By Joel Levitt, Director Management | of Projects, Reliability Leadership Institute, Reliabilityweb.com How to begin mentoring The initial steps In last month’s column, I discussed why mentoring is important. In this column, I will share some thoughts on how to get started as a mentor. Th e fi rst step is to verbalize what you are trying to accomplish. Setting goals helps determine the scope of relationship. You also will need to set some ground rules for the mentor relationship – either explicit or implicit. Additionally, there are a variety of housekeeping items, such as the frequency of contact, time requirement, method of contact, duration, confi dentiality and, fi nally, a formal or informal exit strategy. What Goes On? If we could plant a bug in the room of one of Warren Buff et’s mentoring conversations with Bill Gates, or go back in time to when Steve Jobs was mentoring Mark Zuckerberg, what would we have heard? We would have heard what sounds like an everyday conversation between friends. We’d have to listen very closely to the conversation to hear something that would be quite remarkable. Some of what we would “hear” wouldn’t even be in the words. Th ese individuals would have worked to create a supportive, safe space for both the mentor and the “student.” Th is is important for big shots who might be discussing billion-dollar transactions. It is equally important for everyday people as well. Listen Well As was pointed out in my previous column, listening is the key to mentoring. So there is a lot of listening going on. Discussions might include growth areas for the mentee and tentative plans for working on them, or they may be about some problematic interpersonal interactions. A mentor might have insight into some of the players “in the fi eld.” Everyone has both conscious and unconscious bias, and those are easy to see. But, which biases are “running the show” at any given time during a negotiation is one of the hardest things to see. Among the preliminary steps to establishing a mentoring program is to defi ne its objectives, along with “housekeeping items,” including method, frequency and duration of contact; time requirement; and a formal or informal exit strategy. Photo from iStock To Dos A success like Buff ett or Jobs has a strong relationship with reality. To design great products or make wise investments over decades requires that relationship. Th e mentor’s job is to build the muscle for identifying and dealing with reality. Th e mentor might make some assignments for their mentees, plus suggest books, podcasts, CDs or training classes. Th ey might suggest their student do volunteer work and/or take on leadership roles. Th e other great use of mentors is brainstorming solutions for problems or helping to create plans for some project or program. Th e mentor also can be an asset for reviewing and providing feedback on reports, presentations, etc. Just Ask Every day, there are informal mentoring relationships being started. Th at is the easiest way to begin mentoring. All you have to do is fi nd a mentor and ask them to guide you along in your job and career. Or, if you’d like to mentor someone, seek out a suitable candidate. Discuss the idea of mentoring with your leadership team. In a large organization, there may be a mentoring program going on in another area, division or business unit. Borrow their knowledge, resources, forms, policies and procedures to get your mentoring eff ort off the ground. Th is will lead to a more formal and customized program. Th ere are organizations dedicated to mentoring that can be of help. Just Google “mentoring” and add in any limits or parameters to see what you get. Two helpful resource are: • www.mentoring.org. • www.mentoringtalent.com/corporatementoring programs.asp. Joel Levitt is director of projects for Reliabilityweb.com’s Reliability Leadership Institute. Reliabilityweb.com provides the latest reliability and uptime maintenance news and educational information. He remains president of Springfield Resources (www. maintenancetraining.com), a management consulting firm. VehicleServicePros.com/10122067 VehicleServicePros.com ❚ AUGUST 2016 ❚ FLEET MAINTENANCE 29
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