SKILLS FOR SUCCESS

September/October 2005

Honorable Mentoring

Rosemary L. Azzaro
Marketing Communications Consultant
Creative Contributor, HBA Bulletin

New Spin on Mentoring
If you perceive mentoring as a lifelong relationship with an older, wiser person who will plow a clear path for you to the executive suite, you may have to readjust your view. While elements of that perception remain true, the days of “one-to-one” protégé-type mentoring are long gone. Since the late ‘90s, experts have been watching a new trend: skill-based or functional mentoring. Today’s fast pace makes it important to gather a “personal board of directors” to help navigate both corporate and personal journeys.

Seeking Mentors Fostering mentoring relationships is part of the mission and objectives of the HBA. The HBA encourages all members to have a mentor and be a mentor. So how does one seek a mentor? How do you become a mentor?

Many organizations have put formal mentoring programs in place. A basic tenet for such programs is that both mentors and their partners (a preferred name for a “mentee”) should be willing to enter into a mentoring relationship. A mentoring relationship is voluntary. In a corporate mentoring program, matches are typically made based on common interests, traits or experiences. While that is a good start, the key to any match is the mentor’s ability to “tune in to, understand and accept what the partner is experiencing” according to the consultants at Peer Resources. They also reveal that training can enhance these communication skills (www.mentors.ca/mentortips.html). While early mentoring programs developed by the HBA focused on matching, the present thrust of the HBA mentoring program CONNECTIONS, as well as its turnkey mentoring program for corporations, is to prepare mentors and their partners for entering into productive mentoring relationships by sharpening skills such as listening and coaching for mentors and by stressing the importance of goal-setting and follow-through.

Lisa R. Courtade, Director, Business Information & Research, Merck & Co., Inc., and the HBA National Research Director, recounted how she recently received a request from a colleague who was new to her job and wanted specific advice on how to work effectively on teams.

Courtade paid close attention to the specific request that also identified how she could help. This gave her enough information to focus her time and feedback in taking on this mentoring relationship. Had the partner asked, “I just started a new job. Can you help me be a big success?” Courtade admits she might have been unable to offer effective, specific guidance and feedback.

Indeed, often the high-level, seasoned women we seek as mentors may not have much time to spare and may have many requests for mentoring. Partners must recognize that mentors’ time is valuable. Partners, you must be ready to invest your time in following through with your mentor. Show that you value the advice and time your mentor commits to you by preparing for your time together. Show a willingness to learn, to be open, honest and to value constructive criticism. Never expect a promotion or reward as the result of a mentoring relationship.

Mentors Benefit Too
As a mentor, you too, might not know where to start. Begin by recognizing that you will be focusing on the development needs of the partner but you will also be deriving some benefits from the relationship. Peer Resources offers practical tips for mentors at www.mentors.ca. National HBA President Barbara Pritchard, President, The Pritchard Group and Intermedica, Inc. shares, “I’ve been lucky to have been a mentor to a number of people. It is a very rewarding experience. It is certainly flattering and results in enormous satisfaction if you can really help someone. Most often, it’s just playing the role of a good listener, being a supportive devil’s advocate and letting people know that they can always come to you for advice during their careers. A lot of the time, people just need to have a sounding board. They often know instinctively how to handle a situation or what they want to follow, but they need to have their thinking reconfirmed.”

Are you aware of “mentoring moments” - those unplanned, yet incredibly valuable times when someone provided the right words, insight or guidance?

Anne Camille Maher of Health Leaders Consultancy, Hopkinton, MA, the HBA Mentor for the Boston Chapter and a former HBA CONNECTIONS Program Co- Chair, notes that “mentoring moments” are often part of “networking” and “catching up.” Daisy Wademan, in The Best Advice I Ever Got, published in Harvard Business Review, provides insights from corporate leaders whose personal stories demonstrate that you can find wisdom when you least expect it and that sometimes pieces of advice can transcend a moment to inform a person’s lifelong decision-making process.

HBA Past President Mary E. Cobb, CEO/ President, PACE, Inc., a Lowe Healthcare Company, and HBA Director of Corporate Development, has helped facilitate the HBA mentoring programs with Sankyo and Novartis. At Sankyo, Cobb was impressed with remarks reminding participants that the definition of success is very personal and that good mentoring relationships acknowledge that fact. Cobb also helped pilot the HBA turnkey mentoring program with Novartis.

Get Started!
On October 6, 2005, the HBA Metro Chapter will hold a night of mentoring skill building, “Pros and Proteges,” hosted by Eisai Inc.

The HBA Corporate Mentoring Program includes resources for establishing mentoring programs. Contact the HBA executive office for information. Administrative fees may apply.

Catalyst also offers mentoring resources; visit www.catalystwomen.org.

Thanks to all those HBA colleagues mentioned above. I would also like to thank Jill Quist, Kim Rowe and Cathi Salvatore for being such great “guideposts.”