Thank You Mentors - One and All

As we come to the close of another year, we know that we'll be taking some time to reflect on where we are, where we've been, and where we still want to 'travel' on our journey. 

The end of one year and the start of another is a very appropriate time for this type of reflection. Many in our circle of contacts can attest to the reality that 2016 has been a year filled with some significant challenges. Yet, as we've been working with our clients in either a coaching or mentoring capacity, we've also seen triumph in areas that had previously been a concern. We see these as being 'win - win' victories that definitely provide a great sense of satisfaction!

At this time of the year we’d encourage you to take some time for your own reflection over this past year. Pause to remember the specific people who've helped you in positive ways and allowed you to get to where you are today. Then, take it a step further and find a meaningful way to show your appreciation to those who've added meaning and value into your life. 

You may think of someone who's acted as a Mentor, perhaps in a formal capacity, or in ways that would be far more informal. Was there someone who's helped you to make progress in your career, develop a new skill, or provided you with a piece of sage advice in other matters?  

And finally, as you give this consideration, take a moment to look forward into the year ahead. Is there someone who comes to mind that you feel might benefit from something you could share with them? Why not reach out and contact them today! Try to arrange a time to get together and further explore this and see if it's something they would find helpful. The year ahead could become an even more fascinating 'journey of discovery' for both of you!

In closing this post, as we are at this reflective time of the year, we'd like to share a short video message that we prepared a few years ago. It was a time that we found to be rather challenging for us in a number of respects, but we've viewed it as being 'a part of the process' - one that reminded us of what was most important in our lives. We trust that it would be helpful.

Merry Christmas 'to you and yours' and we wish you all of the best in the years ahead. 

Please CLICK HERE to view our short video clip:

"I Love Christmas"

Want to share a few of your thoughts regarding those who've helped you this past year?  Please feel free to add your comments to this post.  We'd love to hear from you - particularly as they relate to a Mentoring experience.

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QUESTION:  Could you benefit from having a Business COACH and MENTOR?

IF the ANSWER is YES ...  Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program! 

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
It's listed  on our Website Registration page:
CLICK HERE

Frances McGuckin on "Business Mentorship"

Frances McGuckin

It was a rare privilege to have been introduced to Frances McGuckin ... a small business expert and best-selling author now residing in British Columbia, Canada. 

Our first meeting was several years ago and it happened in a rather unique way! Frances was in Edmonton as a featured guest on a television show where I also happened to be providing some business information to viewers. As I recall, the host brought the two of us together to do an on-air segment related to business start-up. It was an amazing introduction and since then, I've been very pleased to have been able to call upon her as both a 'Mentor' and as a friend.

On one of our recent trips to the west coast, we had a wonderful opportunity to meet again and video record our interview with Frances on the topic of "Mentorship", as well as "Business Success". 

We'll provide links at the end of this post to the video clips for both of these interviews which are now available on our YouTube Channel.

Frances McGuckin is internationally recognized as the SmallBizPro. An award-winning motivational small business speaker, consultant, columnist, and best-selling small business author, her books are published globally.

Books by Frances McGuckin include:
    * Business for Beginners
    * BIG IDEAS for Growing Your Small Business
    * Taking Your Business to the Next Level

More information regarding Frances McGuckin can be found on her website at: http://www.smallbizpro.com/

FYI - Related to our interview, here are some of the comments that Frances has provided, similar to those captured in our video interview. As mentioned earlier, a link to this video interview on Mentorship can be found further below.


Jim: (Question 1) What's been your experience with Mentorship?

Frances: I have been mentored in writing, which turned my whole writing style around and was the reason for the success of Business for Beginners. In turn, I’ve mentored others, mostly in small business and in a formal Business Development Bank program, and also informally. The key to a successful mentorship relationship, no matter which field you are being mentored in, is for the mentee to take it seriously and realize that you are accountable, and often, that your mentor is volunteering their time and they want you to succeed.

Jim: (Question 2) What kind of help can a Mentor provide?

Frances: A mentor provides both physical and emotional support to you. When you are in business or starting a business, you are often alone. A mentor takes away the sense of aloneness. They are a support system for you, someone to bounce ideas off, to brainstorm with. They provide not only an analytical eye and mind, a good mentor will provide objective critiquing along with suggestions for improvement or direction.

Jim: (Question 3) How do you see Mentoring relationships develop?

Frances: Firstly and foremost in a mentoring relationship is to ensure that you are both compatible. A mentor needs to understand your business and thought processes, so you need to spend time explaining your business idea in great detail. Also to explore your mentor’s experience and whether it will relate well to what you are doing. You need a mentor who can provide you with information and help that is relevant to what you are doing.

Jim: (Question 4) Could you share your thoughts on how Mentorship can help both the Protege, as well as the Mentor?

Frances: Mentors - A person who mentors others is usually someone who wants to give back to society in one form or another. If you develop a successful relationship, it is inwardly rewarding for the mentor. They in turn gather new experiences from your business and from working with you, which they in turn can share as stories and future mentoring experiences.

Frances: Mentees/Proteges - A person being mentored should learn the value of formal learning, being accountable to them self and others, and also how to grow their business with new ideas and knowledge.

Jim: (Question 5) What would you suggest or provide as advice to a potential Protégé/Mentor to improve the relationship?

Frances: Both need to agree on a time frame, the length of each session, and set out a plan together with goals and dates for these goals to be achieved. If there is no real focus and time limit, it is easy to get off track or find excuses not to complete a project. It adds formal structure to the relationship and also a respect for each other’s time.

Jim: (Question 6) What would you say to encourage those who are considering being involved in a Mentorship relationship?

Frances: A mentor can in many cases turn your whole business around in a positive direction. They can help you to avoid common pitfalls, help you explore possible solutions with problem areas, and often have great ideas that you might not otherwise think of. When you are alone and so emotionally tied to your business and business idea, it’s often difficult to let go of your own ideas, even if they are impractical. An unbiased, experienced mind can be the difference between success or mediocrity.

Jim: (Question 7) Is there a personal story or example of how you've found Mentorship to be beneficial?

Frances:  I have written a good portion of my life with little formal training. I now live in a complex where there is a small writing group, which I have joined. We meet every two weeks for two hours. The group has made me accountable, so no matter what, I always find something to produce. I have learned so much, particularly from the leader who has a great deal of formal training in the semantics of writing. My writing has been 'shredded' on many occasions! I have recently submitted a 1,200 word story to "Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul", the first Canadian book I believe, and the story was accepted by the Canadian editor. Without my mentor’s help, I would not have reached this stage with my story.


Thank you Frances for sharing your insights on the topic of "Mentorship" in this BLOG Post as well as on the topic of "Business Success" on our other platforms. Your personal entrepreneurial journey is an inspiration to others, and your expertise has been of great help to many in their quest towards having a business of their own.

AS MENTIONED ABOVE - Here are the URL links that will take you to the two specific  videos interviews we had with Frances McGuckin.

For a direct link to the video regarding "Mentorship" CLICK HERE

For a direct link to the video regarding "Business Success" CLICK HERE

                                                                                                                           

 
NOTE: If you're looking for support for your business through either a Business COACH and MENTOR, Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program!"

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”

You'll find it listed on our Website Registration page: 

CLICK HERE

"The Mentor's Path" - Dr. Carson Pue

It's been a busy season for us at Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. We're helping more people than ever as they look at starting and growing their businesses. In addition, we're working with groups and organizations that are assisting their members as they explore innovative career options and new entrepreneurial directions in this challenging economy!

With this, I was recently leading a session with a group of people who were all very interested in helping others develop various aspects of their careers and lives. In a quick and very informal poll of the room I asked: “How many of you can reflect back on your own journey and say with confidence that you know you benefitted from someone else having provided you with valuable input into your personal or professional development?” Within moments, it seemed that every hand in the room was raised.

Does that surprise you?

It seems that "The Mentor's Path" has a way of finding us in many ways! Yet are indeed very fortunate if we have these generous people at some point in our lives. For it is often those very same people who, every now and again, speak into our lives and provide us with a very real sense of stunningly brilliant clarity. 

Mentors can do that. Mentors can help accelerate the development of others, but there is a potential danger. Those involved in a mentoring relationship need to watch that even well-meaning don’t cross over into moulding their Mentees into carbon-copies, or clones of themselves.

In this video Dr. Carson Pue, Executive Mentor Coach with Quadrant Leadership Inc. talks further on this topic and offers a wealth of additional valuable perspectives with respect to Mentorship. Dr. Pue talks about the following “5 stages of Mentorship”:

1. Identity – Helping to understand who you are, gifts & weaknesses
2. Freeing Up – Help in areas where we get stuck in life and moving forward
3. Visioneering – Seeing your purpose - what are you called to do?
4. Implementing – Putting the plan into action, connecting with the right people to move forward
5. Sustaining – Keeping on track, and sticking with it

Note: The introduction to this video is similar to one that we posted earlier, however most of the content seen here is new. If you would like to view the video clip we posted earlier, the following URL will take you there: https://youtu.be/HMQfRlYXLVE

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.

In closing this post, please feel free to add your comments.  How would you describe "The Mentor's Path" or what additional comments would you like to provide? We'd be pleased to hear from you and share your helpful thoughts on Mentoring Relationships.
 

                                                                                                                           

NOTE:  If you're looking for support for your business through either  a Business COACH and MENTOR, Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program! 

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
It's listed  on our Website Registration page:

CLICK HERE

Mentoring from a Distance

If it seems like help from a Mentor is on the other side of a very wide Chasm, and you question if it would it be of any real value even if it could be reached ... this post may be helpful!

In our post of August 26, 2016, we shared some of the insights offered by Professor David Clutterbuck - Practice Lead, David Clutterbuck Partnership (Slough, United Kingdom). In the weeks ahead we’ll look forward to posting some additional comments from him related to the topic of "Virtual Mentoring".

In this post, we continue to examine aspects of "Mentoring from a Distance" using tools such as E-Mail,  Telephone and Skype / Teleconference as a part of the various emerging tools available to mentor at a distance.  

Jim Ewing with Tuulikki Juusela

I was delighted to hear from a friend - one that I had first met several years ago at a Mentoring Conference hosted by APEGA – that’s the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.
 
Tuulikki Juusela was one of the Key Note speakers addressing the APEGA gathering, and I've very much appreciated receiving input from her as a highly skilled and seasoned Mentor. 

Tuulikki is the owner of Womco Ltd. and is a Professional Trainer & Coach, based in the area of Helsinki, Finland.

When I asked her for a few insights related to the question of "Mentoring from a Distance", she quickly and very kindly provided a helpful response.

Drawing from her vast experience and involvement in the mentoring program of the Cherie Blair Foundation http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org/ she shared the following thoughts which we trust you will enjoy.

My “actors” (mentoring partners) have been from Kenya, Nepal and Sri Lanka. We have used SKYPE, which is very personal! Much of the research has made it clear that (in Mentorship) face-to-face interaction has no inherent advantage over text based interactions! It depends on how the partners use their time and capacity.

Multichannel interaction might be the best!  The complementary nature of different communication modes could be useful to participants.  Skype offers the increased capability for immediate feedback, and corrects for the impersonality and reduced language variety in writing.

One of the challenges for face-to-face mentoring is to make the time available, even more so when the two people involved do not work on the same site. E-mentoring offers the opportunity to stay in contact, whatever the physical distance between the people involved.

While mentoring is essentially about a one-to-one relationship, the internet allows and encourages group communication. E-mentoring, because of its accessibility across distance and location, allows for possibly a greater choice of who to have in a mentored group, and of who to choose as a Mentor. Computer literacy is continuously growing. However, it is still the case that those who may wish to be involved with mentoring may not yet feel comfortable with using email. The extent of an individual's computer skills contribute to their perception of the usefulness of different media, which in turn, determine media choice.
 
Tuulikki, thank you so very much for the depth of experience and wisdom you bring to Mentorship. Best wishes in the work you are doing!


We would be very pleased to have you add your comments to this post.  What are your thoughts, suggestions and insights to help others in long-distance Mentoring Relationships? We'd love to have you share your Mentoring experiences with our audience.

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QUESTION:  Could you benefit from having a Business COACH and MENTOR?

IF the ANSWER is YES ...  Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program! 

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
It's listed  on our Website Registration page:
CLICK HERE

 

Are there Limits to Virtual Mentoring?

It seems to contradict logic!

It runs against expectations!

It appears far less than ideal!


With the odds stacked against it ... why is it that "Virtual Mentoring" works, or does it?

What's been your experience with Mentoring relationships that take place when greater distances separate the mentoring partners?

• Can this type of mentorship work?
• What would be the greatest challenge the participants would have to overcome?
• Are there tips or suggestions you'd recommend to improve and strengthen these mentoring relationships?

Let us know your thoughts and let's share your helpful insights with our readers in the future.

NOW, here are some great comments that we've collected from one of our Mentoring Experts, which we gratefully acknowledge and appreciate. Thank you very much for your words of wisdom and for sharing what you've gained!

David Clutterbuck

Professor David Clutterbuck - Practice Lead, David Clutterbuck Partnership (Slough, United Kingdom) says that "Virtual Mentoring" includes mentoring by email, telephone and Skype / teleconference. 

In this post, he examines the advantages and disadvantages involved in  

"Mentoring via E-Mail" ...

 


Virtual mentoring covers three main approaches: mentoring by email, telephone and Skype/ teleconference. 

Each has both disadvantages and advantages compared to face-to-face mentoring.
 
Some of the ADVANTAGES of E-mail mentoring are:

• It provides built-in reflection time, so mentors have more time to think about good questions and mentees have more time to consider answers
• Greater reflection time also generates higher creativity
• It allows mentors to see patterns of expression and language, which reveal issues that may be missed in vocal exchange
• There is a record of each conversation, so it’s possible to go back to what has been said in previous mentoring conversations
• People tend to be more open and less aware of power differentials in e-mail based learning exchanges
• Mentoring can happen at the time it is most needed, rather than having to wait for a scheduled meeting
• Where appropriate, an email conversation can be broken into several small chunks, spread over a day or more – so not creating a significant disruption to either party’s day
• Mentor and mentee can be in different time zones, yet hold an (asynchronous) conversation at times convenient to them.

Some of the DISADVANTAGES of E-mail mentoring are:

• There can be a loss of spontaneity
• The “colour” of spoken conversation (tone, emphasis, emotion etc) is less obvious – so it is easier to misinterpret what has been said
• People tend to read email-based statements as more critical than intended
• E-mail correspondence may not be fully confidential, especially if it goes through a company mail system.

Source: Professor David Clutterbuck - David Clutterbuck Partnership 
Coaching and Mentoring International Ltd 
www.coachingandmentoringinternational.org

We would be very pleased to have you add your comments to this post.  What are your thoughts, suggestions and insights to help others in long-distance Mentoring Relationships? We'd love to hear from you as you share your Mentoring experiences.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Could you benefit from having a Business COACH and MENTOR?

IF the ANSWER is YES ...  Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program! 

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
It's listed  on our Website Registration page:
CLICK HERE

 

Mentoring - Does it Deliver?

What do you look for in a Mentoring Relationship? 

We've seen Mentorship help accelerate the growth and development of people ... advancing them along their career paths and helping them achieve success. For organizations in particular, Mentorship can positively impact productivity and help maximize the potential of your people.

The skills involved in what we do, the mechanics, the procedures, the processes ... these can all be learned in many ways. What we frequently fail to recognize, or significantly undervalue and dismiss, is that it’s the quality of the working relationships between the people within the organization that have the ability to keep things running smoothly! Relationships between people are built with trust, and trust is built over time.

When you think about it, could there be any better way of helping people move forward in their development, improve the relational dynamics within the organization, and achieve targeted results than through the power of an effective Mentorship Process? As we develop those around us, their skills and confidence grows, and we improve the knowledge transfer that's so necessary within our work environments.

A Definition of Mentorship -

Mentoring is a helping relationship based on an exchange of knowledge, experience and goodwill. Mentors help someone less experienced gain confidence, clearer purpose, insight, and wisdom. In developmental mentoring, the mentor, too, is changed by the relationship.

Source: Professor David Clutterbuck - David Clutterbuck Partnership

Beyond the direct benefits received by the Mentors and Protégés involved, the potential exists for a business mentorship program to become a vehicle to extend the reach and influence of the organization into the communities it serves.

Does Mentorship Deliver? We believe that it does, but it requires that all of those involved are committed to making the Mentorship relationship work! A Mentoring relationship is a 'mutual' working relationship, and like all relationships, it requires that a genuine effort is made to achieve the goals that have been established.  We've found a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the development of high-quality working relationships that help our clients move forward. Mentoring business owners towards success is an important role that we enjoy bringing to those in our circles of contact. If that's of interest to you, we'd invite you to explore that a little further, perhaps with the program we mention at the end of this post. High-Quality relationships are built over time. So, naturally, we'd encourage you to start the process now. Let us know if you'd like some help, because we do sincerely wish you success on your mentorship journey!


In closing, please feel free to add your comments to this post.  What do you look for in a Mentoring Relationship? We'd love to hear from you as you share your experiences related to improving Mentoring Relationships.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Could you benefit from having a Business COACH and MENTOR?

IF the ANSWER is YES ...  Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program! 

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
It's listed  on our Website Registration page:
CLICK HERE

Building Healthy Mentoring Relationships

Ideally, Mentorship should result in a mutually beneficial experience for both the Mentee (Protégé) as well as for the Mentor. 

The degree of benefit derived by either party will of course vary depending upon the circumstances. As we’ve mentioned in other BLOG posts, and perhaps you’ve noticed from within your own experiences, mentoring can take place across a wide variety of forms. And with that, the benefits can also vary when we contrast mentorship within a “formal” program versus mentoring within an “informal” setting. The same might be said of variation resulting from mentoring within a “one-to-one” mentoring relationship versus what comes from mentoring within a larger “group” context.

Regardless of the format, "mentorship is a journey" that can be experienced and enjoyed, as we travel down life’s road together. The key in my opinion is for the participants to be very clear on what they hope to gain from having participated in the mentoring relationship, and to make a full effort towards achieving the results that were anticipated and agreed to at the outset.

I like this quote from John Maxwell which speaks to the true intent of Mentorship:

“All of the certificates of recognition we receive in life will fade. The monuments we build will crumble. The trophies will corrode. But what we do for others will make a lasting impact on our world. True success comes only when every generation continues to develop the next generation, teaching them the value and the method of developing the next group of leaders.”

Source: John C. Maxwell – “Developing The Leader Within You”

What are some of the things that make for a healthy mentoring relationship? 
Here are a couple of the key characteristics that we’ve found evident within high-quality mentoring relationships:

Respect - Mutual appreciation, as both the Mentor and Protégé have important information and knowledge to share, as well their respective contribution of time and energy in to the relationship.

• The Mentee/Protégé should recognize the knowledge, skills and abilities of their Mentor.
• The Mentor should appreciate the measure of success experienced to date by the Mentee/Protégé, as well as the drive and determination they have to develop in their career path or business.
  

Integrity and Honesty - Integrity and honesty are the cornerstones of a mentoring relationship.

• Both are vital to the achievement of the goals within the mentoring relationship.
• By agreeing that questions and mistakes are okay, and by being honest with each other, mentors and their Mentee/Protégé strengthen and build their mentoring relationship.
  

Note: We’ve uploaded a number of short video clips to our YouTube Channel that address Key Characteristics within Healthy Mentoring Relationships. Each video features a number of those we've spoken with in the past regarding their mentorship experiences. Here are some quick links to the following:

Mentorship Characteristics - "Commitment"

Mentorship Characteristics - "Collaboration"

Mentorship Characteristics - "Free Expression"

Within a healthy mentorship relationship, it is quite natural to see that the level of respect, trust and openness between the Mentor and Protégé develops. We endeavour to build these characteristics into the working relationships we build with our clients at Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. 

PLEASE feel free to add your comments to our post. We'd be very pleased to hear from you as you share your experiences related to improving Mentoring Relationships.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Could you benefit from having a Business COACH and MENTOR?  

IF the ANSWER is YES ...  Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program! 

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
It's listed  on our Website Registration page:
CLICK HERE

Mentoring Relationships That Work

Ideally, the Mentoring relationship should be a positive experience for both the Mentor and the Mentee. 

However, if you've been in a Mentoring relationship for some time, you know that differences of perspective and opinion can easily arise between those involved. 

How many times have you seen a mentoring relationship where the participants seem to 'battle' for power and position? Perhaps you've been in this type of a mentoring relationship, either as a protégé or as a mentor.

Finding a good and healthy balance within these complex interpersonal relationships can be a challenge. I've come to think of it not so much a case of 'give and take' between the mentoring partners, but perhaps a more 'gentler' one of 'offer and receive'. Can you see a difference between these positions? I believe there's a subtle difference, but one that can make 'a world of difference' in the quality of the relationship!

In healthy mentoring environments, both parties are contributing to the development of the relationship, and each other. I've spoken with mentors who've told me that they've received ‘good value’ from being in a healthy mentoring relationship. I think it comes down to each of those involved choosing to respect the other party, acknowledging that both bring something of value to the mentoring relationship.

To add his expert insight to this, I invited my friend, Dr. William Gray to shares some of his observations. Dr. Gray's kindly provided the following comments for this Mentoring BLOG Post. In addition, we've uploaded some new, related comments that were recorded in an earlier video interview with Dr. Gray. These are now available on our YouTube Channel through the link we provide below.

Thank you Dr. Gray for providing the following thoughts on building and maintaining a healthy mentoring relationship.

Why Mentoring Style Flexibility is Essential

    By Dr. William A. Gray
    President, Mentoring Solutions

Researchers of mentoring agree that the mentoring relationship between mentors and their protégés is the key to successful mentoring and achieving desired goals. If you cannot work well with your partner, you stop meeting and no goals are attained. I also discovered this and then created the Mentoring Style Indicator (MSI) in the early 1980s as a tool for training mentoring partners. Mentors learn to use two Mentoring Styles to equip protégés like the dictionary definition or classical concept describes – passing on knowledge, wisdom and practical know-how. Mentors also learn to use two other Mentoring Styles to empower what protégés want to learn, do and become. During Partner Training, proteges learn to be receptive to these different kinds of assistance – and to request appropriate assistance when needed. Employing such Mentoring Style Flexibility has helped over 100,000 mentoring partners to develop a good working relationship that achieves desired outcomes. If inflexibility occurs, mentoring relationships fall apart and goals are not achieved.

* Thank you Dr. Gray for your insights, and for the related comments which can be found on our Youtube Channel at: https://youtu.be/jQWWqmQudPE


PLEASE feel free to add your comments to our post. 
We'd be very pleased to hear from you as you share your experiences related to improving Mentoring Relationships.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Could you benefit from having a Business COACH and MENTOR?  

IF the ANSWER is YES ...  Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program!   

If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been created with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule! 

For more information see:

"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program” 

It's listed on our Website Registration page:
CLICK HERE

Mentorship in Starting a Professional Practice

MENTORSHIP is all about the GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT of those involved in the Mentoring relationship.

One of the first Mentorship Programs I explored in the early years of my investigation was with The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). 

That connection resulted in my attending several of their excellent Mentoring Conferences, and introduced me to many of the outstanding speakers on their program agenda. Since then, it's been my privilege to have presented various Professional Development sessions to APEGA members. 

The most recent speaking opportunity was at the APEGA Summit Annual General Meeting and Conference, April 21 and 22 in Edmonton. A group of about 100 members participated in the 90-minute session called: Set Up and Organize a Small Professional Practice. This was an opportunity to explore some of the important factors, opportunities and challenges that impact those thinking of becoming an independent consultant, and establishing their own professional practice. Was it a lively session? Absolutely! We had some great interaction with members who were engaged, asking questions, and highly supportive of their colleagues. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to support APEGA in this way and assist their members in their development, through these challenging economic times in Alberta.
 
One thing that I've discovered is that as an independent contractor, new doors of opportunity can open for you in the future. It's defining success in your own terms. It's more than making a living in a profession that you enjoy - it's finding satisfaction in what and how you do, the work that you do! As Albert Schweitzer said: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."


In closing this post, while speaking at the APEGA Summit a few weeks ago, I was reminded of my having first met Dr. Francis Thomas Hartman. He was on the speaking program at one of the Mentoring Conferences that was mentioned earlier.  I sat in on one of the sessions he conducted and we had opportunity to chat over the day. I followed up with him, connecting through LinkedIn and exchanging information on topics of mutual interest. After a number of discussions, Francis agreed to my video recording some of his comments on the topic of “Business Success”. In doing so, he shared some of his experiences and valuable insights as a consultant in professional practice. 

It was with sadness I heard that Dr. Hartman passed away in March 2014. Francis was known by many as an innovator, a recognised thought leader, and is fondly remembered as a loving and generous family man. We deeply appreciate his contributions and friendship. He will be missed. 

Our conversation with Dr. Hartman is available in two video clips on our YouTube Channel - simply click the Title to view either of the following:

 Francis Hartman - Business Success - Overview (12:01 mins)


 Francis Hartman - Business Success - People (7:23 mins)

                                                                                          

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