Mentor...A Career Gift!

There are two aspects of mentoring. If you’re not tapping into both, you’re leaving significant career-boosting leverage on the table. You'll gain insights on how to make both boost your career!

ThriveWithNancy Podcast addresses the tricky points you run into daily as a woman executive. Nancy Fredericks shares all the secrets she's acquired as an experienced thought-leader. She's passionate about sharing practical, insider solutions with women executives to tap into on your way to achieving all of your career hopes and dreams. 

No one generates a fulfilling, successful career alone. Explore two opportunities to boost your career in 2023.... 

Ready to knock over every stumbling block standing in the way of the career you've aspired to achieve? You can have Nancy Fredericks in your back pocket through YOUR STRATEGIC EDGE coaching package…it comes with a ton of extra goodies. Check it out at: https://thrivewithnancy.com/executive/

Thrive@Work MasterMind program is a monthly 90-minute virtual community of professional women committed to growing and developing their careers through real-life, in-the-moment learning. Join this group of dynamic women acquiring the secrets rarely shared regarding career success for women--one that is satisfying and fulfilling to you. Check it out at: https://www.thrivewithnancy.com/thrive/ 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hey, if by any chance you are an executive woman challenged with the culture you are in and you're ready to kick butt through getting more time and fulfillment in your career, this secret weapon is a must add to your leadership arsenal. No kidding. Keep listening. It's good. Welcome to Thrive with Nancy. This podcast is for you all you awesome executive women who want more from your career, not more work, more success, more satisfaction. Well, you've got the picture. And what is this big secret I wanna reveal today? It is mentor, a career gift. You'll wanna hear this. The latest research shows there are three top challenges facing organizations today. First, talent, retention and turnover. Second, employee engagement with the most recent studies indicating that 87% of employees are disengaged today. Oh wow. That's a challenge. The third is recruitment. And this may not be any surprise to you at all because you're in the trenches dealing with these issues. Mentoring no doubt addresses these troublesome concerns by strengthening its leadership and strength. And in turn, it strengthens your company. And if you are involved in the mentoring, it strengthens you. Wow. Love that. And it furthers you in achieving a substantive career advancement. Ready to unpack this topic with me, there are two aspects of mentoring that I wanna talk about. If you're not tapping into both, hear me both. You are leaving significant career boosting leverage on the table. The first is an executive mentoring you. No, not your boss. Bosses are responsible for aligning performance with job expectations. And yes, they grow your skills to meet the positional needs right now. That's their job. Conversely, a mentor isn't accountable for your performance evaluation, salary or continuation with a company, so it's easier to open and to be open to their coaching advice. Some organizations have an official mentoring program where they match an esteemed executive to work with you. If offered, I'm a big yes for this, but I have to tell you that isn't enough. Additionally, consider independently finding a mentor for yourself. It's a bit daunting and you can do it. It's for your career. Start a list of top candidates. Your mentor executive should be someone higher in the organization, an influencer, one who knows how to navigate the culture, who has the skills and expertise that will expand yours. And if lucky though, hear me, it's not essential. You and your mentor will have values in common. Why do I say it isn't essential and necessary to be alike and in sync on values? Because gaining the attitude and the ability to work with an executive, you may not like part and parcel of the success equation. This level of business relationship is a true career secret. Your job is to produce products and services. Nowhere is it written, nor does it say you must like the people you work with. And it's the same with your mentor. Obviously, you're not interested in absorbing tips from someone who is not honorable, but a mentor who is an expert in a field yet is not your favorite person, can still jumpstart your career. It all lies in your ability to stretch and generate mentoring relationships with those that can support your dreams for your future. Fostering that muscle and proactively initiating relationships high up in the organization will serve you well your entire career. Women are rarely comfortable with this conversation and it is vital for them to reach up, way up to be seen and known, which means it's vital for you. You may even question whether you can afford the time for a mentoring relationship, but squish that thought like a dangerous bug. It is. I'm here to tell you that the benefits far outweigh. Anytime you may spend meeting with your mentor, research reveals that the top five most common benefits you receive from coaching and mentoring relationships is 80% found increased self-confidence. 73% had improved relationships, 72% better communication skills, 71% improved interpersonal skills and 70% found their work performance was far better. Isn't that sweet? Think about these stats. Every time you go into resistance over accepting or asking for a mentor, now it's time to flip that mentor coin to examine the other side, which is you mentoring others. Why would you wanna take time out of your busy schedule to mentor someone else? Well, there are considerable career benefits coming your way when you choose to begin mentoring others as one of your leadership talents and tactics. The Association for Talent Development has found that 59% developed a new perspective of leadership and their organization. 49% increased their leadership skills and 38% found they had far broader and wider insights into the organization. Not to mention they've had increased job satisfaction, more fulfillment, and they achieved higher levels of career success. Wow, that's a big shift. I guess it's true that teachers learn more than the student. And then if you look at Be and Associates Research, they show that senior leaders who coach effectively and frequently improve their business results by 21% as compared to those who have never been coached or mentored. And the Society of Human Resource Management reveals 80% of HR talent leaders believe this is a required leadership practice. And only 15% of these HR leaders believe managers in their organizations are good at it. Coaching, mentoring is a game differential for those who take it on and learn to do it well. But how do you start? You can't get around it. It begins by being sensitive to your mentee style through absolutely being receiver centric and communicating from that style. No one will adopt any advice from you unless your mentor believes you have their best interest at heart. So to state it more powerfully and more succinctly, it isn't about you, it's about them. And always keep that top of mind ready to take on a mentor. Your next step is to determine what expertise or knowledge you have that others in the organization need to acquire to improve their career future. Figure out your comfort zone and stretch yourself a bit. Then observe those around you and see who you can support on their career journey. And how do you get your mentee on board? It's about building trust and it's as simple as 1, 2, 3. First is context. This is what you say in the right tone setting and circumstance such that it can be fully appreciated, assessed and accepted by the employee that your mentoring, whether compliment or improvement, your comments must be specific and appropriate and provide a ring of truth that resonates with your mentee. Two, timing. Remember, when you say it is just as important and just as crucial for attaining positive results as what you say. Wait until the time your mentee knows how great they are. Before exploring areas of improvement, make sure they're on a solid ground. Three tact. Keep in mind that each of your employees is an individual. Employees have diverse levels of sensitivity and approachability. When you don't consider this, your dialogue, often splatters, hit or miss, rarely landing with a clarity necessary to generate change. Is there any chance the stats have you chopping at the bit to find your mentor and be a mentor? Or are you perhaps waffling? Ask yourself this. Given a choice, would I wander aimlessly in the wilderness of my company's environment hoping I'm on the right path? Or would I prefer finding out success secrets from someone who has already achieved success? Yes, having someone mentor you or you mentoring others is all about enlarging potential, yours and theirs from the perspective of your company's requirement. If you're up for a bigger game, you'll also wanna hire an external coach. After all, wherever in this world will you have a relationship with someone who's only success is yours. Particularly now when we're all experiencing one of the most chaotic competitive seasons in business ever. No surprise, if you're confused about what next steps you should take to solidify your future, check out the free resources on Thrive with Nancy. Also, there's the Your Strategic Edge program where you and I create a full on partnership to better your professional career and have you achieving your aspirations. Check it out at www.thrivewithnancy.com/executive/remember, no successful executive ever makes it its top or even arrives at their next destination alone.