Mentorship = Capacity Building

When it comes to Building Capacity, what is the right direction for growth? 

How does one increase their skills, abilities, and potential to advance in their career? 

Education and experience within previous workplace settings are certainly helpful. But what happens while the individual is working within a workplace environment?

It’s an important question that touches the public sector, not-for-profit organizations, as well as those in the private sector. Having worked with entrepreneurs over the past 30 years, the ability of a business and those within it to improve their efficiency and productivity has been top of mind for entrepreneurs at every scale of operation! And every organization needs to find ways to effectively pass knowledge and skills on to those who work there today, while building improvements into the organization for the future. In a competitive environment, a failure to develop the capacity of your people, could very well lead to the failure of your venture. So how can we build the capacity of our people and our organizations?

One of the things I frequently hear from entrepreneurs is their desire to have someone Mentor them. Personally, I think that’s great, and here’s why. Perhaps you’ve noticed ... Entrepreneurs thrive on change! They’re constantly looking for new ways of doing things, making improvements - coming up with better products or services that match an opportunity in the marketplace. Entrepreneurs are open to learning, and what better way to learn, than from the experiences of those who’ve been down a similar road! Mentorship provides an ideal opportunity to learn from others - others who are willing to invest their time into the development of another entrepreneur.

In my personal experience, I’ve found that a Mentor can tremendously add to the breadth and depth of our business and life experience. As I reflect over my years of working with entrepreneurs, whether that’s as a facilitator, an instructor, a business coach, or as a mentor, I recognize that I've also grown from the input of those in my circle of contacts. Needless to say, there is a vast and deep ‘pool’ of valuable expertise available, and I’ve been most fortunate to have benefitted from tapping into some of that expertise on my journey.

If it’s helpful, here are a few thoughts for your consideration, drawn from my past experiences, and those relayed to me by others:

Mentors have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate their sincere interest in a business Mentee through the sharing of relevant aspects of their personal business experience. This seems to be more beneficial for the Mentee after the Mentor has taken some time to get to know the Mentee and their priorities for the mentoring relationship.

For me, this speaks to the importance of building a positive foundation for the mentoring relationship in the very early stages. Gaining a better understanding of why both parties feel that mentorship is of value, what each can contribute, their respective priorities, and the basis of the working relationship can all be established during this time period. For both the Mentor and the Mentee to say that their mentoring relationship was a worthwhile ‘investment’ of their time, the mentorship experience must be positive, with evidence of progress having been made in their growth and development.

A Mentorship Agreement can serve as a guide over the duration of the mentoring relationship, and is very important to have in place. With this, the Business Plan might be viewed as being both a ‘map and a compass’, keeping the entrepreneur on track and headed in the right direction. A business plan shouldn’t be seen as an added weight that holds you back! Rather it should be a valuable tool to help you identify important targets that you set for yourself. It should serve as a place where you ‘zero-in’ on your priorities, and contain useful notes on how you will achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself. Does it take a little work? To be honest - Yes, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming either!

(BTW - We’ve helped many business owners with our simplified approach to exploring their business planning. Let us know if you’d like to make business planning easier for your business!)

Mentors add value ... by sharing their experiences and expertise, and by asking some very good questions for the Mentee to consider. Mentors will find that their ability to communicate with their Mentee improves as they better understand what the Mentee hopes to achieve, the Mentee’s current strengths and weaknesses, and use their personal experiences to help the Mentee look at the road ahead.

Just in case you’re wondering, we’ve not found it critical for the Mentor to have been in the exact same business or industry sector as their Mentee.  Mentors typically have a broad-base of business knowledge and experience that provides a valuable depth of helpful insights for growing entrepreneurs.

Openness, caring and listening will go a long way towards building mutual understanding, confidentiality and trust in a mentoring relationship. Get to know each other by sharing some of your experiences – things you’ve seen along your career path or in business. Mentors could talk about the challenges they’ve faced and overcome, 'sticky' situations that required finesse and tactful negotiation. Mentees could share some of their previous experiences, things they’ve learned as a result, and how that may be helpful in the future!

Mentorship – it won’t solve all of the problems that you’ll encounter in your career or in your business, but it will definitely help you to build the capacity that’s needed to move you forward with your business, and continuing in your personal development and growth!

We’re currently working with ... a number of groups, organizations and individuals in various aspect of Mentorship and Mentorship Program development. 


We’d be pleased to speak with you regarding your interest in using Mentorship as a "Capacity Building" tool in your Workplace!  

Please let us know if you’d like to explore that further.

We welcome your comments to this Post.

FYI: If you’re also interested in business, you may wish to access the FREE information on our Business Success BLOG and tap into some of the many FREE videos on our YouTube Channel where you'll find a wealth of helpful suggestions on both Mentorship and Business Success.  These can all be accessed from the "Resources" tab on our website at: www.pvs4u.ca

Passing Along the 'Lessons Learned'

IF you’ve been in business for some time, it wouldn’t surprise us to hear that you’ve learned a number of great lessons - business lessons, and life lessons as a result of your many experiences.

It was Winston Churchill who said: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."  So with that thought in mind, here’s an easy way to share a small piece of valuable information that others could find very helpful on their business journey!

With this post, we’ll try to replicate one of the valuable aspects that we’ve had in the live “Business START-UP” events we’ve facilitated over the past decade. Attendees routinely comment on how they’ve enjoyed hearing from the experienced business owners we’ve brought into our sessions, and the numerous insights, tips and suggestions they’ve provided for new entrepreneurs.

HERE are a couple of the questions we’ve typically suggested to these seasoned entrepreneurs. Pick one, a couple, or all ... and please share some of your valuable insights with a larger audience.

Questions for Business Owners:


1) What was the biggest business challenge you’ve faced, and how did you address it?

2) How did you recognize your business opportunity, and was there a significant event that motivated you to act on it?

3) Looking back, what do you wish you’d have known prior to starting your business?

Thank you for sharing your comments and suggestions with our audience.

Note: While having a formal business Mentor may be seen as the ideal, we know that many business owners haven’t yet incorporated a formalized process into their routines.  For the moment, they’re relying on their networks of business associates, professionals and various gleanings they’ve gathered along the way. Your suggestions may be very valuable as a part of that learning process.

PLEASE, leave your comments for others viewing this Post.

FYI: If you’re also interested in business, you may wish to access the FREE information on our Business Success BLOG and tap into some of the many FREE videos on our YouTube Channel where you'll find a wealth of helpful suggestions on both Mentorship and Business Success.  These can all be accessed from the "Resources" tab on our website at: www.pvs4u.ca

* AND, if you would like to have another perspective to help you with your business development, let’s discuss your situation in more detail. Chances are, we can help you!

Finding Balance with a Mentor

Life, and sustaining life, is all about balance ... balancing all of the areas of our lives. 

We’ve enjoyed speaking with a number of groups in more detail on this topic.  


Why?  Maybe it’s because so many of us (myself included) can so easily find ourselves ‘investing’ in only a few areas of our lives, to the detriment of other areas and the important people around us.

For those of us who’ve travelled for some time down the ‘road of life’ – I believe there’s a growing appreciation and valuing of the positive input provided by others, particularly from someone we’ve viewed as being a Mentor. 

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to made 'mistakes' along the way.  Hopefully, these were ‘few and far’ between, and more-so, that we’ve used them as learning opportunities, becoming better as a result!

Reflecting back, there have been times where we’ve been able to invest some of our time and energy towards the sharing of our experiences with others. Hopefully these valued individuals found that beneficial to them, in some meaningful way. Perhaps time will reveal that more clearly. 

* What we recognize and perhaps you've also experienced, is that by having been involved in the process of mentorship, in having shared our mutual experiences, challenges, and the overcoming of what seemed to have been 'huge obstacles' in our way ... both of us (Mentee and Mentor) have become better for having walked down this path together.

Mentorship changes lives. It helps the one who is mentored to grow and develop into more of their potential. At the same time, and while it may have seemed insignificant at the time, for the one who Mentors others, it can also be very profound.

Dr. Carson Pue, Quadrant Leadership Inc.

On that note, it was a pleasure and privilege to meet and interview Dr. Carson Pue, Executive Mentor Coach with Quadrant Leadership Inc. on a recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Dr. Pue says that Mentoring is about sharing life ... encouraging and fostering growth based on your experiences. In our interview, he recommends that younger leaders find a mentor to help them develop for a number of outstanding reasons which he shared in our discussion. He also encourages more of us to become Mentors, citing the immense sense of satisfaction that Mentors can receive through the process. In his observation, “Mentors who are engaged in the process with their Mentees tend to stay fresh and vibrant!”

Carson Pue is recognized as a ‘leader of leaders’ who has an ability to identify leaders and invest wisdom into their development through mentoring, teaching and spiritual guidance.

He is the best selling author of “Mentoring Leaders: Wisdom for Developing Calling, Character, and Competency” and has also authored “Mentoring Wisdom: Living and Leading Well.”
For fourteen years he was the President and CEO of Arrow Leadership Ministries regarded as a premier leadership development mentoring process for emerging and executive leaders.
Today Carson is the Executive Advisor for a multi-million dollar city building project of First Baptist Church Vancouver called “Heart for the City.” He also heads up Quadrant Leadership Inc. doing executive mentoring, speaking and writing. With his encouraging style, creative ideas, engaging humor and years of experience, Carson is well fitted for this role. In his straightforward manner Carson shares both from success and failures, believing that leaders learn from both.

CLICK HERE to view the video comments from Dr. Carson Pue on Mentorship on our YouTube Channel.



PLEASE, leave your comments for others viewing this Post.

FYI – If you’re also interested in business, you may wish to access the FREE information on our Business Success BLOG and tap into some of the many FREE videos on our YouTube Channel where you'll find a wealth of helpful suggestions on both Mentorship and Business Success.  

All can be accessed from the "Resources" tab on our website at: www.pvs4u.ca

Parents as Mentors - the Facilitated Option

There are so many great reasons for having or being a Mentor. What about parents playing the role of Mentor?

Is this something that you've encountered?

Both my wife and I have had the privilege of raising two children of our own - “wonderful” children we’d quickly add ... just in case they're reading this! But seriously, they're terrific young adults now, building their own lives and following career paths of their own. In addition to helping our children through their ‘formative years’ we’ve also been fortunate to have, perhaps in some small way, played roll minor in helping a few other young people learn and acquire new skills.

Occationally, I’m asked whether or not parents can be good Mentors for their children. To respond, I think the answer is a very definite, “That depends!”  And of course, it all hinges on the quality of the relationship between the parties involved - something that's guaranteed to be "fluid". And taking that a little further, perhaps a high probability of a few tears being shed on both sides.  If you're a parent, you already know that this is a challenging position - and that's due in part to the close familial relationship. Nurturing and developing our young people is definitely a key responsibility of parents. The reality, as we’ve likely also experienced, is that these most important relationships can also be laced with potential landmines. Any one of which has the potential to derail even the most well-intended learning objectives. So is there a solution?

As with most challenges we face in life, there are likely a number of options that could be explored. And it could be that a combination of methods will provide the optimal solution. One of those options could involve parents taking a facilitative role and engaging others in specific aspects of the learning process.

Recently, I’ve been collaborating with Dr. William A. Gray from Victoria, B.C. on a couple of projects related to Mentorship. One of them has been focussed toward those involved in Home Schooling. In this post, Dr. Gray describes a valuable process he’s used that can improve both the learning outcomes and the health of the family relationship for those involved. Thank you Dr. Gray for sharing this post with our readers.

Here are the comments from Dr. William A. Gray:

For eight years my wife (Marilynne) and I did R&D on Mentor-Assisted Enrichment Projects carried out by 300 of my undergrads with more than 1,000 youth in grades 4-12. Most of these MAEPs focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM), often in an interdisciplinary manner. When my undergrads wanted to carry out a MAEP with their own children, I encouraged this for many reasons.

Families have difficulty spending “quantity” time together when parents go off to work while their children go off to school. Parents and children seldom learn about each other’s abilities and gain respect for each other by working together in the family “business” as often occurred in years past. Youth seldom answer two very important questions: “What are my aptitudes, talents and career aspirations? What vocation matches my avocation?”

When parents implement a MAEP with their children, they spend “quality” time together while systematically sharing an expertise for 2-3 hours per week for 6-10 weeks. As Mentors, parents ensure their proteges learn about some aspect of STEAM that interests them, learn why this is important to know, and learn how STEAM concepts and skills solve real world problems. Involving other STEAM Professionals enables children to explore potential careers that match their aptitudes, talents and career aspirations, and then take courses to further develop this identified person-career fit. This is important so youth stay motivated to graduate, pursue the right academic major as undergrads, and enter a vocation that matches their avocation so they love the work they do each day. Employers also like this because the right person-career fit reduces costly employee turnover and improves work performance.

You are probably wondering: why does a parent need to think and act like a Mentor while implementing a Mentor-Assisted Enrichment Project? As a Mentor, parents perceive their children more objectively as Proteges and thus interact differently with them as they share an expertise that interests the Proteges. Assistance from Mentors occurs in two main ways: equipping Proteges with specific knowledge, practical know-how and wisdom. And, empowering Proteges to use their talents and creativity, and to learn and do what interests them. Enrichment is provided directly by Mentors while doing scheduled activities with Proteges, and indirectly when Mentors arrange for other professionals to share expertise. All of this occurs during a carefully planned Project that has a beginning, middle and end as illustrated below.

Photography example: A parent wanted to share an expertise in photography with her daughter – taking black and white photos using film, developing the film, framing the pictures, and entering them in Fine Arts Shows where she won awards. To equip the Protege, this Mentor taught and demonstrated these competencies and helped the Protege prepare good interview questions to ask when they visited other photography labs and met photographers at two Shows. The Mentor empowered the Protege to apply this new knowledge to digital photography the Protege was already doing – to enhance photo- taking (angles, lighting, contrasts, etc.) and produce digital images requiring less digital editing. The result: the Protege learned how to do all aspects of B&W photography and used this to enhance digital photography. Mentor and Protege gained respect for each other’s expertise, and for one another.

Architecture example: Two boys had a beloved grandmother living in a Seniors Residence. Each time they visited, they heard many complaints. The mother knew her sons were interested in architecture as a potential career, so she offered to be their Mentor on this project: Design an Ideal Senior’s Residence that meets their needs. This Mentor taught her Proteges how to prepare questions and facilitate a focus group, took them to do this at the grandmother’s residence, helped them translate responses into a draft design, got a professional architect (friend) to enhance it, helped them build a scale model based on the revised design with input from the architect, took them to facilitate another focus group to get feedback on the scale model, helped them modify the design using this feedback, took them to present their final scale model for “The Ideal Senior’s Residence.” The Mentor personally equipped the Proteges with needed knowledge and skills, and also arranged for professional assistance. This was necessary to empower the Proteges’ interest in possibly becoming architects. The seniors were more than pleased with the scale model and the presentation explaining its design, because they had been listened to and their needs had been understood. The two boys, the mother and grandmother had spent quality time together. And, the architect (and two would-be architects) learned the value of listening to focus groups at the front end of this project (to solicit input) and at the back end (to get it right).

Dr. William A. Gray is President of Corporate Mentoring Solutions Inc. He is a former Education professor at the University of British Columbia where he’s helped prepare more than 3,000 future teachers at UBC (1970-85). Dr. Gray has a BA (psychology), a Med (educational psychology) from the University of Virginia, and PhD (educational psychology) from the University of Texas.  Dr. Gray has undertaken a considerable amount of research to improvements to “STEM” and/or “STEAM” education. He can be reached by Email at: wgray@mentoring-solutions.com

PLEASE, leave your comments for others viewing this Post.

FYI – If you’re interested in business, you may wish to access the FREE information on our Business Success BLOG and tap into some of the many FREE videos on our YouTube Channel where you'll find a wealth of helpful suggestions on Mentorship and Business Success.  

All can be accessed from the "Resources" tab on our website at: www.pvs4u.ca

Mentorship and Finding Business Funding

What do you do when you need mentorship and one of your biggest challenges is finding the capital your venture requires to grow? That’s a very good question!

Helping entrepreneurs locate funding and prepare to ‘pitch’ their business opportunity is one of the areas I’ve really enjoyed over the years. The experience and expertise of every Mentor will vary, yet many will find creative ways to help you through the preparation process.

Most of my personal financial experience has been on the ‘debt side’ of the ledger – working as an Account Manager responsible for the business and personal banking requirements of more than a hundred independent business clients. Having said that, I’ve also had some exposure to those seeking equity from Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors. There have been several wonderful occasions where I’ve helped participants ready themselves to face the demanding panel of judges in various ‘Business Plan’ and ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ competitions! (They can be tough, but remember - it is their money that's being requested! Let your mind go back to some of the past episodes of, “Shark Tank” and “Dragon’s Den”.)


 
So when Kristina Milke of K-Gar Consulting Inc. introduced herself, mentioned her activities in the funding space, and that she’d heard my presentation at a dinner meeting of Project Managers ... she had my full attention!  We both happened to be at one of the Fundica Funding Road Show events and we were both kept very busy – although I’ll admit, Kristina was actually much busier. She was between ‘Pitch Sessions’ - evaluating presentations made by hopeful entrepreneurs trying to attract funding for their new and growing ventures. 

While our conversation was brief, it was a starting point, and allow us to get together several weeks later to record a few of her thoughts on some importance aspects of Mentorship.


 
Background information for Kristina Milke:

Kristina is a Chartered Accountant with a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Alberta whose career has spanned over various industries. In 2012 she completed her role as General Manager of Investopedia where she oversaw all of its operations for 4 years. Kristina originally joined Investopedia in 2008 when it was still under the management of the original co-founders but owned by Forbes out of NY. Six months into her tenure with Investopedia, she accepted the role of general manager and then transitioned the organization towards focused growth. Kristina also assisted with the efforts in the marketing and sale of Investopedia to ValueClick in 2010. Prior to joining Investopedia, Kristina was the Corporate Divisional Controller for Intuit, Canada as well as the Divisional Controller and Ethics Officer for Spar Aerospace.

Most recently, Kristina has set up K-Gar Consulting Inc. - her own consulting practice so that she can focus on helping smaller organizations who need Finance and Business Advisory bench strength but are not yet ready for a full time CFO. She is a member of VA Angels, one of the largest gatherings of business angels in Western Canada where she has invested in several start-ups over the last six years and formally guides the deal intake process for the entire membership.

INTERESTED IN VIEWING OUR VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH KRISTINA MILKE?

CLICK HERE.

In closing, we invite you to consider Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. as a resource partner to assist you and your organizataion in moving forward with Mentorship.

Please add your comments to this post and let us know if we may be able to help with something you require.  Let's start that Mentorship journey by having a conversation!

NOTE: For more information on the services provided by Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. and how we can assist ... please visit our Website: www.pvs4u.ca
 

Champion of Mentoring - A Conversation with Norm Grey

Are you searching for a competitive advantage? Or ... maybe your organization is looking for better ways of transferring valuable information and knowledge to others. Have you looked at setting up a structured Mentorship Program? READ ON because this POST and the links provided should be very helpful to you!

Mentorship truly does provide participants with a terrific advantage over those who haven't yet tapped into this type of supportive developmental relationship. In our experience, we've seen that there can be great value gained, not only by the Mentees and the Mentors within the Mentorship Program (something that you might expect), but also for the Organizations that host or sponsor. In having worked with entrepreneurs and those who are growing their businesses, we've found that Mentorship can be an outstanding vehicle to improve the potential success of those ventures. Why wouldn't someone seeking success, tap into the experience of others who have faced and overcome similar challenges in the past!

When researching various Mentorship programs a number of years ago, we didn't have to go far in my search to discover one of the very BEST Mentorship programs for young entrepreneurs in Canada! Since then, it's been one that we've been very pleased to recommend to those who qualify for their various program offerings.

Futurpreneur Canada, previously known as Canadian Youth Business Foundation, is recognized as the only Canadian, non-profit organization that makes financing, mentoring and additional support tools available to aspiring young entrepreneurs. With an impressive menu of programs for business owners between the ages of 18-39, they've evolved over time to meet the challenges and changes of their target audience.

Their internationally recognized mentoring program matches young entrepreneurs from a pool of more than 2,800 business experts who volunteer from the business community. And while Mentorship and Funding frequently work hand-in-hand within their programs, we've known of participants who've said that for them, the mentorship component proved to be of even greater value to them over time. (For more details on Futurpreneur Canada, please visit their website that we've listed below.)

Norm Grey

More recently, we had opportunity to speak with Norm Grey, one of the pioneers who helped establish this program. Norm has an impressive career and provided his biography which can be seen at the end of this post. We enjoyed our telephone conversation with Norm, and with his permission, we're pleased to make that interview available for you on our YouTube Channel. A link is provided below.

Starting and growing a business can be a real challenge. Having a Mentor as a part of your circle of professionals to help guide you can save endless frustration and help you safely navigate your way to success!

* To hear the Interview we had with Norm Grey, CLICK HERE.

For those interested, here's the link to the Futurpreneur Canada website: http://www.futurpreneur.ca

Biography, W. Norman Grey 

Norm is a retired banker, spanning a 35 year career with CIBC, retiring in 2000 as GM, Ontario Southwest Region. 

He has held several volunteer positions with the Canadian Cancer Society. He became Regional President and a Director of the Ontario Division Board of the Canadian Cancer Society in 2006, serving in this capacity until April 2009. In 2012, Norm was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for his leadership volunteer work with the Canadian Cancer Society. 

Norm played a key role in building the Canadian Youth Business Foundation's Mentorship program from August 2004 – April 2013. Today it is one of the most extensive business mentorship programs in the world. A significant success factor was leading the mentoring team through progressive growth in recruiting and matching mentors, which resulted in reaching and exceeding organizational objectives year over year. 

Norm owns W Norman Grey Consulting and his objective is to offer Business Coaching and mentoring. Norm's passion today is to mentor and coach business leaders to grow and develop their organizations. Providing one on one mentoring and business coaching, and consulting on growing a business through relationship-based sales management, are some of his key interests today. 

Norm is also active in his church and is a lay minister of the Dawn Christadelphians.

Norm lives in Hamilton with his wife Donna and has two adult children Rachel and her husband Dave Green living in Mississauga and Paul in Victoria. 

(Provided by Norm Grey - July 14, 2015)

Mentorship - a Key Ingredient for a Successful Start!

Mentorship is all about seeing the growth and development of people, and we've certainly seen that happen with many of those we've met over the years!

Mentorship was also a key ingredient used by Jacqueline Jacek of JACEK Chocolate Couture in the start of her successful business. Jacqueline kindly shared a few comments related to the importance of Mentorship in her entrepreneurial growth. She also touched on the value that our "Business START-UP Seminar Series" can have in helping new businesses start, grow and develop within a local community. 

Jacqueline attended one of our Business START-UP Seminar Series about 5 years ago in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Fast-Forward a few years and in December 2011, JACEK Chocolate Couture was chosen as one of the Top 10 Chocolatiers in North America. And Jacqueline’s received numerous other recognitions as well.   

In our interview, Jacqueline said she was looking for some help with: “... the thought processes involved in moving from full time employment in a corporate job to being self employed. (The series) was hugely beneficial in helping me break down what actions I needed to take, to make my dream a reality, and more importantly, help to break this down into organized segments (eg. Finance, marketing, legal etc...), so that it didn't seem so overwhelming.”

Jacqueline Jacek officially launched the JACEK Chocolate Couture brand on 1 December, 2009 from a home-based chocolate studio. In September 2012, JACEK Chocolate Couture expanded into a commercial chocolate studio for production, complete with a boutique where customers can purchase JACEK products.

BONUS: We've also posted a lengthier video interview with Jacqueline Jacek where she addresses important aspects on the topic of Business Success. That can be seen on our YouTube Channel where she shares her background and many additional insights that other entrepreneurs will likely find helpful!  CLICK HERE TO VIEW


ALSO: we have a post on our Business Success BLOG that talks about the Business START-UP Seminar Series we facilitated in St. Albert, Alberta. It has a link to the interview we did with CBC Radio's Mark Connolly, host of Edmonton AM, in which we mentioned Jacqueline Jacek's success. CLICK HERE TO VIEW

In Closing: Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. is an innovative collaborator, and we've enjoyed working with entrepreneurs, Economic Development Officers, Chambers of Commerce and other key stakeholders in a number of communities. We've found that by working together we can all be more effective in helping entrepreneurs develop NEW businesses, create NEW jobs, and stimulate NEW investment.  

Simply put ... we believe this provides them with, "... a SMARTER Business Start!"


Please let us know if we can help you or your community with any of these valuable services! 

And as always, your comments are welcomed below.

Mentoring, Coaching, & Facilitating Business Growth

Entrepreneurship is a journey - one that takes us along a pathway that can be both exciting and challenging.

And while it may seem like we are travelling this path alone at times, help is often available ... we just need to look around and ask! 

Some may discover the value that can be provided through a Mentor as they launch and grow their business. For others, help may come from a Business Coach who works with them on specific aspects of setting up, expanding or improving their business operation. And still others may find themselves in a group learning environment - something like the "Business START-UP Seminar Series" that we've facilitated for the past decade with various Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development departments, and with the help of other supportive organizations and sponsors.

There are always success stories, but as with so many 'good things' it often takes time for that success to be realized. Success is both qualitative and it's quantitative! Success is frequently first recognized by the founders who originally believed in the potential of their business concepts. For others, success requires something more tangible - a product or a service that's delivered to a receptive target audience, willing to purchase from the entrepreneurial business.

One of the success stories that we're pleased to have been associated with, and is 'tasting' some 'sweet success' is Jacqueline Jacek, with her award-winning business, JACEK Chocolate Couture.

A few years ago, Jacqueline attended one of the "Business START-UP Seminar Series" that we facilitated in Strathcona County, just east of Edmonton. Since then, her business has grown and expanded from being home-based, to having multiple locations, and an eager distribution network selling her products.  

Jacqueline's learned a lot on her journey and has been quick to share some of those lessons along the way. 

Here are a few of her thoughts on the value entrepreneurs can gain through participating in something like our Business START-UP Seminar Series:

"Although I studied business at University, I attended a business seminar series while setting up JACEK Chocolate Couture as this was a great refresher on key elements of a successful business.  In addition, one of the great benefits of a business series is that it touches on all facets of a startup, which helped me understand which parts of business (eg. marketing & sales, R&D) I naturally migrate to.  In turn, this helped me understand where my weaknesses are so that I could determine areas where I would need support from the starting line (finance & accounting). Many thanks again Jim.

Jacqueline Jacek
Founder/Cocoanista
JACEK Chocolate Couture
www.jacekchocolate.com

As an extension of that, we were very pleased to video record an interview with
Jacqueline Jacek, and now have it available for viewing on our YouTube Channel.

CLICK HERE to view a video of Jacqueline's insights and comments on what it takes to build a successful business, as well as lessons learned on their entrepreneurial journey!

So whether it's been MENTORING, COACHING or having participated in a BUSINESS START-UP series, we've enjoyed assisting entrepreneurs in each of these capacities. We believe the important thing to remember is that we continue to learn, grow and share that with others we meet along the way, just as Jacqueline Jacek has done! 
(Thank you Jacqueline.)


In closing - we invite you to visit our NEW Website at www.pvs4u.ca which provides an overview of the range of services offered by Pro-Vision Solutions Inc.
 


We welcome your comments to the above and invite you to share them with those in your circle of contacts.

Testing Quality in Mentorship Relationships

Over the years I've had the opportunity to connect with many fine individuals and with some terrific organizations. Recently, a business client that I've been working with invited me to attend his Rotary Club meeting. Having attended a few Rotary meetings in the past, and presenting at a few of them as well, I was pleased to add this to my schedule for the day. 

For those who may not be familiar with Rotary International, as a part of each meeting, members recited what's known as "The Four-Way Test". The questions are also prominently displayed on a banner, as seen in this photo.

"The Four-Way Test" - Rotary International

"The Four-Way Test" asks members to evaluate their thoughts, words and actions against the following:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Let's consider this within the context of a Mentorship relationship. 

Mentorship is intended for developing the potential of others. HOW are our thoughts, word and actions making a positive impact on those around us?

Thank you Rotary International for the good work that you and your members do around the world. Let's consider "The Four-Way Test" as we work with others, and particularly as we work within Mentorship Relationships. 

For those interested in more information regarding Rotary International, please visit their Website at: https://www.rotary.org/

We welcome your comments to the above and invite you to share them with those in your circle of contacts. 

ALSO - please let us know if your organization would like to explore the potential benefits of a Mentorship Program for the development of those you serve. We'd be happy to speak with you at your convenience.

Stephen M.R. Covey on TRUST

WHO'S on the platform with Stephen M.R. Covey?  

Oh, I know ... it's ME! (Smile) 

Okay ... I'd better 'come clean' on that statement, because I really don't want to destroy any measure of TRUST that I may have built with you to this point.  

Here's what happened:
Stephen M.R. Covey was the first keynote speaker to address the audience on March 14, 2015 at DEXIO 2015 in Edmonton. 

He had just finished giving a terrific presentation titled: "Leading at the Speed of Trust" and a transition was taking place on the stage during a short break in the program.  That's when I asked if I could take a photo of him and he invited me to jump into the picture with him! (And as they say, 'the rest is history.')

Stephen M.R. Covey is the author of "The Speed of Trust - The One Thing That Changes Everything". In his presentation, he made a strong business argument for the importance of building trust within high–performing, successful organizations.

In a compelling business case, he made the following three points very clear:
     1) Trust is an economic driver, not merely a social virtue.
     2) Trust is the #1 competency of leadership needed today.
     3) Trust is a learnable competency.

The impact of having trust, or not having trust within an organization is both measurable and quantifiable.  

Lower levels of trust lead to longer time lines to compete projects, higher costs, as well as lower levels of energy and satisfaction within an organization's workforce. 

Higher levels of trust lead to the quicker completion of projects, lower delivery costs, while producing higher levels of energy and satisfaction within an organization's workforce.

So, imagine for a moment that you're a shareholder or a worker within one of the organizations just described. Which of the two scenarios would you rather be in - Low Trust or High Trust?


NOW - let's bring TRUST back to the topic of Mentorship ... 

If the intent of a mentorship relationship is to build the capacity of the individual (and by extension, the organization), at some point the process requires delegating an assignment to competent, trained employees and trusting them with the assigned task.  

As leaders, we benefit from developing our people to their fullest potential.  While it's been said that 'trust must be earned', if we want our businesses and organizations to grow, we need to allow for TRUST to develop. As trust grows, we can confidently focus our attention to the many other issues and opportunities we face, knowing that we have developed trustworthy individuals within our team.


HOW are you developing TRUST within your organization?

Please leave a comment, and let's share the conversation within our circle of contacts!
 

 

What Type of Mentoring Works for You?

For us at Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. we've found One-to-One Mentorship to be a valuable process for entrepreneurs who are starting and growing their business ventures. In our experience, the mentoring relationship is increasingly more effective when developed over time. Many formal mentoring programs use one year as a standard for the matching of mentoring pairs. This seems to be reasonable in our experience, as it takes time for mentoring relationships to develop. Both Mentees and Mentors will likely gain benefit from the relationship and in some cases, the mentoring relationship continues into subsequent years. Having said that, it's not unusual for the changing needs of the Mentee and experience of their Mentor to bring both to a realization that further development of the Mentee warrants a change. That's where a transition in the relationship is beneficial. We still recommend a formalized mentorship program, but recognize that other forms of mentorship can add some value.

Dr. William A. Gray, President - Corporate Mentoring Solutions Inc.

Types of Mentoring:

• Informal Mentoring
• Mentoring Initiatives
• Formalized Mentoring
• Institutionalized Mentoring
• Mentoring Culture

To talk further on this, we're pleased to introduce Dr. William A. Gray, President of Corporate Mentoring Solutions Inc. We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Gray and his wife (Marilynne) on one of our trips to Victoria, BC a few years ago. They warmly welcomed us into their home when we were on the Island. Both of them have done a tremendous amount of research in areas of mentorship.

Dr. Gray has a BA (psychology), a Med (educational psychology) from the University of Virginia and PhD (educational psychology) from the University of Texas. He has taught educational psychology courses at the University of British Columbia (1970-85), where he first began developing Formalized Mentoring Programs. Through research and development, he discovered how to define, design, align and deliver essential Program components to produce intended Outcomes that benefit individual proteges, their mentors, and the sponsoring organization. 

 
OUR VIDEO:  Dr. Gray provides some additional insights on this topic and his personal introduction to Mentorship.
  To view the video ... Please Click Here.
 
 
We welcome your comments to the above and invite you to share them with those in your circle of contacts.

FIVE Reasons for Mentorship in Your Organization

It was a pleasure for me to get together for coffee with Bruce Baker, the Founder and President of HR ALL-IN Inc. Mentorship is but one of the many topics we touched on during our conversation. With his permission, we're pleased to provide you with some of the valuable insights Bruce shared with his audience in his blog post on Dec. 16, 2014.

"Why a Mentorship Program Is Fantastic For a Company"

Many organizations have a hard and fast work culture. Employees come in, work hard, complete the work quickly and leave. Much of the training is on the job with various colleagues and managers instructing employees to learn as much as possible. Very few organizations bother with a Mentorship Program, and those that do, reap the benefits of better trained employees.
 
A Mentorship Program is nothing like a Buddy Program. Many organizations have a Buddy Program, but its aims are quite different. The Buddy Program works towards a new employee acquainted with the roles and responsibilities in the organization. It’s a way to ensure that new employees do not make mistakes. But employees are subjected to a ‘sink or swim’ system.
 
A Mentorship Program aims to achieve more than that.
 
Better Training

A Mentorship Program does not just apply to a newcomer, it can apply to everyone. Senior managers, who act as mentors, have more experience can train employees better than a colleague.
 
You probably have employees who are talented, whose skill needs to be polished. An attentive mentor is able to do just that. Employees will be fed the right information to deal with various crises instead of trying new things before settling on the right method.
 
Improved Productivity
 
A mentor does not just watch over the employee, but the work and projects he handles too. He reviews the employee’s working style and suggests changes to improve them. Hence, work submitted by the employee will be done faster and have better quality.
 
Leaders in Training
 
Any large organization needs effective leaders who can manage and lead their employees well. Many organizations look at their own workforce to find them, but fail because their employees lack the skills to qualify as leaders.
 
A Mentorship Program solves this problem. Mentors have leadership and management skills that will transfer down to their mentees (mentor’s students). This way your organization has competent employees who can step up to management positions. Additionally, you don’t have to look outside the organization and save on hiring costs.
 
Increase Synergy
 
As the relationship between a mentor and his mentees increase, they develop a synergy. Because of a mentor’s special attention and teaching, they develop a good rapport that allows them to accomplish more than others. There is a great level of understanding between a mentor and his mentees that allows this.

Employee Retention
 
Employees with mentors have a higher level of satisfaction, better opportunities for career growth and have a good relationship with their mentors. For these three reasons, employees are willing to stay in the organization rather than drop out.
 
A mentorship program will give your organization a capable workforce that can effectively handle small-scale daily problems and those once in a blue moon, major crises. If you want to build an organization with well trained employees who can rise up the ranks and provide competent leadership in the future, it is then that you should implement a Mentorship Program.

About the author - Bruce Baker

An accomplished Certified Human Resources Professional – experienced in both union and non-unionized working environments, who has held the position/s of increasing responsibility in dynamic Fortune 50 companies. Respected leader, business partner and change agent – builds highly motivated; high performing teams through organized, strategic and tactical methodology. Deeply knowledgeable – able to translate external business trends successfully into internal organization decisions and actions.

Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. is looking forward to future opportunities to help our audience in various aspects of their growth and development. Thank you for sharing these great perspectives with our audience Bruce!

Bruce Baker, is the Founder and President of HR ALL-IN Inc. 
Please visit his website at: http://www.hrallin.ca




Question: 
How would a Mentorship Program help your organization?