mentorship

The 3Gs of Mentor Matchup: Goals, Gaps, Gifts

/ Susan Hendrich / 1 Comment
Goals, Gaps, and Gifts: Mentor / Mentee Matchup Magic

An ideal mentor/mentee matchup blends three key elements: Goals, Gaps, and Gifts.

GOALS: Mentor and mentee should have compatible goals and aspirations. For example, if your goal is to become a director, choose a mentor with experience as a director or other leadership role. If you aim to build confidence in delivering presentations, find a mentor who dazzles you when they are on the stage.

GAPS: A good mentor can fill in the gaps in the mentee’s knowledge and experience. For example, if you are new to the industry, choose a mentor who can teach you about the industry and help you develop skills.

GIFTS: Mentor and mentee should have complementary gifts and talents. For example, if you are a creative thinker, choose a mentor who is good at strategic planning and execution. Having complementary skills allows the mentee to see a different way of approaching novel situations.

Think about your own experience as a mentor or mentee. How did your goals, gaps, and gifts intersect?

Want more information? Check out the LinkedIn discussion, “How can you ensure that mentors and mentees are a good match?”

5-minute Contest: Mentorship and Onboarding

/ Susan Hendrich / 2 Comments

Mentor Me…

Here’s an easy contest to win!

In his article, “Mentoring and On-Boarding: Two Peas in a Pod,” Talent Management’s Frank Kalman makes a compelling case for mentorship as a game-changing onboarding tool. I’m going to take a leap by extending Kalman’s theory, and say that I believe that you (yes, you, dear reader) are an expert in onboarding mentorship. Curious? Read on…

 

You Are an Onboarding Expert

Since you’re reading this post, I’m guessing you’re interested in the topics of mentoring and onboarding (either that, or you’re my mom, who reads all my posts – because that’s what mentors do – invest in their peeps). No doubt you’ve been “onboarded” in an organization before – be it your workplace, your place of worship, or your neighborhood association. And I’m betting that somebody helped you with the ropes when you joined that organization. That mentee experience in itself gives you a certain amount of mentoring mavenship. You know what good (or not good) mentorship feels like.

Let’s now transform this expertise of yours into a reward. It’s time to get you published in the blogosphere!

Contest Guidelines

Take five minutes to participate in this Mini-Mentoring Contest and you could win a featured “Guest Author” spot on the Leadership and Learning Innovation site.  Here’s how:

  1. Take a quick read of Kalman’s brief article, Mentoring and On-Boarding: Two Peas in a Pod.
  2. Answer one or more of the following questions:
    • What role has mentorship played in your own onboarding experiences?
    • What kind of mentorship did/do you provide in helping others to onboard?
    • How can you “pay it forward” for future members of your organization?
  3. Submit your ideas/stories here.
  4. Submission Deadline: Tuesday, July 24th

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Winning Entries

Compelling mini-stories, theories of mentorship, or even 3-word mantras on the secrets of onboarding mentorship will be considered for publication in the next Leadership & Learning Innovation article in this series, “There’s No Ship Like Mentorship.”