Here are eight steps to follow in making an informal leadership
mentoring programme work:
Step #1: Identify
one or two specific leadership skills you feel that you could improve through
mentoring. Is it your ability to make strategic decisions in a quick and
decisive manner? Is it your ability to recognise and develop talent to improve
the success of your department and yourself? Something else?
Step #2: Now
assess what style of leadership is best suited to you. (As you know, not
everyone leads in the same way.) Are you more collaborative as a leader,
working through consensus? Or are you a decisive type of leader who makes the
decisions and motivates others to follow those decisions?
Step #3:
Determine whether you want a mentor who mirrors your leadership style so that
you can improve upon how you lead…or decide if finding a mentor with a
different leadership style might challenge you more and help you grow as a
leader by adding new dimensions to your own personal style.
Step #4: Consider
the type of person you want as a mentor. For informal mentoring to work, you
have to have focus. The first three steps have provided you with this focus.
But the other important component needed is the relationship aspect. Think
about the personal qualities and/or communication styles that you respond to.
Do you want a mentor who is more sociable than business-like? Or one who is
more of a thinker than a doer? Perhaps you respond better to warmth and
friendliness rather than someone who is more aloof, despite his or her success.
Step #5: Now make
a list of potential leaders who you may want to approach as mentors. These
people could be in your company, but they could also be elsewhere, such as an
alumni organisation or networking group. Don’t forget to ask colleagues for
recommendations as well. An important point: this may be obvious, but it's worth
saying: only put leaders with proven track records on your list.
Step #6: Approach
and interview the candidates. Have a conversation with at least three of the
leaders on your list to evaluate if the person would be the right fit for you.
Approaching potential mentors and eventually asking "the winner" to
be your mentor are the hardest steps in the process. Remember, it's how you
approach the person that makes all the difference.
Here's one strategy for doing just that:
• Make contact via phone or email
introducing yourself and indicating that you are working on self-improvement in
the area of leadership and that you would welcome input from an experienced
leader who has been successful in this area. Would this person have 30 minutes
or so to have a discussion with you on your goals and how best to approach
these? Maybe you could do this over lunch, as you would also like to thank that
person for his or her time.
• If you feel the person might
indeed be a good fit, ask him or her (at the end of the meeting) if you could
stay in touch with any follow-up questions. The person's response – and HOW he
or she responds – will be a good indicator as to whether your assessment is on
target. Does the person sound welcoming and enthusiastic about staying in
touch? Or does the person sound noncommittal?
• Send a handwritten thank you
note. In a pinch, an email will do, but nothing beats a personal note of
thanks. (Note: you should still send a thank you, even if you've ruled the
person out as mentor.)
Step #7: Decide
and ask. After interviewing several candidates, you are now ready to ask the
person you think is best if he or she will be your informal mentor. Before you
do this, it’s important for you to be prepared to specifically state what
you're looking for and how you want the relationship to work. Since you’ve
already had one or more conversations, your prospect has an idea of what you're
seeking, but now be clear and as specific as possible. In addition, you should
be prepared to discuss setting some guidelines for your mentoring relationship.
Here are some to consider:
• How often will you meet? Weekly
is ideal, and once a month is the recommended minimum.
• Will your meetings take place
face-to-face, over the phone, through Skype, or combination of these?
• How will you approach
confidential issues?
• How will you communicate to one
another if something isn’t working in the relationship?
• How long do you want to meet
before you re-assess the need to continue or end the relationship? Note: in
formal mentoring programs, the relationship typically lasts nine months to one
year. We suggest a minimum of four to six months for an informal relationship.
• Discuss concerns you both have
about engaging in this type of relationship.
Step #8: When
your chosen mentor has agreed to the informal mentoring relationship, then
congratulate yourself for finding someone who will be strategically important
to your career and to your growth as a leader. To succeed, make sure you keep
to the guidelines you’ve agreed to in Step # 7.
Here's to your leadership success!
