_*_ Mentoring as Legacy Newsletter 17
Stephen Hobbs
Guide Olders to Elders solo-aging to become mentors on the path to live their extraordinary legacy life
Insight: Build a Mentoring Legacy
Article: Struggling with Mentoring? Here's How to Be More Professional
Resources: Video Links
Insight
ARTICLE
Struggling with Mentoring? Here's How to Be More Professional
If you're struggling with some aspects of your mentoring approach and want to be more professional, this article was made for you.?
Whatever your work status, your awareness of your mentorship means you care, respect, and claim accountability for your mentoring approach.?What happens when you notice aspects of your approach that are not as professional as you require?
**__** Coupled with this reflection, it seems noteworthy you
Understand the Importance of Professionalism in Mentoring
Professionalism (the requirements of competence known and shown as//by a professional) in mentoring is crucial because it establishes credibility and ensures effectiveness between the mentor and the mentee and all others affected by the outcomes of the mentoring.?
Credibility
A professional approach makes you more credible. When you present yourself professionally, mentees are more likely to trust your guidance. This trust is vital because it forms the bedrock of the mentoring relationship.?
Credibility comes from being knowledgeable, reliable, and consistent. It means showing up prepared for each session, having a clear understanding of the topics you will discuss, and providing informed service.?
Your mentee needs to feel confident that you have the experience and wisdom to help them navigate their challenges.
Three Action Points for Enhancing Credibility:
Arrive Prepared: Always come to mentoring sessions with a plan. Review previous dialogue and prepare relevant materials or questions.
Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with the latest developments in mentoring to provide current and accurate answers to the questions: So What? What Else? Now What? linked with the mentee’s conversations..
Be Consistent: Follow through on your commitments and be sound in your mentoring interactions.
Effectiveness
A structured and professional approach ensures mentoring sessions are productive and focused. Without structure, sessions can become disorganized and less effective.?
Professionalism involves setting clear goals//outcomes, establishing a framework for your sessions, and consistently evaluating progress. This structure helps the mentor and mentee stay on track and make the most of their time together.
Strategies for Maintaining Effectiveness:
Set Clear Shared Outcomes: Begin your mentoring relationship by setting specific, accomplishment outcomes. This provides direction and purpose for each session.
Create a Path Map: Develop a map/plan for your sessions, including topics to cover and milestones to achieve//accomplish. This helps maintain focus and ensures you address all important areas.
Evaluate Progress: Assess the mentee’s progress toward their goals. This helps identify areas of improvement for the mentee and mentor. Adjust the mentoring approach as needed. Ask the mentee for their thoughts and feelings about how it’s going.
CONSIDER
Five Tips to Professionalize Your Mentoring Approach
1. Identify Shared Outcomes with Clear Commitments and Expectations
Professionalism in mentoring starts with setting clear, shared outcomes. Both the mentor and the mentee need to have a mutual understanding of what they aim to achieve through their relationship. This involves identifying specific, measurable steps//actions and establishing a path map to reach these outcomes.?
Clear commitments from both parties are essential, to ensure each person knows their accountabilities and responsibilities. Setting these forecasts early on helps prevent misunderstandings and keeps the mentoring process focused and productive.?
It also provides a framework for evaluating progress, allowing both mentor and mentee to celebrate personal achievements, shared accomplishments, and address any challenges that arise.?
2. Communicate Effectively From Resilience and Reciprocity
Effective communication is a cornerstone of professional mentoring. It involves the exchange of information and outcomes AND the ability to listen consciously and empathetically.?
Mentors who communicate with resilience show the ability to adept to challenges and setbacks while maintaining an optimistic and supportive attitude.?
Reciprocity is also key; both mentor and mentee should feel valued and understood in their interactions. This two-way communication fosters mutual respect and trust, creating a safe environment where the mentee can express concerns and ask for guidance without fear of judgment.?
Regular, open communication helps to build a strong rapport and ensures pre-during-post alignment. By communicating effectively, mentors can provide constructive feed-forward, offer encouragement, and help mentees develop their own communication skills, which are essential for their personal and professional growth.
3. Organize Work Flow and Include Felt Safety Requirements
Organizing the meetings and tasks is crucial for shared structural and productive outcomes. This involves scheduling regular sessions, setting agendas, and following up on actions.?
A well-organized workflow helps keep the mentoring relationship on track and ensures that both mentor and mentee are making the most of their time together.?
It is important to include felt safety requirements, which means creating an environment where the mentee feels safe and supported. This involves being respectful, maintaining confidentiality, and being mindful of the mentee's emotional and psych-social well-being//well-living.?
When mentees feel safe, they are open and honest, which is essential for effective mentoring. A structured yet flexible approach allows for adjustments as needed, ensuring that the mentoring process remains relevant and beneficial for all involved.
4. Foster a Meaningful and Impactful Relationship Supported by the Mentoring Arrangement
Build//nurture//support a meaningful and impactful mentoring relationship, including trust, respect, and genuine interest in the mentee's development. It goes beyond just meeting regularly; it involves being fully present and engaged in the mentoring process.?
Mentors who take the time to understand their mentee's aspirations, challenges, and strengths foster movement together. This understanding allows mentors to provide tailored guidance and support that aligns with the mentee's unique needs and goals.?
A strong mentoring arrangement also includes setting boundaries and agreements that ensure the relationship is professional and productive. Regular check-ins and feed-forward sessions help to strengthen the relationship and ensure that it remains impactful.?
When mentees feel valued and supported, they take ownership of their development and make meaningful progress towards their goals.
5. Keep Improving the Educating Approach Beyond Mentoring
Continuous improvement is essential in mentoring. Mentors who enhance their own skills and knowledge provide the best possible guidance to their mentees. This involves seeking professional development opportunities and being open to fresh approaches and techniques.?
Mentors who encourage mentees to take an active role in their own learning and development pass on the importance of the adage, “You educate what you love to learn!”. This can include recommending resources, encouraging them to seek feed-forward, and helping them to identify opportunities for growth.?
By fostering a movement of continuous improvement, mentors can help mentees develop a lifelong learning//educating mindset//orientation. This benefits the mentees in their current roles and prepares them for future challenges and opportunities.?
Ultimately, the outcome is to encourage mentees to become self-sufficient//self-assured and capable of mentoring others, creating a ripple effect of professional growth and development.
CONSIDER
The Value of Mentor Certification for a Professional Approach
One way to ensure a professional approach to mentoring is to pursue mentor certification. Although not as widely available as coaching certification, there are organizations that offer mentor certification with some research*. It's important to complete due diligence reviews to ensure their certification matches your desired outcome. *International Mentoring Community - YT: @MentorPractices__Alternatively, ask the author of this newsletter and/or chat with Doug Lawrence, International Mentor
领英推荐
The Certification Process
The certification process typically involves several key components:
Clear Profile of Mentor Action-Outcomes: Certification programs start by outlining the expected actions and outcomes of a certified mentor. This provides a clear understanding of what effective (wholistic, reciprocal) mentoring looks like and sets the standard for certification.
Systematic Self-Assessment: Candidates complete a self-assessment to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. Educational resources support this process to help mentors develop their knowledge and skills.
Verification of Knowledge and Skills: The certification process includes a rigorous verification process to confirm that candidates possess the agreed-upon knowledge and skills. This involves practical assessments, case-study reviews, log-book discussions, and demonstrations of mentoring in action (and less so, reliance only on an exam).
Acknowledgment of Readiness: Successful candidates acknowledge they are ready and able to mentor according to the standards outlined by the certification process. This acknowledgment is a testament to their capability//capacity and professionalism as a mentor.
Certification Timeline
The assigned certification timeline ensures mentors stay current with the concepts and practices, and they continue their professional development.
Consider: The recommended timeline does not exceed three years, with a preferable recertification cycle every two years.
Extending Importance of Mentor Certification
Mentor certification is a valuable way to guide a professional approach to mentoring. It ensures that mentors are well-prepared, knowledgeable, and able to provide high-quality support to their mentees.?
However, it does not ensure the mentor's "willingness to uphold the agreed-upon standards in the field." The mentor frames this outcome through commitment to a professional approach as suggested by the intention of this article.
By following a structured certification process and adhering to a regular recertification timeline, mentors can maintain their professional credibility and effectiveness, ultimately benefiting both themselves and their mentees.
Moving Forward
Mentoring is a powerful way to give back//gift forward shared wisdom with others. However, to be effective (and relevant), it’s essential to approach it with professionalism.?
Remember, mentoring is about sharing//co-creating knowledge and skills. AND, it’s about helping others grow and flourish.
Embrace the opportunity to be a mentor who acts professionally and watch how it transforms your life and the lives of those you mentor.
If you're struggling with your mentoring approach AND want to be more professional, reread this article, these tips to frame a path map to goal achievement/outcome accomplishment. Start implementing them today and see the difference they make in your mentoring relationships.?
Also, consider mentor certification.
And celebrate your mentoring - we thank you!
Resources
What are 10 Best Life Suggestions for Olders To Live a Legacy Life
Living your best life as an older through a legacy lens is about more than just leaving something behind; it's about creating a meaningful and impactful present. It’s about LIVING the LEGACY You Intend to LEAVE. Consider these 10 insights!
Include Trust & Respect While Mentoring Every Meeting
Trust and respect - chase each other - with one, the other is required!
The Best Life Advice for Olders Using a Legacy Lens Embrace LifeLong Learning and Educating?
Based on this adage Who Educates You and You Educate Who
And, Who Influences You and You Influence Who
When Trust & Respect While Mentoring Becomes a Dilemma
While trust and respect usually support and reinforce each other, there can be competitive tensions in scenarios where the actions required to gain one may undermine the other. Example given__
Seed the Ethics of Trust & Respect While Mentoring
Trust and respect are crucial in every mentoring relationship.?
These two qualities are among the seven key ethical tenets that help create a strong and open connection between mentors and their mentees.
Meet Dr. Stephen Hobbs
Your Guide on the Ride! __ Your Navigator through the Gates!
"He Helps Olders-Elders In Aging Confidently Through Legacy Contributions"
He is an ager, more so, he walks as a "Solo-Ager".
As to Older to Elder, he is exploring what it means for him.
Over the years, across many continents,?
he gathered evidence-based wisdom.?
Now, he revamps (rescripts, reframes)?
his "wellth of experiences" into tools and techniques?
to encourage olders-elders
(especially those soloaging and grandaging)?
to live a hale and hearty life?
without stumbling along, stubbing their toes,?
and wasting time, effort, and money.
He helps them shape and share their legacy contributions,?
making meaningful impacts with clarity and confidence?
seasoned with commitment and courage [for all involved]!?
__Working through https://WELLthMovement.com
Inviting your involvement so we can learn from you?
In being FOR the World … WITH the Planet … FROM the Whole.
Transformational Specialist | Training | Coaching |Leadership Women In Business|Visibility for Wellness professionals|| NLP Master & New Code NLP| Communication Relationship Builder
3 个月Insightful! And a very important message you have put forth. Great newsletter and no one should take mentorship lightly. Committed and prepared as best as we can thank you for sharing your thought provoking mentoring advice Stephen.
Calgary Cleaner, leading a team of 14 and growing ~Master Achiever~ Relationship Builder
3 个月In a world saturated with "mentors and coaches," not everyone approaches their role with the same level of integrity, and some may offer advice without upholding ethical standards. I firmly believe that professionalism is essential when entering the field of helping others. It's our responsibility to ensure we do no harm. Certification is an excellent way to distinguish yourself from others while building credibility and trust. Keep up the great work Stephen Hobbs and continue sharing your newsletters!
Mental Clarity & Mindset Coach. Impostor Syndrome Expert. Helping entrepreneurs and executives cultivate unshakeable confidence as effective and innovative business owners and leaders.
3 个月Stephen Hobbs, I agree that maintaining professionalism in mentoring is just as important as any other advisory, counseling or coaching relationship. The power always resides with the mentee.
Protect your wealth, shelter your earnings, create retirement income and provide a legacy for your loved ones | Turning Advice into Financial Magic
3 个月Professionalism is fundamental to any service based activity, even as a mentor. It is something that concerns me in my industry as well. Great newsletter Stephen Hobbs that can be applied to virtually any person to person occupation.
I am a fertility mentor-coach, and I solve conception and pregnancy challenges for couples trying to conceive and hold their babies in their arms.
3 个月I'm looking forward to seeing what comes in your newsletter! Thanks!!