Archive for the ‘leadership’ Category

Having a great mentor is like having a big sign pointing the way to being a better version of yourself

Mentor + helpful career advice = Exponential Growth

One of the best ways to become a better version of yourself is to find a mentor. In my career, I’ve been fortunate to be guided by some great people I consider to be mentors. Whether it’s a new career or one you’ve been in awhile, having a mentor will teach you things you may not have ever been exposed to. It’s kind of like, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Mentor: A wise and trusted counselor; typical role is to advance the person’s career

I’ve been privileged to be guided by some excellent mentors, so I thought I would share with you some of the tips I learned from them. Whew! This is a tall order. I don’t want to leave anyone out, so if you’ve been a mentor to me and I didn’t include you in this list, feel free to remind me of your brilliance.

Mentor tip #1: You have to learn to give feedback if you want career growth. This one came from my former boss, Tim. During one of our feedback sessions, Tim said, “You don’t just avoid feedback; you run from it.” True – I could take feedback all day long, but giving it was another story. I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings, so I just wouldn’t say anything … of course that kept everyone stuck.

Tim so does not let anything stay under the table, so he started mentoring me on how to provide feedback in a way that felt right to me (kind, caring, respectful … and honest). Tim invited me (haha- made me) to go to a meeting with him and give my feedback ~ during a conflict between 2 team members.

Providing that feedback was one of the toughest things I’ve done in my career, but I did it, and I did a good job. Through Tim’s mentoring, I developed the confidence I needed to have difficult conversations throughout my career, especially when I starting managing people.

Mentor tip #2: Working hard does not a guarantee a successful career path. I can’t remember the guy’s name who said this, but he served as a valuable mentor to me early in my career. My parents told me that the way to success was to get a good education, get a good job & work hard. Done!

Only, here I was working my buns off, frustrated because I wasn’t getting ahead, and someone changed the rules of the game!

This guy wasn’t saying I should slack off; his point was that working hard is only one factor that helps create success. I’m glad I learned that lesson early in my career. It saved me a lot of frustration & directed me towards seeking additional or even alternative ways of creating success.

Mentor tip #3: If you’re in a room with 10 people, you need to talk 10% of the time. In the early 90’s, this advice came to me from my colleague & mentor, Debbie, and it was news to me. Growing up my friends & family loved to hear me talk; I could keep them entertained for hours. Imagine my surprise when Debbie tells me I talk too much.

I’m an extrovert, so that means I’m a verbal processor. Unfortunately verbal processors with limited filters may offend, confuse, frustrate, and drown out others.

So I embarked on a path of being more observant, thinking before speaking, and enhancing my listening skills. Debbie’s advice has served me well on my career path (leading, recruiting, business development, customer service, and in my current role as a coach, consultant, trainer, facilitator … and mentor).

Mentor tip #4: No one is better than you, and you are no better than anyone else. This advice came from my wonderful mentor, Mom! The last part of her advice was easy; the first part is what I struggled with from time to time in my career. Intellectually, I agreed with my Mom – we are all equal. Unfortunately, at times I forgot her mentoring and put people on a pedestal with me far below them.

Here’s what putting people on a pedestal has looked like for me: pleasing too much, over-explaining, giving away my power, seeing myself as a victim, not trusting my instincts, or not speaking up. Mom’s advice is deceptively simple.

Think about how ingrained we are in our society to put celebrities, CEOs, parents, teachers, politicians, doctors and the like on a pedestal. When we see everyone as our peer, we become powerful leaders of ourselves and lives.

Mentor tip #5: Ask for what you want. This advice came from my business partner & trusted friend, Karen Tax. When I was a child my Mom frequently told me my middle name was “I want,” but when I got older, at times I thought I couldn’t get what I want, or I thought asking for what I wanted was selfish, so I compromised.

I began working through what Karen’s mentoring means in my career and life, and something I’ve found very useful is to ask for what I want … along with context & an invitation. This means that when I ask for what I want, I provide some context, background, data that explains (not over explains) what I want. Then after my request, I invite the other person’s perspective & we work together to get what we both want. This strategy has worked brilliantly in creating collaborative & meaningful relationships.

Mentor tip #6: Keep your network active and authentic. This advice came from 2 former colleagues & mentors, Hurt & Jim. When we started working together, our cubicles were side by side, and I noticed something very significant – they both had a large network _and_ their relationships were genuine.

So, I started observing them & asking questions about their philosophies & approaches because networking seemed like a skill I needed to develop. Both of them were very gracious in mentoring me so that I could develop into an effective networker. Now, people tell me all the time what a great networker I am.

There’s always more to learn, but from their mentoring, I really connected with the essence of networking which I see as a blend of giving and receiving. Here’s a quick synopsis of what I learned from these great mentors about networking: a) use a system to ensure no one falls through the cracks – be consistent & disciplined, b) network with people you genuinely like & care about, c) connecting with people is easy – a short email or phone call is typically sufficient, d) people appreciate connecting, and e) asking people for help who barely know you feels like spam – don’t do it.

Mentor tip #7: No one will respect your time more than you. This advice is from my favorite mentor & person in the whole world, my husband – Jeff. At times in my career, I’ve been out of balance. I allow work to consume me … too much on my plate, canceling my plans when I don’t want to, not delegating effectively, or being a perfectionist. In essence, Jeff is talking about boundaries.

How do you manage being committed to a project, client, or team while at the same time take care of yourself? Each situation comes with its own complexities, so I won’t make a trivial suggestion.

I know there are times when you need to invest the time and energy in something important. What puts me in the “danger zone” is when I start feeling frustrated and don’t speak up.

Recently a friend of mine received a text during the weekend from his manager informing him of an impromptu conference call. He was at his child’s event and wanted to be with his family. So he simply texted his manager back what was going on & when he could get on the call (no drama). His manager was fine with it. That’s respecting your time AND finding a win-win for everyone.

♥A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. ~Oprah ♥

My mentors have challenged me, inspired me, motivated me, helped me set better career goals, become a better leader, build stronger relationships, and easily navigate tricky situations. Mentors are everywhere if we simply look for them.

Have you had a great mentor? Share your mentoring tips or questions below. I’d be honored to hear from you!

In early 2010, I wrote a blog about choosing a word for the year. My word was enamor, and I wrote about using it to help me be my best and help others do the same.

I have had a word for the year for the past two years, and I love how it helps me to focus on what I really want to be doing and who I want to be. I have also used it as a kind of gut check to make sure I’m staying on track.

It’s been a great adventure this year with my word beside me. I’ll share a few of my random awakenings with you below. And, at the end of this blog, I’ll tell you my word for 2011! Read on…

» Anyone who knows me knows that I adore my 13 nieces and nephews. Since I don’t have children, I strive to be an aunt who’s interested in & spends time with them. One day my 11-year old niece and I were chatting over email, and I sent her a picture of her with my dog. Her response was, “Oh, I am sooooo adorable.” Children are so brilliant. Why do we disconnect from our inner child when we get older and believe the lies that we are stupid, ugly, or bad? It’s ridiculous! That conversation with my niece reminded me to tap into my “adorableness” as often as possible.

» Creating a partnership with someone can be tricky. I’ve heard horror stories where people start a business together and wind up enemies or, at worst, in a legal battle. I’m really proud of Karen and me for making our relationship a priority as business partners in the IAM Learning Community. When conflict arises (and it will), we don’t get into much drama at all. We talk it through & get on the same page very quickly. Having a healthy partnership allows us to focus on our clients and become better at what we do.

» I did a great job this year of creating quiet mornings as I have really grown to appreciate the time to be still and reflect. I used to think I had to be moving at warp speed, juggling a lot priorities, and using the television or radio to drown out the quiet. By creating my quiet time, I’m much more present, focused, and proactive … and I’m a lot more productive.

» I want everyone to go to work every day doing what they love, being really good at it, and getting paid what they want. It breaks my heart to see people go to work stressed out, burned out, disengaged, even angry or hurt. I am so inspired by people who have the courage to get help and get on with creating a life they love.

» It’s official! At the end of 2010, I became enamored with technology. Karen is likely laughing because most of the year technology has not been my friend. Most of my new thinking has come from getting the right technology and the right technology partners. We finally have a system that’s robust, user friendly, and easy for us to manage & use. Ah … finally!

» One of the greatest blessings in my work and life is working with amazing, brilliant clients. I’m consistently blown away by their dreams, courage, and wisdom. They teach me so much. I am truly, truly enamored with them!

Did you have a word this year … or words, a guiding principle, a mantra? If so, I’d love to hear about it. I hope you’ll consider claiming a word for yourself in 2011 and use it purposefully to guide your work and life. I’d be delighted to stay in touch about our words!

Drum roll: My word for 2011 is “unleashed!” The word didn’t come to me in a dream or while I was sitting on a cloud, it came from a conversation I was having with Karen. As soon as she said it, I said, “I think that’s my word.” So, there it is … unleashed … sweet!