valeriegd's posterous http://valeriegd.posterous.com Most recent posts at valeriegd's posterous posterous.com Sun, 30 May 2010 05:15:19 -0700 Peer mentoring http://valeriegd.posterous.com/peer-mentoring http://valeriegd.posterous.com/peer-mentoring

That last post got a good response via various channels – specifically peer mentoring so let’s continue the discussion.  Peer mentoring is in my view one of the richest sources of advice, counselling and support that you can get.  Your peers – be they in the same company even same department – will frequently have the ability to open your eyes to very different views.  No matter how objective we think we are, we have biases and preferences – moving away from these is important as it allows you to see the world differently.  Once your view of the world is altered, so are the issues and consequently the potential solutions.

Choice of a peer mentor is slightly different to the more ‘formal’ mentor and selecting peers that are different to you enriches the experience.  They can come from a much wider circle of colleagues or even family - be male / female, younger / same age group / older – same profession / different profession. The key is mutual empathy and trust - which is not on tap but needs time to develop.  With the right peer mentor you can openly discuss specific challenges that you have at any moment with your team or specific members of the team, chances are they have had similar situations.  They are great listeners when you have concerns about the progress of a specific project – you know the type - something is not quite right and you can’t put your finger on it, primarily because you are too close in many cases!  Use them as honest sounding boards for your career ideas. – does the direction make sense, is your current skill set sufficient, what gaps are there – and here very importantly if there are gaps, accept them as gaps and as a learning opportunity.  You hear time and again that females when considering a new position or career direction tend to think they need to be proficient in all the skills whereas our male colleagues have less hesitation going for it with 60-80% of the required skills – girls something to learn here!

Two of my best peer mentors are around my age, one male and one female.  My male peer knows me well as we had worked together for many years and we have a solid basis of trust, respect and empathy.  He is one of the few people from whom I can accept the unadorned truth and this because we shared so many experiences – both positive and negative.  My female peer comes from a very different culture and had transferred from the US to Switzerland. Coming to grips with a new business culture is not always so easy, so having lived in Switzerland for many years, I am able to help her understand specific aspects.  She helps me in that she is a fantastic listener and asks very direct questions so by talking I often realised I have my own solution, just needed to articulate it!  Really good peer mentors can easily become very good friends as the discussions move from work to family – how we raise our kids, realising our dreams and importantly Life Work balance – not everyone wants to be on call 24x7…. So reach out to those selected peers and tap into the depth of experience!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/535183/Valerie_3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAZPIUR8fm1 Valerie Guertler-Doyle valeriegd Valerie Guertler-Doyle
Mon, 17 May 2010 12:38:45 -0700 Mentoring - why? And how to pick your mentor? http://valeriegd.posterous.com/mentoring-why-and-how-to-pick-your-mentor http://valeriegd.posterous.com/mentoring-why-and-how-to-pick-your-mentor

Almost every career book you pick up these days tells you that it is imperative to have a mentor! So many people run off and cop the best mentor they can find.  I often wonder - have they really thought about why they need a mentor and then importantly how to pick the right one.

Almost every organisation has a mentoring programme in place, many run centrally by HR or the specific function within the company.  This is a good start but in my opinion a staid and inflexible system.  Firstly the mentees and mentors don’t really get to choose each other but are ‘matched’ by a mentoring professional or company based upon some criteria.  This can work well but a mentor selected by the mentee for the right reasons will be so much more valuable.  So how to start I hear you say???  Easy…..

  1. Put a lot of thought into what you want from the mentor – career guidance?  Tapping into savvy political skills?  Links to other associates that will broaden your network?  A sounding board (truthful)?
  2. Draw up a short list of potential mentors and check their availability by asking around.  Chances are that the most prestigious mentors may already be overcommitted and may not have the time for you – not really achieving the objective… so do consider more broadly.
  3. Once you have selected the mentor, approach him/her with the rationale for why you want them as a mentor, accept that you as the mentee are responsible for running the programme i.e. setting appointments etc and go!
  4. If you have more than 1 clear objective from the mentoring – consider the possibility of having a second mentor.  This can be particularly beneficial if you are considering a move outside your current functional line or if there are more personal issues you feel more comfortable discussing with a person closer to you.
  5. If the mentoring relationship is not working – try to understand why and as appropriate, have the courage to say it and move onto the next mentor.  

In many organisations mentoring implies seniority – don’t get locked into this.  An incredibly rich source of advice is with your colleagues – so peer mentoring can work just as well and will further strengthen your network.  Last but not least, choose a mentor with whom you can share your dreams and concerns and also a good laugh.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/535183/Valerie_3.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5AAZPIUR8fm1 Valerie Guertler-Doyle valeriegd Valerie Guertler-Doyle