I was going through the September 2004 Quality Progress. The last page article “Back to Basics” –Follow my lead, took my attention.

The article is about “mentoring”. What mentors do and how mentoring can improve the individual and benefit the organization. I have had mentors throughout my career. Iam very grateful for the guidance provided by those individuals. I can very well attribute much of my success and survival to those great individuals.

As explained by the author, mentoring can be a powerful influence on individual’s performance. Mentor need not be some one from your field. He/she can be a senior employee within your organization (or outside).

Have you ever been a mentor to some one currently successful in their career?
Or
Can you attribute your career success to any of your mentors current and past?

Regards,
Govind.

I have a pretty strict personal definition of a Mentor as being someone who goes out of his way to help an individual (almost always lower on the totem pole) make the right choices in pursuing a career. Almost always, this is slightly different from "protege" relationship where a senior employee grooms a junior employee to become a better functioning part of the organization. Mentoring is primarily to help the "mentee" (I don't believe there is such a word, since Mentor is named after a person not a verb.)
"To Mentor" used as a verb makes Mentor [Greek Mythology Odysseus's trusted counselor, in whose guise Athena became the guardian and teacher of Telemachus] an eponym.

In this regard, I eliminate 90% of on-the-job training which takes place because passing of experience and knowledge is an expected part of most jobs.

Almost always, the "reward" for Mentoring is internal satisfaction, not quantifiable in terms of money. Most "Mentoring Programs" I have seen organizations try to initiate a reward system for Mentors, which in my opinion, negates the concept of "selfless" counseling.

I don't recall ever having a Mentor, but I can recall role models. I have been an on again, off again Mentor - it all depends on the chemistry with the Mentee.

In my own crazy way of thinkng what many of us do here in the Cove is a form of mentoring. What do you think?

In my own crazy way of thinkng what many of us do here in the Cove is a form of mentoring. What do you think?Maybe not so crazy... It's certainly in line with the definition provided by Wes...

/Claes

Yep! No material reward, except for a couple of green boxes opposite our names. Certainly seems almost a perfect example.

Does Pee Wee Football Coach, Little League Baseball Umpire, or Cub Scout Pack Master count? Or are these examples of Wes's role models.
What about Supervisor to inspector? How restrictive does it have to be?

Before I had kids of my own, I used to mentor youth from the city that would have no opportunity to have their own horse. Usually kids from a broken home or poorer economical level. I'd try to teach them what I could about owning and caring for horses and if they chose, I would take them on the circuit with me in the summer. Most of this came about through our county's extension service/4-H program. Very fulfilling, saw some kids who were high risk/or already on the way to the skids turn their lives around, and graduate from HS and even college with excellent grades and a whole new way of looking at life. I think that I probably gained as much or more than any of them did. I recently kind of adopted a temp employee that was here for a 3 month job. She had everything she needed to make it, but just couldn't seem to find direction. Tried to just be there and teach her whatever I could. She is now going on to get her masters, and then probably a doctorate in social services. She recently called and thanked me for helping her take the first steps back onto the path she has wanted to take.

Throughout my life, there have been many people that made a special effort to guide, mold and just generally push me gently in the right direction. All of them mentored me to some extent, and all of them have left a lasting impression on who I am today.

I have had one person that I can say was a true mentor. He was my supervisor at work. At first I resented him because he had the job I thought I should have had. But he turned out to be supportive and likable fellow as well. He taught me a lot and when he left told me there was no reason that I couldn't do his job. Of course the Quality Manager didn't see it that way and I had to leave that company to have an opportunity to get a similar position. I know it was because of that mentor that I was able to finally able to get and do the Quality Manager job I have now.
Because someone took the time to mentor me, I have always given others the opportunity to be mentored if they wanted. In otherwords to take the time to teach other about things that go beyond the job at hand. After all I probably wouldn't be where I am without a mentor's help.

Mooser

I truely believe that this is an area where most management types fall way short. I feel it is my responsibility to train or mentor my supervisor to take my place. Not just to share my knowledge, but to teach from my experience so they don't make the same mistakes. All to often we are looking at job security and hold back (I know something you don't know). That is why we need cell phones and pagers because our "Next in Command" isn't qualified and needs the apron strings tied. I'm not talking about the "big" problems, but day to day operations.
As a manager, if I am not mentoring my department then I am not a very good manager IMHO.

I would agree that the Cove is a form of mentoring.

I will say that my employer has over the years asked me to mentor various employees and bring them into the statistical world. The outcome for the company has been rather marginal as one of two results has happened:

1. The person really had no interest in numbers and didn't want to do it in the first place.

2. The person became successful at statistics, and moved on to another employer with their new-found knowledge.

My performance plan for the next year states I am to again mentor an employee, which the company must find.

I have had one person that I can say was a true mentor. He was my supervisor at work. At first I resented him because he had the job I thought I should have had. But he turned out to be supportive and likable fellow as well. He taught me a lot and when he left told me there was no reason that I couldn't do his job. Of course the Quality Manager didn't see it that way and I had to leave that company to have an opportunity to get a similar position. I know it was because of that mentor that I was able to finally able to get and do the Quality Manager job I have now.
Because someone took the time to mentor me, I have always given others the opportunity to be mentored if they wanted. In otherwords to take the time to teach other about things that go beyond the job at hand. After all I probably wouldn't be where I am without a mentor's help.

Mooser

Yes I agree. I too had a boss who mentored and prepared me to become the dept mgr. of inspection. However when the time came the company, in there infinite wisdom, brought in an outsider. I of course was confused, mad and disillusioned.
As time went on it became obvious to me that the new Dept Mgr didn't have a clue. I ask him one day if the former Mgr. taught him anything about the dept before leaving. he said, yes he did.

"Chuck took a scalpel and made an incision around the top of my head. He then poured into my brain 40 years of experience. he sewed me up and left. Unfortunatley 5 minutes after he left it all ran out of my a..!"

With this I began to help the poor guy! within a month I had him up an running. the following month I was promoted to QAE.
No doubt his recommendation helped the promotion. :yes:

Let me revisit MY OWN interpretation of the difference between "Mentoring" and any form of training for a specific task, regardless of whether the training is formal or informal on-the-job training.

Mentoring is a selfless gift of advice and counsel to help an individual further himself as a "person," not a "job title." The selfless part means it is not done for material reward or because it is part of a job description. Helping the mentee as an individual means it is not done to further the cause of the organization except as a form of "good will" - this means we are NOT grooming the individual for a specific job title, but for that individual's own personal growth, regardless if it is at any specific organization.

There is a special category of "volunteer" which shares some of the characterisitics of "Mentor," but not all of them.

Steelmaiden's mentoring of disadvantaged children certainly fits my definition of Mentor. Little League coach per se is not, although the coach may individually mentor one or more of the kids in his charge over and above teaching baseball and social (teamwork) skills necessary for the game.

Certainly, according to my definition, being ordered or instructed to "mentor someone" similar to Steve Prevette's example is definitely NOT within my definition. In such a case, it has become part of a job description. The points about mentees either being unhappy or learning so much they leave the organization are mixed signals.

If the mentee is unhappy, something is wrong with the system, (usually mentor and mentee find each other through some mutual "spark" - I don't think every attempt at being a Mentor works oout - sometimes the chemistry just doesn't work.)
If the organization is unhappy when the mentee leaves, they weren't mentoring for the individual's growth, but for the betterment of the organization (It was training, not mentoring.)

Certainly, according to my definition, being ordered or instructed to "mentor someone" similar to Steve Prevette's example is definitely NOT within my definition. In such a case, it has become part of a job description. The points about mentees either being unhappy or learning so much they leave the organization are mixed signals.

Definitely, I agree.

Let me revisit MY OWN interpretation of the difference between "Mentoring" and any form of training for a specific task, regardless of whether the training is formal or informal on-the-job training.

Mentoring is a selfless gift of advice and counsel to help an individual further himself as a "person," not a "job title." The selfless part means it is not done for material reward or because it is part of a job description. Helping the mentee as an individual means it is not done to further the cause of the organization except as a form of "good will" - this means we are NOT grooming the individual for a specific job title, but for that individual's own personal growth, regardless if it is at any specific organization.

There is a special category of "volunteer" which shares some of the characterisitics of "Mentor," but not all of them.

Steelmaiden's mentoring of disadvantaged children certainly fits my definition of Mentor. Little League coach per se is not, although the coach may individually mentor one or more of the kids in his charge over and above teaching baseball and social (teamwork) skills necessary for the game.

Certainly, according to my definition, being ordered or instructed to "mentor someone" similar to Steve Prevette's example is definitely NOT within my definition. In such a case, it has become part of a job description. The points about mentees either being unhappy or learning so much they leave the organization are mixed signals.

If the mentee is unhappy, something is wrong with the system, (usually mentor and mentee find each other through some mutual "spark" - I don't think every attempt at being a Mentor works oout - sometimes the chemistry just doesn't work.)
If the organization is unhappy when the mentee leaves, they weren't mentoring for the individual's growth, but for the betterment of the organization (It was training, not mentoring.)



Wes,
I may have given you the wrong impression here. Although my mentor helped me with the job at hand, he also gave me many gems of wisdom for my personal life as well. He had an another business on the side in which he hired my son and instilled some the same gems of wisdom he gave me. He was a true mentor on and off the job.

Mooser

Some of you folks that maight have served in the military may agree with this.

One of the best examples of mentoring and one that I performed for the better part of 3 decades was that of an NCO guiding new officers on how to lead or how to do their jobs. I did this numerous times in my capacity of a Platoon Sgt, Company Gunnery Sgt, as an Operations/Intelligence NCO and so forth. Even as a crew chief on helicopters I was required to help the pilots understand the what's, why's and how's of the aircraft to help them become better at their trade. I was taught early on that an officer is only as good as the NCO who trained (mentored) him.

Very interesting experience from everyone. To me, mentor is a person who shares his/her wisdom in an unbiased manner and provides guidance. Mentor is a friend, guide and philosopher.
Mentee should consider the options offered by the mentor.However, the mentee should maintain the right balance and make the decision by himself or herself. Sometimes Mentors get too involved and can try live through mentee. Mentee should not allow any micro managing.
Regards,
Govind.

Mentee: (using Wes's vocabulary)undefined

I've had a couple mentors in my time (and still do :cool: ) and had the opportunity to offer guidance to persons both in and outside the Quality field.

IMO, mentoring goes beyond the "nuts & bolts" of your technical area (Quality or anything else); it speaks to showing someone about your life experiences outside of that.