WICT Northern California President, 2011
I hope you've had an opportunity to attend one of our exciting programs this year. Thanks to members like you, we've had three full-to-capacity events: February's mentoring and networking event, the "Future of TV Consumption" program in March, and our "Listen and Connect" mentoring breakfast in April.
As I circled the room at the "Listen and Connect" mentoring breakfast, I overheard passionate dialog between our executive mentors and multiple tables of mentees, engrossed in powerful success stories and nuggets of wisdom.
Where else can you get a centralized download of career advice, inside scoop and "been there, done that" anecdotes - in one room, in two hours, and from such a successful group of executives? The buzz of enthusiasm filled the room, and it was evident that mentoring, now more than ever, is critical.
I recently stumbled across a Harvard Business Review blog article - "Demystifying Mentoring"1 by Amy Gallo - that "debunks" many misconceptions about mentoring relationships. In the article, Gallo outlines four mentoring myths:
Myth #1: You have to find one perfect mentor.Gallo refers to the term "developmental network" coined by Kathy E. Kram-Shipley, Professor in Management at the Boston University School of Management, and author of Mentoring at Work: Developmental Relationships in Organizational Life. 2 Unlike the singular word "mentor," "developmental network" suggests a group of people who you seek out for advice, and have your best interests at heart.
Myth #2: Mentoring is a formal long-term relationship. Within the rapid fire, “text it now” reality of our day-to-day, it’s important to understand how mentoring relationships have morphed. Now, it’s about speed mentoring, and ongoing short-term mentoring needs. As Jeanne Meister, a Founding Partner of “Future Workplace” 3 and co-author of The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop & Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today 4 says: “You don't need to wait until you have some big thing in your career. In today's world, mentoring is more like Twitter and less like having a psychotherapy session." Think of mentoring today like “micro-mentoring!”
Myth #3: Mentoring is for junior people. Today’s tripod of Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y brings a new set of learning opportunities, and the notion of seeking out the sage senior person as a sole mentor is passé. In the book, The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop & Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today, Meister and Willyerd discuss the importance of “reverse mentoring.” Nowadays, it’s just as likely the junior employee is the sought out adviser, revered for her knowledge about new technology, and insight on the real motivators in today’s workplace.
Myth #4: Mentoring is something more experienced people do out of the goodness of their hearts. Willyerd fast forwards from mentoring in the past – and the rules of honor, respect, and asking someone formally to be a mentor - to the cubicle land of today, requiring networking relationships and reciprocity. Present day mentoring is just as likely to provide valuable information to the mentor as it is to the mentee. And, while, it’s not a clear cut “WIIFM” case, to quote Willyerd: “Even the promise of future help, if and when it's needed, can be enough to convince a mentor to give up his time and energy.”
“To mentor, or not to mentor;” yesterday, it may have been a formal question. Today, it’s simply rhetorical.
Thank you for your support of WICT Northern California. I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events.
Happy (micro) mentoring! LL