Improving as a Leader: Mentoring

Being a leader often means being all too-aware of some of your shortcomings, while also blissfully ignorant of many others. While a degree of self-reflection and self-awareness are essential for any leader in an organisation, this is no good if it leads to paralysis in role or, conversely, no action being taken to improve whatsoever.?

Hitting the ‘Goldilocks zone’ of reflection and self-improvement is no easy task, and certainly not one that I have often managed. However, I have been able to recognise ways in which I have improved problematic or frustrating behaviours (both in my eyes or those of my colleagues), through a variety of tools, namely coaching, mentoring and therapy. There are many articles online that will help readers understand the difference between these tools, and how each of them can help. The purpose of my writing is to give a personal insight into how each of them might help leaders in different ways.?

Some who know me will know that many of these are still areas for further development but I can recognise that, thanks to the tools outlined above, I have made strong inroads or progress in all of these areas, and more besides.?

Mentoring

I consider myself lucky to have had a number of mentors throughout my career, both formal and informal. Many of those mentors who had the strongest impact on my development might not necessarily have seen themselves acting in such a role for me.*

*Semantically, one might instead consider these figures as role models, rather than mentors. Given the proximity with which I worked with them, or sought their advice, I would still place them in the mentor camp.?

Formal mentoring has always been helpful as it can give direction or advice in a manner that isn’t appropriate in a coaching relationship. When I was a Head of Sixth Form, having a senior colleague point out what was to be expected of me from the Head in given meetings, or what figures I needed to have to hand in given circumstances was invaluable in helping me feel comfortable in the role. This was not the same as line management; this was instead someone who had worked in a similar role being able to point out the cultural aspects or expectations of the school that might not have been as quickly apparent.?

Drawing on the advice of former heads as I worked as a Deputy, or indeed approached my own headship, was also incredibly helpful. Even in a role where I was fortunate to be included in most conversations relating to strategic or whole-school matters, and with a great degree of transparency between senior colleagues, having an outside perspective that helped me appreciate what the ‘bigger picture’ that a Head will have been trying to keep in mind allowed me to play my role more effectively.?

As I approached my second year of headship, my Chair of Governors and I agreed that it might be useful to have an external appraisal. This was indeed an incredibly helpful exercise, of which I will write separately, but one of the most positive outcomes from the process was the continued mentoring relationship I formed with the former Head, who had kindly undertaken my appraisal.?

Heads are fortunate to be able to share perspectives with other heads, often in WhatsApp groups or email trains of common worries or frustrations, but having someone to meet with more consistently and share ideas 1:1 has been such a positive experience. It particularly helped in the following ways:

Seeking advice or context specific strategies

Dealing with issues for the first time as a Head is never easy; no matter our previous experience, we have rarely ‘seen it all’ by the time we take up post. Being able to pick up the phone and ask for advice or guidance on a specific matter, or talk through my fears with someone who has sat in a very similar chair is always helpful, even if only for the reassurance that you aren’t the first or only person to have been in such a situation.?

There are many highlights of headship, as well no small number of challenges. I have been hugely grateful to my mentor and others for the specific strategies they were able to offer when facing, for example, a knotty pastoral matter, or understanding the implications of a HR situation. There is no substitute for experience when it comes to handling difficult or novel situations, but being able to tap into the experience of others is a helpful shortcut when ones own is in shorter supply.?

Seeing the longer perspective

Some of the ways I can cause frustrations for others is in trying to jump to the end of a process, or fail to hide my disappointment when initiatives are not rolled out immediately. Being able to talk through such matters with someone who has been there and got the school-branded t-shirt, can help to plan more effectively, and see the longer term implications that should not be overlooked. Counsel on how things may go askew, or how other stakeholders need to be kept informed or involved is something that can often be provided more easily from someone sat at a more experience end of their career.?

At the start of ones career in leadership, it is easy to want to see all ideas rolled out and successfully implemented within weeks of arrival, either out of a misplaced sense of needing to justify oneself, or a misplaced desire to help an organisation continue to build and grow. Mentoring undoubtedly helped me to see the marathon that my role will be, rather than seeing it as a sprint to a finish.?

Keeping ego in check

In a similar vein, there are times when sitting in the Head’s Office allows the power to flow to my head a little too easily(!). It is not often I will find myself in this position (although colleagues may disagree), but there are occasions when I have failed to see why an idea or direction is not resonating with the community, and will be frustrated that others don’t see the benefit of my perspective. A mentor is well-placed to push back more directly than even senior colleagues will feel able to, and help one to appreciate the downsides of an ideas, as much as champion or help refine the upsides.?

When might mentoring be useful?

As with coaching, there are a variety of scenarios when mentoring will helpful support and guidance. I have found it particularly useful during periods of transition, looking ahead to taking on new roles and to help understand the pitfalls to look out for, or to help in the early stages of a role to maintain calibration and understand how to be of most use to others in an organisation. At the same time, I have also found it helpful after a period in role, to re-centre myself in a manner that can draw upon the experience of others.?