and support. Done well, these functions stimulate their protégés’ creative and critical thinking, empower them to envision future situations, encourage them to take informed risks, and help them build the capacity to develop perceptive decisions and take appropriate actions.
1. Relating - Good mentors build and maintain relationships with their protégés based on mutual trust, respect, and professionalism. Relating behaviors create an environment that allows mentors to develop a genuine understanding of their protégés’ ideas and needs and encourages them to honestly share and reflect.
2. Assessing - Good mentors gather and diagnose data about their protégés’ ways of learning; they determine their protégés’ competency and confidence to handle a given situation. Assessing behaviors ensure that the protégés’ needs and learning styles are identified so that mentoring decisions can be based on a thoughtful consideration of a variety of data.
3. Coaching - Good mentors challenge their protégés by raising the bar. They help their protégés fine-tune their skills, enhance their grasp of information, and acquire resources. Coaching behaviors allow mentors to serve as role models to their protégés, to share relevant experiences, and especially to open new opportunities.
4. Supporting - Good mentors listen. They are sounding boards for ideas. They look for opportunities to provide resources. They act as cheerleader when things go well and encourage their protégés to reflect when they don’t.
“A good Mentor is not a guru or master teacher at whose feet one sits hoping to absorb life’s mysteries. The role of mentor as “expert-who-has-the-answers” has its place and value, but a neophyte needs to develop the capacity and confidence to make his or her own informed decisions, enrich his or her own knowledge, and sharpen his or her own abilities. That is the mentor’s role, and the good Mentor knows this.”
* * * * * *
“Good mentors relate, assess, coach, and support. Done well, these functions stimulate their protégés’ creative and critical thinking, empower them to envision future situations, encourage them to take informed risks, and help them build the capacity to develop perceptive decisions and take appropriate actions.
1. Relating - Good mentors build and maintain relationships with their protégés based on mutual trust, respect, and professionalism. Relating behaviors create an environment that allows mentors to develop a genuine understanding of their protégés’ ideas and needs and encourages them to honestly share and reflect.
2. Assessing - Good mentors gather and diagnose data about their protégés’ ways of learning; they determine their protégés’ competency and confidence to handle a given situation. Assessing behaviors ensure that the protégés’ needs and learning styles are identified so that mentoring decisions can be based on a thoughtful consideration of a variety of data.
3. Coaching - Good mentors challenge their protégés by raising the bar. They help their protégés fine-tune their skills, enhance their grasp of information, and acquire resources. Coaching behaviors allow mentors to serve as role models to their protégés, to share relevant experiences, and especially to open new opportunities.
4. Supporting - Good mentors listen. They are sounding boards for ideas. They look for opportunities to provide resources. They act as cheerleader when things go well and encourage their protégés to reflect when they don’t.
“A good Mentor is not a guru or master teacher at whose feet one sits hoping to absorb life’s mysteries. The role of mentor as “expert-who-has-the-answers” has its place and value, but a neophyte needs to develop the capacity and confidence to make his or her own informed decisions, enrich his or her own knowledge, and sharpen his or her own abilities. That is the mentor’s role, and the good Mentor knows this.”
Assessing the Probability of Mentoring Success (June 2010)
In the Mentoring Process, the assessment is the initial phase that helps us establish a baseline from which we can start our work as Mentors. Although the contract has specific deliverables to accomplish, determining the best road to get there is very important. This assessment usually determines the Partner/Organization capability and capacity for growth. It also establishes key elements that allow us to help our Partners develop action plans, implement those plans and evaluate their progress to meet the needs of the Partner and the contract.
In many cases we are working with Partners who have a variety of experience in the areas that they are working. In every case our best effort will center on what kind of Mentoring we can provide our Partners as they assume greater responsibility in their functional areas.
In addition to determining functional skills, it is also necessary to “enter their world” and meet them where they are and not where we think they should be. As Mentor’s we have a critical role to assist our Partners in their professional development, this can only be effectively done if we understand the nature of their motivation, ability, support and knowledge.
Assessing these elements will help determine the level of success that the Mentoring Partnership program may have.
Motivation is the attitude that is demonstrated. Motivation initiates action and implies that the Partner has a desire to perform a specific task.
Ability is the physical, emotional, or cultural drive to accomplish a task and implies that the Partner has the capability required to perform a desired task.
Support is a resource and implies that the Partner has a cooperative network of people who can, if necessary, provide assistance in accomplishing a specific task.
Knowledge is having the experience, understanding and functional skills required to achieve specific tasks.
When the Mentor demonstrates the ability to relate to what the Partner is feeling and going through, within the context of mentoring, then that is an essential step to creating a trusting and credible working relationship.
In many cases we are working with Partners who have a variety of experience in the areas that they are working. In every case our best effort will center on what kind of Mentoring we can provide our Partners as they assume greater responsibility in their functional areas.
In addition to determining functional skills, it is also necessary to “enter their world” and meet them where they are and not where we think they should be. As Mentor’s we have a critical role to assist our Partners in their professional development, this can only be effectively done if we understand the nature of their motivation, ability, support and knowledge.
Assessing these elements will help determine the level of success that the Mentoring Partnership program may have.
Motivation is the attitude that is demonstrated. Motivation initiates action and implies that the Partner has a desire to perform a specific task.
Ability is the physical, emotional, or cultural drive to accomplish a task and implies that the Partner has the capability required to perform a desired task.
Support is a resource and implies that the Partner has a cooperative network of people who can, if necessary, provide assistance in accomplishing a specific task.
Knowledge is having the experience, understanding and functional skills required to achieve specific tasks.
When the Mentor demonstrates the ability to relate to what the Partner is feeling and going through, within the context of mentoring, then that is an essential step to creating a trusting and credible working relationship.
Finding the "Need" through Mentoring (May 2010)
Our professional and personal experiences often give us a special insight as we identify “problems” that need “solutions.” Based on our experiences we can quickly determine what needs to be done to accomplish a task and then usually proceed to accomplish the task.
As Mentors, it isn’t quite that simple to identify either the problem or the solution. We often are working in environments that are totally different than what we have experienced in the past. It takes a great deal of patience and understanding as we identify the needs and deal with the demands of our partners. Then we need to patiently determine the resources available to meet the need and the motivation, aptitude, support and knowledge that are required in order to achieve long-term success.
Although many of our contracts are seemingly easy to accomplish, when we focus strictly on the deliverables, often it is not what the deliverable is that makes a difference, it is how the deliverables are accomplished, that is the difference between short-term and long-term results.
Sometimes we are placed in situations where time is the most important element of our responsibilities. Contracts by their very nature are time-based. The contract must be accomplished within a certain period of time and the expectation is that it will be!
Based on this element of our contract; our tasks take on an element of urgency that makes it easy to neglect to identify our partners capabilities, capacity for growth and whether this is a primary or secondary task that needs to be performed. How often have we faced situations that require accomplishment at a certain level and only later do we find that had we established the basic ground work, follow-on tasks would have more easily been achieved?
As Mentor’s we have a critical role to assist our partners in their professional development. This is like career counseling as we help them identify critical skills that are the essential building blocks for task accomplishment.
In many cases we are working with partners that have limited experience in the areas that they are working, in other cases it is just the opposite as we may have partners with broad ranging experience. In every case our best effort will center on what kind of support we can provide our partners as they assume greater responsibility in their functional area.
Mentoring involves helping our partners identify, set and meet their professional goals, as well as accomplishing their tasks and daily responsibilities. Then we also accomplish the required deliverables and achieve success in fulfilling the contract.
As Mentors, it isn’t quite that simple to identify either the problem or the solution. We often are working in environments that are totally different than what we have experienced in the past. It takes a great deal of patience and understanding as we identify the needs and deal with the demands of our partners. Then we need to patiently determine the resources available to meet the need and the motivation, aptitude, support and knowledge that are required in order to achieve long-term success.
Although many of our contracts are seemingly easy to accomplish, when we focus strictly on the deliverables, often it is not what the deliverable is that makes a difference, it is how the deliverables are accomplished, that is the difference between short-term and long-term results.
Sometimes we are placed in situations where time is the most important element of our responsibilities. Contracts by their very nature are time-based. The contract must be accomplished within a certain period of time and the expectation is that it will be!
Based on this element of our contract; our tasks take on an element of urgency that makes it easy to neglect to identify our partners capabilities, capacity for growth and whether this is a primary or secondary task that needs to be performed. How often have we faced situations that require accomplishment at a certain level and only later do we find that had we established the basic ground work, follow-on tasks would have more easily been achieved?
As Mentor’s we have a critical role to assist our partners in their professional development. This is like career counseling as we help them identify critical skills that are the essential building blocks for task accomplishment.
In many cases we are working with partners that have limited experience in the areas that they are working, in other cases it is just the opposite as we may have partners with broad ranging experience. In every case our best effort will center on what kind of support we can provide our partners as they assume greater responsibility in their functional area.
Mentoring involves helping our partners identify, set and meet their professional goals, as well as accomplishing their tasks and daily responsibilities. Then we also accomplish the required deliverables and achieve success in fulfilling the contract.
The “What” and “How” of Mentoring (April 2010)
Recently I attended an International Mentoring Conference and found that our mentoring program is well accepted by both academics and professionals as a proven method that leads to highly effective results. Yet in the same conference, it became very clear to me that often mentoring is seen as a single action rather than a combination of skills used at different times for different reasons.
Realizing this, I reviewed what it is about mentoring that we do and how we accomplish our mentoring missions to serve the purposes of both our partners and our contracts. It is very clear that mentoring is clearly divided between the what and the how elements of the mentoring process. The better we understand the relationship between what we do (often by requirement) and how do it (our own expertise, experience and skills), the more successful we, and our partners, will be in the exchange of knowledge, which is the essence of mentoring!
Regarding contracts, it is fairly evident that anyone who receives a contract can complete the contract successfully if all they do is fulfill the contract deliverables. The aspect of how the contract is fulfilled, under the provisions of the contract, is what makes the difference between contractors and companies. We, at MPRI, have always prided ourselves in accomplishing contracts in such a manner that we give more value than what is expected by how we perform the contract mission. This does not mean that we step outside the contract specifications, nor does it mean that we provide services that are not contracted. It means that we find the best way to accomplish the mission, not just the acceptable way.
Mentoring provides us with the best opportunity to take the elements of what we do and how we do it to the highest level, but it requires that each of our contractors know and understand their functional skills (the what we do) and then be able to clearly transmit that knowledge (the how we do it) to our partners and their organizations. If we don’t take the initiative and make the extra effort to raise our skill level, we will not set ourselves apart from our competitors.
Having worked with more than 1400 of our mentor-contractors over the past two years, we have found that the greatest success comes when we share a common motivation toward a goal, aptitude for change, support from leadership and increased knowledge and skills with our partners. This is not a quick process, but can be accomplished in steady steps with a continuity of purpose and planning. Mentoring is more than what we accomplish; it is how we accomplish our tasks, often on our own!
Realizing this, I reviewed what it is about mentoring that we do and how we accomplish our mentoring missions to serve the purposes of both our partners and our contracts. It is very clear that mentoring is clearly divided between the what and the how elements of the mentoring process. The better we understand the relationship between what we do (often by requirement) and how do it (our own expertise, experience and skills), the more successful we, and our partners, will be in the exchange of knowledge, which is the essence of mentoring!
Regarding contracts, it is fairly evident that anyone who receives a contract can complete the contract successfully if all they do is fulfill the contract deliverables. The aspect of how the contract is fulfilled, under the provisions of the contract, is what makes the difference between contractors and companies. We, at MPRI, have always prided ourselves in accomplishing contracts in such a manner that we give more value than what is expected by how we perform the contract mission. This does not mean that we step outside the contract specifications, nor does it mean that we provide services that are not contracted. It means that we find the best way to accomplish the mission, not just the acceptable way.
Mentoring provides us with the best opportunity to take the elements of what we do and how we do it to the highest level, but it requires that each of our contractors know and understand their functional skills (the what we do) and then be able to clearly transmit that knowledge (the how we do it) to our partners and their organizations. If we don’t take the initiative and make the extra effort to raise our skill level, we will not set ourselves apart from our competitors.
Having worked with more than 1400 of our mentor-contractors over the past two years, we have found that the greatest success comes when we share a common motivation toward a goal, aptitude for change, support from leadership and increased knowledge and skills with our partners. This is not a quick process, but can be accomplished in steady steps with a continuity of purpose and planning. Mentoring is more than what we accomplish; it is how we accomplish our tasks, often on our own!
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