PODCAST

A Rare Look Inside a Mother and Daughter’s Transition of Ownership (WeMentor Podcast | November 2021)

How many family businesses have painful transitions of ownership from one generation to the next? Most, and many don’t want to talk about it afterward. Of these family businesses, how many consist of mothers transferring ownership of their business to their daughters?

Today you will get a rare glimpse inside a mother and daughter’s transition of ownership. An indication that women founders are building valuable company legacies to pass on. A new trend worth multiplying.

Guest Mentors Dr. Lois Zachary and Lisa Fain describe what worked for them in passing the baton from mother to daughter. Lisa became CEO at the Center for Mentoring Excellence in 2018. The transition began four years before the official ownership handoff.

They are mentors who practice what they preach. Three things they were deliberate about were their purpose, identifying a process, and developing a plan. A coach worked with both of them and didn’t shy away from asking Dr. Zachary tough questions to help her psychologically and emotionally let go. Writing an operational manual provided Dr. Zachary a path to transfer knowledge and decades’ worth of documents, research, client information, etc., preparing Lisa to take over. Dr. Zacharay said Lisa has brought freshness, curiosity, and inclusiveness into their mentoring work, especially essential now. Their formula worked, and I am grateful they want to share it with us.

 PODCAST

Keys to Finding, Cultivating, and Ending Mentor Relationships with Lisa Fain (When Science Speaks | September 2021)

This week’s episode features Lisa Fain, JD, CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence and founder of Vista Coaching, the coaching division of the Center. We discuss a range of issues associated with mentorship, including:

• Lisa’s professional journey, with its theme of creating inclusive, productive workplaces
• The common pitfalls or missed opportunities she often sees mentees experience
• What mentees should look for in a mentor
• Key success factors for strong, productive mentoring relationships and how mentee attitudes and behavior contribute to positive mentoring relationships
• How scientists outside academia where mentorship may be less formalized should go about seeking mentors 
• Similarities and differences between mentors and career coaches
• Lisa’s thoughts on the statement: With COVID shaking up the way people work, it seems having a mentor would be even more important, as workers navigate new norms
• How to professionally and efficiently end a mentoring relationship

PODCAST

Lisa Fain from CME (Erin Keam, April 2021)

Lisa Fain is the CEO of Center for Mentoring Excellence, and an expert in the intersection of cultural competency and mentoring. Her passion for diversity and inclusion work fuels her strong conviction that leveraging differences creates a better workplace and drives better business results.

 Lisa brings her energy, enthusiasm and engagement to any group, facilitating lively workshops and training and delivering interactive speeches with practical steps that can be implemented right away. With Center for Mentoring Excellence founder Dr. Lois Zachary, Lisa is the co-author of the recently released Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring, a book that brings to life the stories, tips and tools for communicating effectively across differences in mentoring.

 As Senior Director of the Diversity and Inclusion function at Outerwall, Inc., Lisa spearheaded the development, establishment and implementation of its diversity initiative. For almost a decade, Lisa practiced law in the Chicago office of a major multinational, where she counselled employers on creating inclusive policies and practices. While in that role she served a Master Trainer, training thousands of employees at a variety of companies, large and small, on how to create a better workplace.

 Lisa also founded Vista Coaching, a division of Center for Mentoring Excellence, which provides group coaching for professional women looking to design and live their best lives. She is a certified mediator. She graduated with a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University and holds a JD from Northwestern University School of Law. She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband and 2 teenage daughters.

PODCAST

Measuring Results from Social Media (Book Marketing Podcast | March 2021)

LIn the month of March, we are focusing on the topic of social media. In this episode, we are joined by Lisa Fain, CEO of Center for Mentoring Excellence and co-author of Bridging Difference for Better Mentoring. During this episode, Lisa shares:

What her journey has been with using social mediaIf she saw results from her long-term investment or a strategic approachThe most effective way to invest your time, energy, and money with social media The most challenging part of using social mediaHow she stepped outside her comfort zone and the opportunities that came from itResults and benefits she’s seen from using social media

PODCAST

The Right Way to Find a Mentor (Libby’s Leadership Lab | January 2021)

Libby is joined by Lisa Fain to discuss all things mentorship. Lisa began her career as an attorney before entering the world of diversity, inclusion and mentoring. She has conducted mentoring training programs for corporate, government and educational institutions. Lisa coaches mentors, mentees, and program administrators on how to achieve mentoring excellence and create the right environment for achievement of career and personal goals. She is highly regarded for her special combination of expertise, humor and no-nonsense approach.

Lisa discusses the following with Libby:

Four phases of effective mentoring
Three functions of a mentoring relationship
Questions to ask yourself when looking for a mentor
Setting expectations and checking assumptions when you find a mentor
Formal versus informal mentorship
Structuring the mentor/mentee relationship
The benefits of mentoring for the mentor
Common misconceptions about mentorship

can be purchased on Amazon.