To Reap Mentoring's Benefits, Sow a Mentoring Culture
Mentoring plays a crucial role in job satisfaction and effectiveness, says business development
expert Lois Zachary. But success requires more than simply implementing a program-it requires a mentoring
culture. Zachary explains the concept in her new book, Creating a Mentoring Culture: The Organization's
Guide, due out this month from Jossey-Bass. She spoke recently with MentorNet.
MentorNet: Research has shown that mentoring helps people learn and grow, and helps create more
effective organizations. Why do you think that happens?
Lois Zachary: At the heart are two
things: better learning and better relationships. You have to grow beyond yourself to be
successful; if you're not learning, you're not growing. And if people in an organization
aren't growing, the organization isn't growing.
[Relationships are important because] we live in hard and fast times...and they get you through
the hard times and the transitions. People have something to hold onto in all the turmoil if
they have a relationship they can trust.
What led you to write this new book?
I've always had great mentors and I believe that mentoring is part and parcel of being a leader.
Mentoring has gotten increasing visibility because of the results it produces - its power to recruit,
attract, retain and support employees. It's not just an activity. It is a way of thinking.
I see many organizations put a lot of resources into developing mentoring programs, then the players
change and the program and effort go by the wayside. My experience showed me that if
you have certain hallmarks [in place] you can have sustainable mentoring in organizations.
How do you define a mentoring culture?
First, it requires aligning mentoring with the business reasons for doing it. To mount a
mentorship program without solid reasons for doing it doesn't do any good. Mentoring needs a
culture that supports it - something for it to stick to.
You should always be working on a mentoring culture. Mentoring needs infrastructural support - time
and money - and committed leadership; those who are invested in it have to create value and
visibility. Communication is key.
Also, you need to create multiple mentoring opportunities. It can't just be informal; you have
to provide for different kinds of learning experiences. For example, you might have face-to-face
mentoring, group mentoring, and one-on-one mentoring. There could also be distance as well as
cross-cultural mentoring.
In a mentoring culture [you have] training and programs. A mentoring culture also provides a
safety net, so the people succeed as well as the mentoring itself.
What does a mentoring culture provide?
I've seen workplaces where people built meaningful relationships so they're more connected at
the center to what they're doing and why they're doing it. [A mentoring culture] helps raise
morale, and it helps people get in touch. It makes for a more connected workplace and more
connected people.
One of the things I see is that people get more knowledge about other parts of the organization
and how it works. Mentors talk about their expanded perspective; they're not so isolated.
The person being mentored also has a safety net, and a place where they can test out ideas. They get candid feedback they can't get anyplace else. It helps them navigate the organization.
Does any aspect of mentoring develop naturally, without external prompts?
Informal mentoring does take place - mentoring in the moment, if you will. In a workplace people
gravitate toward those who can help them or who are more experienced. With a mentoring culture,
these relationships can be much richer. People need to have a shared definition of mentoring - for
example, it's not just about taking somebody under your wing, it's about giving somebody wings
to fly.
Does MentorNet meet your definition of a mentoring culture?
MentorNet is creating a culture of mentoring. People [who work with MentorNet] are aware that
mentoring just doesn't just happen by itself. It's brought about by constant effort and
tending. One example is how MentorNet builds in coaching cues. [It provides] education and
training opportunities online.
What advice do you have for MentorNet participants? How can they develop the best relationships?
The temptation in distance mentoring is to make it a transaction. But mentoring is not an
information exchange. One of the challenges is getting to know somebody online, and taking
the time to develop that relationship and identify goals.
Foster personal accountability: take the time to negotiate the relationship and set up reasonable
benchmarks. Evaluate continuously, and ask, "What are we doing in the relationship? Are we
making progress?" Use the time you have well. Try not to do mentoring on the run - don't
multitask! Use your mentoring time to mentor.
And tell stories. Online, you may feel pressured to keep it short, but by revealing who you
are and what you do, you enrich the learning experience. Don't be in a hurry. It is well
worth taking the time.
Lois Zachary will be a featured speaker at a MentorNet workshop in September. Learn more.
To order Lois Zachary's book click here.