Mentoring for Better Performance and Retention

1. Mentoring for Better Performance and Retention By Rex Gatto, Ph.D. Gatto Associates, LLC 412-344-2277 rex@rexgatto.com

2. Conceptual Overview • Mentoring Process – what is it? • Implementing mentoring process • Why Organizations need a Mentoring Process • Leading a Mentoring Process in your organization • Skills needed to be a Mentor • Outcomes from Mentoring Benefits of this presentation, you will have methods to coach and mentor people moving your firm toward success

3. Table of Contents Three Sections • Back ground Introducing the Concept of Mentoring • Developing Mentoring Skill • Tools for the Mentoring Process

4. SECTION ONE INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF MENTORING • Helps employee • Organization is strengthened • Positive Influence on Career • Mentor to Advancing Employees • Retain, Develop, Promote

5. “Successful careers are not planned. They are the careers of people who are prepared for the opportunity because they know their strengths, the way they work and their values.” Peter Drucker, p. 180 “Management Challenges for the 21st Century” Quotes

6. Philosophy--Why Implement a Mentoring Process? • Develop future leaders • Guide and develop less experienced employees • Achieve a strategic, competitive edge for your company in the marketplace • Develop a talent pool for succession planning--organizational consistency • Retain and motivate the right employees.

7. What is the Mentor/Mentee Relationship? • Definition of Mentoring • Mentoring Process • Development of Talent

8. Odysseus, while away from home during the Trojan War, had his servant, Mentor, educate and guide his son. Greek Mythology

9. Tell mentees what they can achieve and how to achieve it Retention of the right employees creates a stable workforce Succession can be an outcome of building and developing the right people Employee Retention

10. Challenging work Work-life balance Professional development Career development Personal growth Communication flow Competitive salary and benefits Employee Retention

11. Organization Mission Statement Organization Structure/ Culture Orientation Leadership Followership Communication Career Path How to create an Environment that Retains People

12. What Are The Perceptions about the Organization

13. Mentor Actions • Vested interest in success • Coach • Professional relationship • Sponsor • Role model • Create safe environment • Support - not evaluate • Influence & guide in positive direction • Guide professionally and personally

14. Mentor Actions • Observe & discuss interactions and • skills • Provide adequate & appropriate • feedback • Encourage personal vision • Discuss career & business objectives • Discuss strengths & character qualities • Discuss changes and future • expectations

15. Focus on Mentee Professional Development Professional • Goal setting • Career development • Communication • Problem solving • Leadership and followership • Decision making • Feedback/feed forward

16. Focus on mentee personal development Personal • Positive self-regard • Motivation • Controlled stress level • Conflict resolution • Empathy; ability to build rapport • Appropriate priority setting • Work/life balance

17. Benefits from mentoring Mentor Benefits • Enhanced communication • Sensitivity • Rethink, re-experience Mentee Benefits • Establish goals • Enhance performance Organization Benefits • Profitability • Contribution of the employee, • reduce turnover, Strengthen Culture

18. SECTION TWO DEVELOPING MENTORING SKILLS

19. “I have a lot of ambition. In every job I’ve had, I’ve been successful and I intend to be successful here even if it means walking over a few people to do so. I’m going to prove myself and really move up within the organization.” Man, aged 35 years Mentor Response Assessment Statement I Statement I Responses Choose one of the following responses. 1  You feel you are a very ambitious man, is that right? 2  Why do you think you have such a strong need for success? 3  That’s good. You should soon get to the top with that attitude. Let me know if I can help you in any way. 4.  It seems to me that your need for success is so strong that it outweighs your need to be popular. 5.  It will make you very unpopular here if you maintain that attitude … that’s not how we do things here at all.

20. Scoring Grid

21. Setting the proper mentoring tone

22. Setting the proper Mentoring Tone

23. Four Mentoring Types Mean Mentor Meandering Mentor Mindless Mentor Marvelous Mentor

24. Listen without rebuttal Make eye contact Nod acceptance Smile Focus Paraphrase Effective Listening

25. Climate Input Support Feedback Create an environment that develops leaders Establish the Mentoring Environment

26. Focus Focus on key issues Offer opportunities for development Create care and empathy Understand - have acceptance Support strengths

27. Analyzer Whiner Rejecter Victim Controller Mentee Roles During Feedback

28. Feedback Feedback = Feed forward Feedback to Feed the Future

29. Four Stages of Feedback Astonished - You can’t mean me! Anger - You do mean me! Abandon - You can’t be serious! Acceptance - You are serious! SARA

30. Motivation Performance = Ability X Effort (Competence) (Motivation) • Opportunity for development • Ask what will motivate • Desire • Support abilities • Strengthen skills • Listen • Be realistic • Build Esteem

31. Guide to mentoring • Establish a safe working relationship and rapport • Build good rapport • Establish and open • Give feedback • Ask Mentees to write a goals report • Ask the mentees how you the mentor can help them develop • Inquire as to how your mentees are achieving their goals

32. Mentoring skills • Listen • Help to problem solve • Advise but do not dictate • Encourage and draw out • Guide but don’t direct • Be a safe haven to discuss issues without judging • Ask questions to identify values and attitude

33. Phases of the mentoring Process • Phase One Initiation • Phase Two Cultivation • Phase Three Separation • Phase Four Autonomy

34. Phases of the Mentoring Process

35. Honestly listen without rebuttal Empathize by remembering Acknowledge and paraphrase Respectfully respond HEAR

36. Why People Do Listen • Build a connection • Identify and understand • Identify level of understanding • Identify actions to be taken • Learn • Are interested • It is worthwhile

37. How to Address Questions • Listen to terms - general or specific • How are questions asked? • Address questions in same manner • No answer - pause, ask questions in response

38. SECTION Three Tools for the Mentoring Process

39. Mentee Preparation For the first Meeting First Meeting • Choose a mentor with whom you feel comfortable and who is willing to put in the time to support your development. You, as the mentee, should identify a mentor who has developed and demonstrated the skills that you need to develop.

40. Goals Report • What are your personal goals? • What are your long-term career goals? What do you want to be able to do, or what will you need to do differently in two years? • What would make you feel satisfied and successful at work? • What do you need to do to balance work and family with personal needs? • What are the benefits from the mentoring process? • What do you want? • What do you want to learn about yourself? • Be prepared to identify your own strengths and areas for development. • Find out more about successful people at the org • What are your work-related goals? • Find more successful people at the organization. Why are they successful? What are they doing right? • What are you seeking through the mentoring relationship? • Advice • Personal development • Professional development • Experience • Finding a role model • Gaining a sounding board • A safe place to discuss issues

41. Learning Questions • Learning Questions • Tell me about some of the projects you have been on. What have you learned? What went right/wrong? What might you have done differently in some of your projects? Which ones did you enjoy most? Why? • What do you want from me as your mentor? • (If the person is just out of college/university): How has your academic experience prepared you to work at the organization?

42. Developmental Questions • Developmental Questions • What do you want to accomplish through the mentoring process? • What skills do you feel you have acquired to accomplish your goals? • What skills do you feel you need to acquire to accomplish your goals? • What is the best way to give you feedback? • What is your first step? • What resources or other people could you learn from or what courses do you feel you need to take to help you acquire the skills you need? Listen for responsibility of taking action. Don’t let the mentee put you, the mentor, into a position of dictating what to do.

43. Follow-up Mentoring Meetings • Follow-up Mentoring Meetings • Tell me what you have been working on. • What are some of the significant experiences you have had? What did you learn? • From your experiences, what would you do differently or what alternatives might you use? • The objective of mentoring is to develop people who know their jobs and who can reliably perform the "how" to your "what."

44. Mentee Assessment Outline • Customer Relationship • Communication • Business Knowledge • Problem Solving • Computer Knowledge • Professional Skill Development • Interpersonal Relationships • Leadership • Professional Presence • Planning • Creativity • Accountability • Initiative • Team Work • Adaptability • Integrity “Talents are best nurtured in solitude, but character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.”

45. Mentee Assessment

46. Profile Characteristics of a high profile employee

47. Mentee Work Papers

48. Mentor Work Papers

49. Pre - Task Meeting Agenda

50. Post – Task Meeting Agenda