by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Jan 25, 2018 | Advice for Leaders, Assumption Hunting, Checking Out Assumptions, Facilitating Learning, Goal Setting Conversation, Group Mentoring, Growth and Development, Making Mentoring Work For You, Mentoring Communication, Mentoring Questions, Mentoring Relationships, Mentoring Training, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for mentoring pairs is staying on track over the course of the year.
To make sure you avoid this potential trap, make sure you determine how to manage your mentoring time:
How often and how long will you meet?
How will you handle and reschedule cancelled meetings? Consider using an agenda, preparation, and journal as vehicles for maximizing learning. Your schedule holds and organizes your most valuable asset – your time.
For new mentor/mentee relationships, the development of an agreed-upon framework will not only set expectations, but also support focused meeting times so you both get the most out of your time together.
For more experienced pairs, referring back to the framework (or creating a new one) is a great way to a mentoring relationship back on track.
Ready for more? Review the Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships for more support, insight and tools.
by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Dec 19, 2017 | Growth and Development, Mentoring Relationships, Mentoring Training, News and Updates, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
Leadership Development Services’ Vice President assumes key leadership role starting January 2018.
Phoenix, AZ; Seattle, WA — December 19, 2017
Lisa Z. Fain, Leadership Development Services Vice President and new CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence
The Center for Mentoring Excellence, a division of Leadership Development Services LLC, is proud to announce that Lisa Z. Fain will become its Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2018. She will lead its practice of creating learning, growth, community, and inclusion for organizations and leaders seeking to achieve business results through mentoring excellence.
According to Dr. Lois Zachary, the current Chief Executive Officer:
“We are thrilled to have Lisa leading the Center for Mentoring Excellence. She is highly regarded for her combination of knowledge, expertise, humor, and no-nonsense practical approach to enhancing mentoring performance. Her passion for diversity and inclusion work has enabled her to assist mentors and mentees to understand, bridge, and leverage their differences to achieve better business results.”
Ms. Fain has conducted mentoring training programs in corporate, government, and educational institutions. A skilled facilitator and experienced coach, she offers clients solutions that come from her diverse experience and utilize her ability to listen and understand clients’ needs. She gives practical, actionable guidance to help organizations maximize the return on their investments in mentoring. Speaking about the transition, Lisa Fain said:
“I am very excited and honored to lead the Center for Mentoring Excellence. I look forward to continuing Dr. Zachary’s work to bring the very best in mentoring practices to organizations committed to their employees’ development and growth. Dr. Zachary will continue her association with Leadership Development Services and the Center, and we plan to offer new services from time to time, such as Mentoring Excellence Masterminds, which provides monthly online support for mentors, mentees, and program administrators to achieve sustained accountability and excellence.”
Lisa Z. Fain and Dr. Lois J. Zachary
Since October 2015, Fain has been Leadership Development Services’ Vice President and lead in Diversity Strategy and Cultural Competency, as well as CEO and Founder of Vista Coaching. Prior to those roles, Fain served as Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Outerwall, Inc. (the parent company to automated retail giants Redbox and Coinstar). Lisa spearheaded the development and implementation of its diversity initiative, including launching the company’s first mentoring program for its Women’s Business Resource Group. Prior to that position, she worked as Outerwall’s in-house counsel, where she coached leaders and partnered with Human Resources to establish fair and effective policies and practices to sustain the organization as it grew in size, revenue, and renown.
Previously, Lisa practiced law with the Chicago office of a major multinational law firm and counseled employers on creating inclusive policies and practices. In addition, she served as a Master Trainer, training thousands of employees at a variety of companies on how to create a better workplace. Certified as a mediator through Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution, Lisa applied her counseling skills to help clients understand and prevent conflict.
Lisa holds a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University and a JD degree from its School of Law. She is also a certified Life Coach, with certification from the International Coach Academy.
About the Center for Mentoring Excellence®
Center for Mentoring Excellence is a rapidly growing consulting, training, and coaching firm that offers training, consultation, and coaching to promote, elevate, and enhance the practice of mentoring excellence. Based on the work of its founder, author Dr. Lois Zachary, and its talented mentoring experts, the Center is able to provide customized solutions and services to its clients.
Its latest program, Mentoring Excellence Masterminds™, offers ongoing and just-in-time support to maximize the effectiveness and ROI of mentoring.
For more information about the Center for Mentoring Excellence and its unique mentoring services, visit www.centerformentoring.com.
by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Dec 5, 2017 | Advice for Leaders, Facilitating Learning, Goal Setting Conversation, Growth and Development, Making Mentoring Work For You, Mentoring Communication, Mentoring Relationships, Mentoring Training, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
Maintaining accountability in a mentoring relationship is critical for success. But it’s not one-sided. Accountability must be mutual. “Wait, what?” you might be thinking. “Accountability is hard enough, but mutual accountability?”
Yes! Making sure both mentors and mentees are accountable keeps mentoring relationships moving and on track thanks to regular care and attention. Regular monitoring of your relationship guarantees that even when the relationship seems to be going well, you can still promote mutual accountability and, therefore, a healthy relationship.
How do you get started? Use the following conversation tips to provide a framework that drives mutual accountability — and helps maintain it.
Check in at the beginning of your meeting. Regularly ask, “How is it going?” Probe your mentee’s response, and take it to a deeper level.
Share your observations about how things are going and what concerns you have about the learning process. For example, “I’ve noticed that our discussions are very general and theoretical. Are you finding them helpful?”
Take a step back before you go forward. For example, “Let’s take a look at how we’re doing. What’s particularly helpful to you in your learning? What has been least helpful? What do you think is going well? What do we need to improve? What kind of additional assistance do you need?”
Use your mentee’s goals as benchmarks for measuring the progress and achievement of learning goals. Refer to them frequently. Evaluating progress regularly maintains momentum, keeps learning goals at the forefront of the relationship and holds partners mutually accountable for achieving them.
by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Nov 8, 2017 | Facilitating Learning, Growth and Development, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
As one of the Plenary Speakers at University of New Mexico’s 2017 Mentoring Institute Conference, Dr. Lois Zachary tackled an important mentoring practice — looking back so that we can move forward. In her address, Dr. Zachary discusses the past and future of mentoring using Dr. James Ryan’s “Five Questions” as a framework.
In this video, Dr. Zachary explores the first two questions, using them as a lens for viewing the past and the future.
by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Nov 1, 2017 | Facilitating Learning, Growth and Development, Making Mentoring Work For You, Mentoring Communication, Mentoring Relationships, Mentoring Training, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
When we hear the word “feedback,” most of us assume that something is wrong, that we require improvement or that we are going to be criticized.
So, when a mentor says, “Can I give you some feedback?” we brace ourselves. Maybe at best, we approach the message cautiously.
But feedback shouldn’t be feared! Good feedback should identify and reinforce behaviors that contribute positively, while altering behaviors that get in the way. When it comes to feedback, mentees seek confirmation that they are meeting their mentor’s expectations — and they want them to acknowledge it! Starting with praise, and then following with something specific to work on, is a great way to encourage mentees and make them more receptive to feedback.
Here are 6 tips for giving feedback to your mentee.
- Talk about the value of feedback. Let your mentee know to expect it.
- Provide frequent feedback. This ensures your feedback is timely and closely related to the events it refers to.
- Stay balanced. Err on the side of caution. Offer more positive comments than critical comments.
- Be sincere. If positive feedback is forced, it loses value and undermines your credibility.
- Keep it two-way. Feedback should be a conversation, not a lecture. Make sure your mentee is engaged in the conversation. Facilitate a conversation that ensures your mentee understands your input and is motivated to act on your feedback.
- Limit feedback to one or two items your mentee can do something about. Don’t overwhelm them!
At the end of the day, feedback is critical to any mentoring relationship’s success. Making sure mentors know how to give good feedback and mentees know how to receive it are two necessary components of success.
What feedback tips do you have? We’d love your feedback!
by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Oct 12, 2017 | Goal Setting Conversation, Growth and Development, Making Mentoring Work For You, Mentoring Communication, Mentoring Questions, Mentoring Relationships, Mentoring Training, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
Imagine this scenario:
You are hidden in the cubicle next to your supervisor when a colleague drops by to ask her about your performance and contribution to her team. In your dream scenario, your supervisor raves about your work ethic, your analytic skills, your strong relationships with co-workers and members of the leadership team.
That, of course, is what you would like to hear! But in reality, do you have a real handle on what others would say about you? Do you know how your mentor might answer that question?
Managers wish employees would come to them to ask how are they are doing, and what specific areas they should work on. Mentors feel the same way. It’s a lot easier and more comfortable to provide feedback when a mentee seeks it out and is open to working on him or herself. While we all seek positive feedback, we also need to be open to hearing a frank assessment of what holds us back or gets in our way. And, most importantly, we need to be prepared to work on ourselves once an area has been identified.
Here are 5 tips in asking for feedback from your mentoring partner:
- Be clear and specific about what feedback you’re looking for. First, start on a positive note by asking about areas of strength. Then, ask about two areas your mentor feels you need to work on. (Two keeps it limited and doable.)
- Check for understanding (especially around constructive feedback) without getting defensive. If you are unaware of the issues your mentor is raising, ask for an example of where you fell short (again, without being defensive or aggressive). Make sure you agree on what behaviors would help correct deficiencies.
- End the conversation on a positive note. Thank your mentoring partner for their feedback.
- Take time to reflect on what you heard. Think about how the feedback you received might be impacting other areas of your personal and professional life. Set aside any negative feelings you have about what you heard by remembering that this feedback was designed to help you grow and develop.
- Address the areas that have been raised by taking action. Become more conscious about your behaviors and how they affect others and your work. Check in (but not too soon) with your mentor to determine if what you are doing differently is making a difference.
How do you like to ask for feedback?
