First 15 years as a Mentor / Transformation Partner

Listening to a former client - now friend - recount our shared adventures, I realised it is now 15 years that I have been learning and practising the craft as a Mentor / Transformation Partner.

Like many of you who read this, during my Executive career in Business Transformation, I actively developed teams and individual leaders.?However, I consider that quite different to the phase I now refer to as Transformation Partnering where I make Executive Mentoring and Building High Performing Leadership teams that lead through business transformation my exclusive game.?

It’s been a fascinating journey and the milestone has caused me to pause and attempt to capture the big take-aways that could be valuable to you.

The three big reflections from my first 15 years as a Mentor / Transformation Partner:

• Finding the ‘sweet spot’ takes time
• The long term value of shared experience deep in the work
• Fond connections realising achievement + fulfilment.

Finding the ‘sweet spot’ takes time

Working in many different environments, I have unpacked the angles and intersections of the extended team of successful Business Transformation.

That has meant plenty of adjustment on my behalf as I found the sweet spot of challenge and support and how to best complement other roles in strategy development and execution. I have “clunked about” at times as I learned to tune in to the deep motivation of leaders and the stakeholders involved in any progress of significance.?

Sometimes, particularly in my early transition from Executive roles, my driver nature got the better of me and I found myself way too hands-on. Sometimes I expressed frustration, rather than my intended care, as progress was slower than I believed it “should” be. Sometimes I assumed technical knowledge in leaders that had not had the exposure I took for granted. Sometimes I got ahead of the readiness and fitness of the leadership team and their key stakeholders.

Like a Social Exerciser can get by without a personal coach, competitive sports people understand the critical role someone in your corner makes to accelerated development + reduced injury risk.

For the leaders familiar with the dynamics of a boss they reported to, or a Board that governed over them or, conversely, people they employed for specific functional skills, I took too long to establish the clarity of the dynamic of Mentoring / Transformation Partnering that makes it a powerful complement to other people around you.

A Mentor / Transformation Partner is not:

• to step above like a “boss”
• to govern like a Board Director
• to replace the technical specialists in people, process, technology functions
• to operate within the leaders current thinking and scope like an Employee or Contractor.?

A Mentor / Transformation Partner is:

• a guide for the leader to connect with their unique essence more deeply and about what really matters
• a coach for building their emotional capacity for adaption and building strong relationships
• a creator of the space and capacity for the deep work required of a leader and support this with technical business transformation skills
• a coach to ensure the transformation capabilities for resourcing and technology integration, which are different between transitions and running ‘Business as Usual’.

The long term value of shared experience deep in the work

With the valuable perspective of time in the Mentor / Transformation Partner role, it is the shared experience?deep in the work that is particularly special.

It is fascinating to reflect on the shared experience deep in the work. Of course, there is the strategising, planning, and follow through people expect in leading large integrated programs. However, I often joke how it is really just like life with a lot going on internally, externally, and things we are not yet aware of.

Externally, people often point to the big milestones - the performance graphs, the buzz when you know you have momentum that will create a significant impact and sometimes a lasting legacy.

Quite often, prior to the breakthrough period, there is work, doubts, conflicts, stretching out of our comfort zones that can seem like it is going on forever.

Being there for leaders at this time can be career and life-trajectory changing.

The creativity, playing with angles to navigate the latest barrier, the inspired insights, being there and believing for someone that is taking a leap they are not yet fully believing themselves. Finally, sharing celebratory moments, knowing the inner work that has occurred to deliver the external outcomes.

Fond connections?realising achievement and fulfilment

When looking at where leaders are now, that I have worked with over that 15 years, I feel inspired by the company I have kept.

When we talk, I am aware of their record of achievement and sense of fulfilment.?

Amazing results, including leading periods of significant development in their sectors, going onto bigger CEO and other key Exec roles. National and Asia Pacific roles. Multiple successful transitions into Board careers.

Looking back now, I can see it is the fulfilment that is most rewarding - fulfilled in themselves, doing what matters, being generous to others. Most of them now have a history of growing many people.?Some of them I have worked with in multiple roles and organisations.?

With my mission to see more successful transitions than people caught disrupted this decade, I continue my ongoing evolution in this craft with the aim to extend my reach and accessibility, to share a lot more!?The Covid years have accelerated my online delivery capabilities and capturing a lot of what we did on the spot a decade ago, it is now a lot more scalable.

What has been your experience?

Have you had a Mentor / Transformation Partner in beside you?

Bernie?

This article is part of the Chief of Transformation topic.

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Bernie is known for building capability and confidence in leaders who need to transform organisations that are continually reshaping to survive and thrive.

His career in whole of enterprise and cross-organisation shifts, and then 10 years Business Transformation Diagnostics, Training, and Mentoring across Australia and SE Asia.?Currently working with leaders who are focused on accelerated development and re-imagination of industry value systems. He loves contributing to leaders, teams and networks successfully transitioning to the next phase.?

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In 2020 Bernie authored Traction: Building Change-fit Leadership Teams.

Bernie welcomes connecting with and talking to leaders tackling the challenges of team and network transitions.

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