Viewing Mentoring Through a New Lens Can Increase Its Value
Some people have a ho-hum response when they hear the word mentoring; yet when done well, mentoring can be a career game changer. Mentoring has significantly improved my career, from the joy I get out of it to the direction it has taken my career, and the effective execution I’ve implemented on key decisions due to sage mentoring wisdom.
My concern is that people take too narrow of a view of mentoring. They gravitate to the traditional definition of a senior mentor, meaning an established professional who helps someone newer in their career. As a serial non-conformist, I think of mentoring in a much more fluid, informal manner and seek to establish multiple relationships for my varying career needs and personal growth. When we consider multiple mentors, we can look for a personal mentor, a professional mentor, a mentor to learn a specific skill from like career advancement, and a mentor for a season—maybe we will need them for the first 2-3 years of being a new CEO.
If we are turning the mentoring definition on its head, why not form a “buddy” relationship where both employees grow together and share strengths for each other’s benefit.
You may be great at building high-performing project teams and your buddy may be a wonderful client communicator. So, both of you can benefit from the other. Lastly, why not seek out someone you can mentor? I’ve reenergized my career and doubled my efforts in areas where I had gotten a bit lax on catching the infectious energy of my mentee.
With this broader definition, I believe you, too, can squeeze more value out of mentoring relationships.
Start by thinking of different types of mentors you could add to your life. I love the five mentor titles used by Julia Fawal, Social Content Manager at Ted in her September 18, 2018, Ideas.Ted.Com article.
5 Mentor Titles
Mentor #1: The master of craft
Why not seek out an individual who is among the best in your field and look to establish a mentor relationship with them? I was part of a national group called the Chief Executive Network comprised of non-competing CEOs in various industries. With my fellow architectural firm owners, we met twice a year in a roundtable format. Not only did I actively participate in this group, but as a new CEO, I identified two senior CEOs whom I admired and developed mentoring relationships with. At the same time, I identified a couple of newer CEOs in the group and formed buddy relationships with them where we shared information and struggles and grew together. For heaven’s sake, not everything you do is a Fort Knox business development secret. Loosen up, and you will find there is so much valuable information you can share for mutual benefit.
Mentor #2: The champion of your cause
As you are progressing within your current workplace, this type of mentor is your strongest internal advocate. He or she can offer guidance on how to move up and they can connect you to key decision makers inside and outside your organization.
Mentor #3: The copilot
Think of this mentor as basically your best friend at work. Your copilot can talk you through an issue or project decision, listen to you vent, get on your case to resolve an issue that needs fixing, and hold you accountable.
Mentor #4: The northstar
While the champion is your advocate at work, your northstar is typically your advocate in life. Often this is a close friend or family member. Over the years, this person serves as your sounding board. He keeps your best interests in mind and often assumes this role for a significant period of time.
Mentor #5: The reverse mentor
If we are open-minded, we can learn a heck of a lot from a reverse mentor, in other words, our mentee. She can offer feedback on our communication and leadership style and give fresh perspectives on activities we’ve been doing for years. You can hear how she is approaching a task and get the perspective of the younger generation.
When I read Julia’s article, I decided to write names next to each type of mentor. I wanted to think through who had or currently was filling these roles for me. Note that for you, some of the individuals could overlap or they could be five distinct people. Everyone may not require all of these relationships at this point in time.
But wouldn’t it be nice if you thought through this list and could put at least one name next to each mentor type, so you could further develop those relationships?
