Assigning mentors is an important way to bring new hires up-to-speed or groom promising workers for better thing. But the strategy is only as good as the relationship between mentor and mentee.
Follow this advice:
- Choose Wisely - Of course, anyone would be thrille to work with a company or industry superstar. But you should select mentors based on what they can offer a particular worker rather than their glowing reputations. Talk to perspective mentors about their backgrounds and how they got from here to there, then pair them up with workers who have similar histories. Mentees should be able to look at their mentors and envision themselves having the same success.
- Offer Instruction - Ask mentors to make first contact to avoid putting the pressure on those in the subordinate role. Request mentors dedicate uninterrupted time to working with their mentees rather than allowing meetings to be disrupted by phone calls and other distractions. Mentees should be made to feel their advisors want to help them. And you may also suggest that inital meetings take place in neutral territory, such as a conference room, so worker won't be overwhelmed by ego walls and other trappings of success.
- Follow Up - Solicit regular updates from both parties - to ensure they are in fact meeting and to learn whether the relationship is having the desired effect. Street to mentees that they should be honest regarding how they feel about the process and not fear retaliation if they'd prefer to be assigned to another mentor. If they are not benefiting from the program, it's a waste of time for everyone involved.
Adapted from "Handle the Awe Factor" by Linda Phillips-Jones
Showing posts with label small business ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small business ideas. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Monday, August 11, 2008
Congrats, MORE GRADS!
Congratulations to the newest "Making of an Effective Manager" graduates. Each grad earned 6.6 continuing educational credits. Also, available
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Blueprint for Challenging Times
I find it interesting that many companies react to this turbulent market much like a child reacts to a thunderstorm. The company hides it head under the pillo
ws, waits the storm out hoping that it ends quickly and that there is no real damage. I have spoken to many Human Resource Professionals and asked them if their challenges for 2008-2009 have changed because of the poor economic conditions or other external conditions. The majority feel that their challenges have not changed and there is no need to do anything differently. It sure is dark under that pillow!
ws, waits the storm out hoping that it ends quickly and that there is no real damage. I have spoken to many Human Resource Professionals and asked them if their challenges for 2008-2009 have changed because of the poor economic conditions or other external conditions. The majority feel that their challenges have not changed and there is no need to do anything differently. It sure is dark under that pillow! In SuccessFactor’s whitepaper titled “Winning Through Talent”, they report that the four strategies that successful companies use when faced with decreasing revenues, shrinking budgets, and disengaged employees amid these uncertain times are:
- Rapidly align your workforce with changing economic conditions
- Optimize your workforce
- Identify and invest in your best employees and
- Dramatically improve communication across the company
- Implement a Strategic Development Process in which all employees feel they play a part and understand the direction the company is moving in.
- Improve Productivity and Performance Through Training and Development using proven methods with defined outcomes
- Identify the Strengths of Your Employees and Maximize Their Development in relation to the direction of the organization and its future needs.
- Learn to Understand How We can Communicate Better with our managers, our peers, and our subordinates to gain clarity in direction and desired outcome.
We all agree that we must maximize employee performance and be more productive in this highly competitive global market. We also agree that we must continue to be results-oriented so that we provide our customer with superior services or products. Isn’t it time that our people development professionals step forward and change the environment by being proactive and not just reactive? We need to develop the strengths of all of our people focusing on the most talented and while integrating your people development plan with the strategic planning process of the company. People development plus process-oriented effectiveness equals productivity.
So, isn’t the blueprint for success the synergistic effect produced by focusing on people development and process orientation, and then monitoring how the implementation process affects the result?
Have you started your people development process? If so, any recommendations, and if not, what is holding you back?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Business @ the Beach Expo
Wednesday - April 23, 2008
Cape May County's Premier Networking Event
Admission is Free to the Public, Free Parking, Free Food, and a cash bar!
Join Innovative Leadership and many other businesses at the networking event, Business @ the Beach Expo. From the Chamber: Come check out the who's who of the Cape May County business community as over 90 vendors display their latest products and services at the 20th annual Business @ the Beach Expo. Explore the opportunities - discover new ways to grow your own business by networking with the exhibitors.
Last year hundreds attended to seek out the newest trends in business and technology. Get a jump start on yout competition. Each individual who attends the Expo will be entered to win the Grand Prize. . .a 2 hour office party for 20 at the Rio Station Restaurant in Rio Grande!
Sponsors:
Platinum
Cape Bank
J. Byrne Insurance Company
The Press of Atlantic City
Wildwoods Convention Center
Wildwoods Convention Center
Gold
Atlantic City Electric Company
The Coast - 98.7FM
Commerce Bank
PostNet
Rio Station Restuarant
Silver
Innovative Leadership
Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC
Atlantic Cape Community College
AT&T Mobility
Copiers Plus
Crest Savings Bank
Kindle Auto Plaza
NIA Group Associates LLC
Rich Services
South Jersey Energy Solutions
State Farm Insurance - Rob Gleason, Agent
Sun National Bank
Monday, March 24, 2008
Gloom in the Workplace
Generational diversity is a not subject in the HR community and we all realize that in not the too distant future, we will have five generations in the workplace. Leadership IQ, a Washington DC based training company polled over 11,000 employees in the United States and found that all generations expressed some dissatisfaction. Furthermore, they note that the rate of disconnect was almost directly related to age. The older worker was the most satisfied and the younger generations expressed the lowest satisfaction rate.
The survey asked a variety of questions relative to the workplace and the management style being presented today. The title of the article was “Workplace Gloom is Universal” and appeared in the February issues of Training and Development by staff writer, Michael Laff.
We have focused our training and development course, programs, and processes on mid-level management and we also believe that many managers are not learning the intangible skills necessary to manage a staff. Most employees want feedback in a timely fashion and they want to know exactly where they stand if relation to their peers in terms of performance and productivity. Keeping the workforce content is not a priority in most organizations today. Competition, economic conditions, cost of materials and supplies, healthcare benefits and more are keeping us all very “short-sighted” with our employees. It appears that the younger generation craves praise and become frustrated easily. Don’t we all?
People skills have been lost in history. They obviously haven’t been passed down through the generations. It must be because the older generation has accommodated to the “lack of praise” in the workplace and is no longer offering that commodity. When will we realize that we must continue to motivate our employees and keep them engaged in the strategy and development of our company? If we don’t, they will continue to move on until another company does just that. How many jobs do we expect them to have by the time they are thirty five?
We need to start training our managers or that figure will be in double digits.
The survey asked a variety of questions relative to the workplace and the management style being presented today. The title of the article was “Workplace Gloom is Universal” and appeared in the February issues of Training and Development by staff writer, Michael Laff.
We have focused our training and development course, programs, and processes on mid-level management and we also believe that many managers are not learning the intangible skills necessary to manage a staff. Most employees want feedback in a timely fashion and they want to know exactly where they stand if relation to their peers in terms of performance and productivity. Keeping the workforce content is not a priority in most organizations today. Competition, economic conditions, cost of materials and supplies, healthcare benefits and more are keeping us all very “short-sighted” with our employees. It appears that the younger generation craves praise and become frustrated easily. Don’t we all?
People skills have been lost in history. They obviously haven’t been passed down through the generations. It must be because the older generation has accommodated to the “lack of praise” in the workplace and is no longer offering that commodity. When will we realize that we must continue to motivate our employees and keep them engaged in the strategy and development of our company? If we don’t, they will continue to move on until another company does just that. How many jobs do we expect them to have by the time they are thirty five?
We need to start training our managers or that figure will be in double digits.
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