Sunday 12 April 2015


5 Steps to Building a Kick-A** Mentorship Team

There’s a current trend for younger workers to wistfully yearn for mentorship from their employers and bosses.  And it’s a situation most employers, HR Managers and others in organizational power, may try their best to sidestep.  But, before you cast those folks in your withering glare for being mean or selfish, don’t be too quick to judge. 

Our world is rushing by at breakneck speed.  Workload overwhelm is reportedly affecting 85% of the workforce.  I hear stories about it every day in my Career Transition Coaching practice, as I assist people across Canada to find relief or affect change in their day-to-day work.  About 5 years ago, I identified this growing trend towards overwork and overwhelm in the Canadian workplace (and those of other G8 countries) and have now dubbed it “The Squeeze”, as it is sucking the life out of so many employees in our working population.

It’s all part of the doing more with less work environment spawned by rampant and (in most cases) ill-conceived “restructuring” activities our working public is struggling to survive! 

As a result, with so much competition for so few positions, many employees are not getting well-deserved promotions, or assistance to grow the essential skills/knowledge needed to make the leap.  Hence, the dearth of energetic mentors for not only our young and eager Millennials, but for employees of all ages and professions.

Part of the problem in delivering competent mentoring or “informal professional development” is that, in pre-Squeeze days, we used to have more time to develop and teach people at work. Things went through cycles, sometimes hectic and deadline-driven, but other times we’d often experience an in-between lull.  A time to catch our breaths and catch up on work that had been delayed or postponed during the busy time. 

These down-times were often when more of the internal skills and knowledge building took place.  I call it water-cooler time… and it’s something the Squeeze has zapped out of the average working day.  Now, so many of us are skipping lunches and breaks, working overtime or at home on weekends and evenings to catch up.  This proverbial hamster in the wheel syndrome has reached epidemic proportions.  Which leaves scant little time for any informal mentoring or training. 

And we mustn’t forget our ever-present technology.  More and more we hear how technology is distracting us, impacting our productivity and making it difficult for us to concentrate and focus.  This also adds a layer of influence at work that depletes our mind-space for sitting down with co-workers, colleagues and junior personnel to share and cross-train in a more relaxed manner.

With all this running around and trying to keep up, Managers and Supervisors are also under the gun.  And few have time to devote to mentoring or developing their teams.  Many employers would be happiest if their staff could just train themselves and get on with it.  But that’s a pretty unrealistic expectation.

… which brings me back to the discussion at hand:  MentorsAnd how to find them!

How the heck, in this time-strapped workplace, can you find someone willing to devote their precious time to help you navigate this confusing work terrain? 

Well, I always say if one is good, three or four would be better!  So why not apply that concept to Mentoring? 

Here’s my 5 step plan to start building a multi-member Mentorship Team that will propel you to greater career heights. 

Do your homework…

1)    CLEARLY DEFINE what it is you want to learn (and this can be the most difficult part so don’t give up if you struggle with it.  This is something you will be doing for the rest of your life, so you might as well get used to it.  It’s what builds strong decision-makers and employees who are in high demand!)
·      Make a Clear, Targeted and Specific List:  figure out various areas of expertise you need to develop and apply in real-life/work situations. 
o   You might check with your HR department or supervisors/bosses.  This may lead you to someone you might like to ask to be on your mentorship team but don’t assume just because you asked them for ideas, that they’re the right person to mentor you.
·      Use the internet to do research and, if you find some inexpensive or free learning you can access on your own, DO THAT!  Anyone you approach afterwards will be extra impressed that you put in the extra effort before taking up their time asking rudimentary questions.
·      Be on the lookout for co-workers, contacts and even LinkedIn connections that might fit the bill.  Pretend you’re filling a board of directors for your most important endeavour:  YOU!

Then leap into action…

2)      Spread the love around! 
·      Since one is not enough, gradually, after researching, approach a few potential mentor candidates. 
·      Request a brief meeting.  Be respectful and make it ultra-clear you only want 10-20 minutes of this very busy person’s time.
·      Invite them for coffee and insist on paying! 
·      Prepare an agenda and send them a point form email outlining what you’d like to discuss ahead of time (a day or two is good).
·      Don’t ask if they’ll be your mentor just yet.  Wait until you’ve had a couple of meetings.  Build the relationship. And try to make it valuable to them, as well.
·      Show them “why” they should want to be your mentor!
·      BONUS: once you’ve cemented a few excellent mentors to your team, and they’re impressed by your respectful approach, they’re likely to start suggesting people you should meet and talk to!  It’s like they hand great mentors to you on a silver platter.  And who wouldn’t love that?

It takes two to make a relationship work…

3)   Be Considerate and Generous (in other words, when you get a little, give a little back) – in business lingo that means polite and professional. And when you do get some help reciprocate in some way.  Most importantly, treat your mentor with the utmost respect, especially when it comes to their time.  Remember:  since everyone is so crazy busy these days, the kind of people you want to advise you are likely to be even more in demand than most.
·      If they give you homework, make sure you do it and then, ideally, tell them how you were able to apply it into your life or work at your next meeting, or in an email. And don’t forget to take this opportunity to thank them for their advice. (This will rack up Brownie points like you won’t believe!)

Keep the ball rolling…

4)    Be prepared!  Plan and prepare your agenda. Treat your mentorship sessions like a business consultant meeting.  And keep it direct, to the point and as brief as possible.
·      If you’re nervous--which can be a natural offshoot of sitting down with someone you may see as an authority figure or decision-maker in your organization—practice what you’re going to say. 
o   Stick to the agreed-upon timeframe, even if you have a few more questions to ask.  Your mentor-to-be will appreciate you sticking to your word! 

Maintain a professional demeanor…

5)   Keep it Strictly Business – While it’s okay to share a bit about your personal life, try not to stray too far into that territory.  A mentor doesn’t mean “friend.”  And, as harsh as that may sound – and friendship “could” develop over time (stranger things have happened) – for now, keep it strictly business. 

By approaching potential mentors this way you demonstrate 4 equally impressive work traits and qualities that employers, managers and influential people (if they’re smart) look for in highly desirable candidates.

1. Initiative-Taking
2. Personal Responsibility
3. Critical Thinking 
4. Business Communication Skills

This creates a win-win arrangement.  But, you’re not looking for that (explicitly) now.  It’s just a great bonus, once you commit to the process and spend a bit of time tuning in to what soft and hard skills you want to add to your work-life palette.
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About Judy:  CAREER MATCHMAKER & RESUME REINVENTIONEER

My talent lies in deconstructing your experience (from work and life) then reinventing the Lego pieces into a newer, more satisfying design, through the delivery of high quality, personalized service that consistently hits its mark.  If you’d like to talk about your future career moves, call me for a FREE 30 minute consult!

Thought for the Day:
"Information is powerful!  But it’s what you DO with it that’s key. For my career change clients getting in front of people who have information valuable to their goals is as essential to them being successful as having a “transition” resume!  It takes a while to learn how to ask the best questions, but the rewards will propel you forward while helping you create more satisfying work, as well as life!"

 

COMING SOON!  My new e-book:  Putting Your Passions to Work - Using Self-Directed Internships and Strategic Volunteering to Design and Grow the Career of your Dreams!

Monday 9 March 2015

The Best Career-Building Skill Ever …. Asking the Right Questions!

Because getting the right INFORMATION is the key to making sound decisions, when it comes to deciding on or developing your career. 


Therefore, learning how to ask the right questions will assist you in all aspects of career design, development and execution!

In addition to the most obvious:  job searching activities … it’s equally as essential for effective:
  1. Networking
  2. Informational Interviewing
  3. Researching companies, schooling, career directions and professions etc.
  4. Finding out about jobs while you have a job, both Internally or externally
  5. Career change or adjustment (highly essential usually for this kind of move)
  6. Pre-Retirement – to discover then secure more flexible but still income-earning opportunities
  7. Full on retirement, as well
  8. Volunteering opportunities that will enhance your career and/or life, in general
I could go on and on…. and I usually do with my clients who could stand to do more of these activities when they’re making decisions around their career futures.

Career and life go hand in hand so everything you do in your life to gather information, then make decisions carries over seamlessly into career development activities.

And while it may sound easy, I know from the hundreds of clients I see every year, that it actually isn’t. 

It takes time and self-awareness to develop this high level skill.  And once you get the gist of it, it will help you cut to the chase quickly, but politely, with people/contacts and allow you to navigate a huge subject field which can so easily go off track if you’re not steering the conversation adroitly.

And, to steer that conversation, it’s equally essential to know beforehand where you want to go.  With some flexibility to take some side-roads, should something interesting pop up along the way.

So, imagine you’re going on a road trip.  You’ve decided to drive to Las Vegas but there are many different routes you could take.  You pull out the old map (so much more fun than Mapquest) and research the many roads and states you could drive through enroute.  Then you probably do a bit more research online to figure out what cities you’d like to visit, then make a plan and go.

This is exactly what you want to do when starting an information gathering conversation with anyone. 

In essence, start having different types of conversations.

I had a client recently who was about to start her MA in a specific counselling area and was also looking for a new job.  During her interview preparation, I’d suggested she use the forthcoming degree thesis as a potential carrot for employers.  Given that this might give her a possible opportunity to align her, as yet, undecided study subject to the needs of her potential new employer could prove to be a win-win-win opportunity for her, the organization and those people the organization served.  

As our session unfolded, it became clear that she already was pursuing a certificate in another counselling discipline, around which she was very passionate.  It also turned out that she had, just the previous weekend, spent innumerable hours in the company of a principal from that very organization, while they commuted to attend a weekend workshop.  And, in the longterm, she was very interested in becoming an employee or associate of this organization.   

I asked if she’d discussed this win-win-win idea with the person in question but, unfortunately, it hadn't occurred to her.    

Oh no -- a missed opportunity?  Yes, maybe.  But it is never too late to turn it around!

I gave her a gentle nudge to reach out and ask those questions now. 

And I can hear you saying:  But if I don’t think of asking how can I get the information?

That’s where planning ahead and preparation comes in.  Here are a few ways you can take instant action, even if you haven’t quite figured out yet what your connection points are with a potential questionee.

1)      Prepare a 60 Second Sell (or elevator speech) that encapsulates a few of your key areas of expertise, interest and/or enquiry.  Obviously, you want to change this up for different avenues of enquiry.

2)      Sit down and look at the list of attendees, or exhibitors prior to heading out to a tradeshow, conference, workshop or any other networking-likely event.  Most of these events publish a list on their websites well before the date of the event.

3)      Ask for business cards from anyone you meet and -- this is KEY -- Follow-Up with them!

4)      Prepare questions and research as much as you can on the behind the scenes info related to this person (check out their LinkedIn profile, research their company’s website and do your due diligence to find as many “connection points” to YOU, as possible.  Or areas you’re good at, interested in, or seeking to develop!)

a.       Even if you have a quick Informational Interview with someone, it’s okay to ask if you might reach out to them again at a later date, if you have any more questions.  (In fact, it’s a great way to do Step 5…)

b.      It can also be a good idea to ask that person for a referral to someone else who may have some deeper or more relevant information for you as you move through your decision-making process.

5)      Maintain communication with anyone that you deem as having the potential to be a good connection for you now, or in the future.

a.       Build the connection by keeping in touch, or sending updates when you complete something they advised you to do.  Send a quick thank you email when they’ve passed you along to another colleague.  Reciprocate whenever possible and -- always always always -- offer to pay when you end up going for coffee!

This kind of awareness raising endeavor merely requires that you sit down every once in a while and “plan” a bit as to what you might say to people you encounter in your travels.

A simple “So where do you work?” or “What kind of work do you do?” can open up lines of conversation you never would have imagined.  You’ll be amazed at how few people really ask this with any kind of real interest.  And people also love to give advice so, if you can find a way to ask something that will make someone else feel good about that conversation, you’re more than half way to building a memorable moment for someone else!

Even if you’re not great on the spot, if you have your 60 second sell ready to go, then ask for their contact info, you really don’t have to say too much until the follow-up conversation, when you’ll have already prepared your questions and have mapped out what you want to ask.

All in all, this is a skill you can develop, just like your career, through a little trial and error and by just working on it until you get some traction. 

But thinking ahead is always going to be the prerequisite to having more substantial conversations and to building that muscle so you just naturally flow into this type of information gathering exchange no matter where you are or who you’re with.

So go on out there and make an effort to have more relevant conversations.  You never know what cool new thing you might learn!