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Leadership and the Art of Mentoring: Tool Kit for the Time Machine

 January 30, 2001

"Mentoring is perhaps the most powerful method by which we can shape the future.  The term has become a buzzword, often carelessly shot into the air along with a dust-cloud of other jargon from the unofficial, unwritten dictionary of those who consider themselves on the cutting edge of modern leadership and management.  But real mentoring, properly understood, is much more than just another clipping from last week's Dilbert Cartoon.  Without an in-depth study of mentoring, the capacity of an individual to mentor is limited to the horizons of their own experience.  Thus, mentoring is literally a time machine that allows us to have a profound influence many years beyond today's hubbub and humdrum.  And, it is safe to say that, just as sure as you are related to your grandfather, mentoring can make a significant difference in the lives of people.

It may be useful mnemonic and analytical device to treat the term mentoring as if it were an acronym.  The various aspects of effective mentoring, expressed as verbs can be understood as corresponding to the letters in the word as follows:

Model

Empathize

Nurture

Teach

Organize

Respond

Inspire

Network

Goal-set

An effective mentor must lead by example.  When the mentor serves as a real-world role model for the protege, the cliche that 'actions speak louder than words' comes to life. Part of the mentoring process is the act of demonstrating for the protege as he or she 'shadows' the mentor the proper methods, techniques, practices, and procedures that are part of the way the enterprise functions. 

The ability and willingness to empathize are central to mentoring. An empathetic mentor will comprehend the types of challenges and struggles a novice faces, usually because he or she was once a novice too.

Nurturing encompasses a caring attitude, emphasis on development, and an understanding of the 'law of harvest.'  The mentor nurtures the protege as a farmer tends the wheat, providing seeds, nourishment, protection, and the room to grow, each in its turn, in the proper amount, and in its own due time. 

Teaching in its fullest, most developed sense is the essence of mentoring.  It is crucial for mentors to spend some time developing a realistic plan for teaching their proteges.  The mentor must realize that this material is totally new to the novice, and that most people need to see or hear unfamiliar material several times before they truly learn it.  It is also absolutely essential that the mentor periodically review previously presented material with the protege.

An organized mentor will know at the outset what he or she wants to achieve and will focus every aspect of the program toward that goal.  The time you spend on organizing saves a lot of time and energy.

Mentoring involves genuine two-way communication between mentor and protege on a protracted, continuing basis.  Mentors must truly listen to questions from their proteges and respond to them fully.

The mentor who can inspire the protege will have a profound, deeply rooted effect on that person for perhaps an entire lifetime.  Inspiration is one way in which leaders differ from managers.  A leader has a broader vision and a far-reaching drive that goes beyond the more limited focus on of the typical manager.

A good mentor introduces the protege to other people who can provide support, information, and resources.  The mentor should teach the protege how to build upon this nucleus (sharing their personal preexisting network with the protege) and add contacts of his or her own. 

An integral part of the organizational aspect of mentoring is to set goals.  A mentor must also teach proper goal-setting techniques. 

This article has examined the mentoring process within an analytical framework that identified the key elements of effective mentoring. A major challenge of contemporary organizations is to nurture the talent and interest of all employees so that the needs of education, government, military, business and other professional fields, can be met.  To achieve this worthy goal, leaders must take seriously their obligation to mentor their people.  Mentors must have the vision to develop the leadership potential in employees for the global and highly inter-dependent world of the future (Kunich & Lester, 1999, pp. 17-34)."

Reference:  Kunich, J. C., & Lester, R. I. (1999). Leadership and the art of mentoring: Tool kit for the time machine. The Journal of Leadership Studies, 6, 17-34.

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Created: 2008-02-26, Updated: 2009-02-18