HAPTER 4
CThe Mentoring Role: Instruction
by Example
The mentoring role is reserved for managing those people
whose performance is above average. Mentor your stars,
individuals who are mature, experienced and wise in the
business. While the catchwords for coaching are “inspire” and
“motivate,” the catchwords for mentoring are “instruct” and
“guide.” When you mentor, it’s your job to teach new skills
and explain different outlooks. Typically, that’s how the star
performers will align their career aspirations and goals with
your organization. Mentoring is all about giving people
broader outlooks, more things to consider. It is for career
planning, succession planning and retention.
People want to be around people who are exceptional.
Tom Peters noted that two real motivators were being part of
a winning team and being a winner. While mentoring is often
given lip service in business, it is a reality in organizations
with winners and winning teams. While coaching identifies
potential and deals with problems, mentoring lets employees
soak up character, judgment and approach. It is the
opportunity for them to apprise situations and cultivate their
own ways.
You might think of a coach as walking behind,
prompting, and a counselor as being in front, pulling. Think
of a mentor as a person who walks alongside the associate. In
the mentoring role, you “come alongside” the people on your
team. You work with them side by side, giving instruction —
4
Like it or not, you
are the example.