Mentorship adds DEPTH to the Leadership Pool

What’s happening in the leadership pool? 

Great leaders and their organizations have an ability to bring diverse and differing parts of an organization together, in ways that unite us around a common vision. They bring out the best in each of us - for the betterment of all.

In today’s globally competitive environment, organizations must continually seek creative ways to maximize their potential for success. That involves not only tapping into, but intentionally cultivating and developing the great potential that others bring to the table. It just makes sense to take steps to incorporate the expertise, experience and connections that others bring to our organizations!

Mentorship can help us add depth to our leadership pool and build new bridges that serve us well into the future! We encourage our clients to explore a wide variety of approaches, and draw out the most beneficial aspects from formal and informal mentorship relationships, individual and group mentoring, face-to-face and long-distance mentoring, cross-departmental, cross-sectoral and cross-cultural mentorship experiences.

The potential to increase capacity through mentorship is huge. Here’s one example of efforts being made to bring a greater level of diversity and perspective to proactive organizations.

Doug Piquette, Executive Director

We were pleased to have the opportunity to get together with Doug Piquette, Executive Director of the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC) to talk about several key aspects of mentorship. Of particular interest was their mentoring of professionals who are new to the Canadian work experience.  The ERIEC Career Mentorship Program matches skilled immigrants (mentees) in the Edmonton region with local employers (mentors) who share a similar occupational background and creates networks through real-life connections and experience.

Doug Piquette has over 20 years' experience in the non-profit sector. Since 2008, he has served as Executive Director of the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC) a business led council that brings leaders together to create and champion solutions to better integrate immigrants in the Edmonton Capital Region. As part of his endeavours at ERIEC, Mr. Piquette led business stakeholders in the creation of a new strategic plan to increase the impact and scale of ERIEC's work.

The ERIEC Website is at: http://eriec.ca

Our interview has been uploaded in two separate video clips. The first being made public in December 2017 and the second installment to come in January 2018. The introduction and closing have elements in common for those who may not have viewed the other video, however specifics in Video - 1 include:

- The unique needs and requirements in Mentoring newcomers.
- Suggestions to help improve the overall quality of the Mentorship relationship.
- The value gained by those involved in the Mentoring relationships.
- Thoughts for those considering Mentorship.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

"Mentor Interview ERIEC 1"

PLEASE feel free to share your comments to our post. 
We'd be very pleased to hear from you and let others benefit from comments related to your experiences for improving Mentoring Relationships.

                                                                         

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

IF SO ...  Please take a look at our "NEXT Steps" Program!   

Our “NEXT Steps - Program” provides flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring for entrepreneurs. It can be tailored to fit your busy schedule and was designed to provide you with 12 months of valuable assistance! 

For more information see: 

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

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

"Mentor Me" - Dr. William A. Gray

MENTORSHIP can help accelerate the growth and development of individuals, regardless of their career path and direction!

Mentorship frequently helps a Mentee advance and achieve greater levels of success within the businesses and organizations where they work.  

... INTERESTED?

Having worked with entrepreneurs for more than 30 years, I’ve seen Mentorship provide them with a valuable support structure, accelerating them towards a more successful future through timely access to an experienced business mentor. Effective Mentorship can lead to improvements in productivity, reduction of exposure to unnecessary risk, and a maximizing of potential growth opportunities - something that's definitely positive at any time, but even more so as the competitive landscape becomes increasingly challenging.

A number of years ago, we had the opportunity to meet and then collaboratively work with Dr. William Gray from Victoria, BC.  Dr. Gray has set up more than 150 Mentorship Programs and has an impressive track record in developing mentorship programs internationally. A number of his valuable insights have been shared through video clips on our YouTube Channel and those "links" are provided further below for your convenience.

In this Post, and with his permission, we've featured a short, reflective piece written by Dr. Gray called: "Mentor Me". He kindly added the following for our readers which we feel 'sets the stage' with some of the background that went into his putting this piece together:

"Formalized Mentoring Programs are started to benefit Proteges. For this to occur, effective Mentors equip Proteges with what they know – such as practical know-how and wisdom – to help them get up to speed, learn the ropes, fit in to the organization, and perform work with competence. Effective Mentors also empower what Proteges want to learn, do and become – so that they can make unique contributions based on their dreams, passions and diversity. My poem (Mentor Me) describes some of the mentoring assistance that produces these outcomes – so that Proteges not only receive various types of assistance they need, but they also learn how to provide effective mentoring themselves."

Please enjoy ... 

As mentioned earlier, here are "links" to our YouTube video clips with Dr. Gray: 

1) “Mentoring Conversations (Program Overviews)” is located at:
http://youtu.be/v16AYmcVREU 

2) “Making Mentoring Relationships Work" is located at:
https://youtu.be/jQWWqmQudPE 

3) “Mentorship Tips and Insights” is located at: 
https://youtu.be/5JMz7iDfTsQ

PLEASE feel free to share your comments to our post. 
We'd be very pleased to hear from you and let others benefit from comments related to your experiences for improving Mentoring Relationships.

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

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

IF SO ...  Please take a look at our "NEXT Steps" Program!   

Our “NEXT Steps - Program” provides flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring for entrepreneurs. It can be tailored to fit your busy schedule and was designed to provide you with 12 months of valuable assistance! 

For more information see: 

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

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

FREE EXPRESSION in Mentoring

How important is FREE EXPRESSION to the success of a Mentoring relationship?

Here are a few quick and important thoughts from business leaders we’ve interviewed in the past. We’ve combined their comments on this important point together for your convenience and made them available in a video on our YouTube Channel. In addition, we’ve captured the essence of their comments and placed then further below in this post. We’ve also provided links to additional video interviews we’ve had with each business leader addressing other aspects of Mentorship. You’ll be able to click on their name to take you to those additional video resources.

Enjoy the Mentorship journey!

Seen below are some of the key points that were raised by our experienced panel of Mentorship and Business Experts on this topic!

We’d ask you to consider how FREE EXPRESSION in the Mentorship relationship could be improved as you view the video and invite you to add your comments or experience to either our BLOG Post or in the comments section of our video on YouTube.

NOW, please enjoy the video on this topic and you can also read the comments provided by our experts on this topic:

* Norm Greenwood - Greenwood 2 Management

• This is a key piece to the puzzle. It all has to come together: respect, honest … it’s all needed

* David Saxby - Spark Communications Inc.

• Open and honest communication is needed in order to be able to say what’s on your mind

* Al Petersen - Petersen Buick GMC

• Needed from the outset, without restrictions on what’s open for conversation
• You can always learn something from others - even when the conversation goes in a different direction, and the learning comes as a surprise, either from conversations with customers or with staff!

* Claire Clark - Aboriginal Women's Professional Association

• As a Mentee, it’s important to be open to tell the other person what you’re looking for in Mentorship. And for the Mentor, be willing to provide the Mentee with honest responses that will help them develop

* Jared Smith, Principal at "Incite"

• Be open to a dialog. In other words, it’s saying that I’m OK to share things with you that may or may not help - things that may be deeper issues …

* Peter Bradbury, MBA, CA - Calgary Volunteer Business Mentor (Retired)

• It’s usually a problem-solving exercise where help is required. After trust develops there is a building of things where it often takes time to develop a clearer understanding of what’s happening now, This can lead to a better understanding of the aspirations of the entrepreneur. Exploring what are they looking for out of their business, and beyond that … out of life?

PLEASE feel free to share your comments to our post. 
We'd be very pleased to hear from you and let others benefit from comments related to your experiences for 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 monthsof valuable assistance, 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

COLLABORATION in Mentoring

How important is COLLABORATION to the success of a Mentoring relationship? 

Here are a few quick and important thoughts from business leaders we’ve interviewed in the past. We’ve combined their comments on this important point together for your convenience and made them available in a video on our YouTube Channel. In addition, we’ve captured the essence of their comments and placed then further below in this post. We’ve also provided links to additional video interviews we’ve had with each business leader addressing other aspects of Mentorship. You’ll be able to click on their name to take you to those additional video resources.


Enjoy the Mentorship journey! 

Seen below are some of the key points that were raised by our experienced panel of Mentorship and Business Experts on this topic! 

We’d ask you to consider how COLLABORATION in the Mentorship relationship could be improved as you view the video and invite you to add your comments or experience to either our BLOG Post or in the comments section of our video on YouTube.

NOW, please enjoy the video on this topic and you can also read the comments provided by our experts on this topic:

* David Saxby - Spark Communications Inc.

• Both the Mentor and Mentee have something of value to contribute: skill sets, knowledge and ideas to share

* Claire Clark - Aboriginal Women's Professional Association

• It’s a partnership - Requiring working together and effort on both parts

* Norm Greenwood - Greenwood 2 Management

• Working together, cooperating to make things work

* Jared Smith, Principal at "Incite"

• The relationship requires that both come together prepared to listen, share stories and follow-up on commitments

* Peter Bradbury, MBA, CA - Calgary Volunteer Business Mentor (Retired)

• It’s a sharing of ideas and working to build them

* Al Petersen - Petersen Buick GMC

• Team work with your people, individuals and groups working to do it together

* Dr. William A. Gray - Mentoring Solutions

• Mentoring is reciprocal - it’s two-way
• It’s Empower and Equip the Protégé/Mentee

FYI - Additional video interviews with Dr. William A. Gary can be seen by clicking the following:

     Dr. William A. Gary on Mentoring Tips & Insights

     Dr. William A. Gary on Mentoring Relationships

PLEASE feel free to share your comments to our post. 
We'd be very pleased to hear from you and let others benefit from comments related to your experiences for 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 monthsof valuable assistance, 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

“COMMITMENT” in Mentoring

How important is COMMITMENT to the success of a Mentoring relationship?

Here are a few quick and important thoughts from business leaders we’ve interviewed in the past. We’ve combined their comments on this important point together for your convenience and made them available in a video on our YouTube Channel. In addition, we’ve captured the essence of their comments and placed then further below in this post. We’ve also provided links to additional video interviews we’ve had with each business leader addressing other aspects of Mentorship. You’ll be able to click on their name to take you to those additional video resources.

Enjoy the Mentorship journey!

Seen below are some of the key points that were raised by our experienced panel of Mentorship and Business Experts on this topic!

We’d ask you to consider how COMMITMENT in the Mentorship relationship could be improved as you view the video and invite you to add your comments or experience to either our BLOG Post or in the comments section of our video on YouTube.

NOW, please enjoy the video on this topic and you can also read the comments provided by our experts on this topic:

* Jared Smith, Principal at "Incite"

• Critical for both Mentor and Mentee
• Show up prepared, Show up for meetings
• Be ready, Respect the other person’s time
• Take the relationship seriously

* David Saxby - Spark Communications Inc.

• Mentorship only works if both parties are committed to do what’s needed
• Assignments need to be completed and promises kept

* Al Petersen - Petersen Buick GMC

• When you’re involved in something, make sure that you’re really there!
• It’s critical for the long-term growth in business and relationships
• Work through the tough times and move forward

* Norm Greenwood - Greenwood 2 Management

• Keep your part of the Mentorship relationship
• Don’t let the other party down

* Dr. William A.Gray - Mentoring Solutions

• Mentorship relationships require that dependability is demonstrated
• A personal example from his past is described in the video
• Share insights and information that helps the other succeed

* Claire Clark - Aboriginal Women's Professional Association

• Be there on time, answer the phone call, show up at the Mentorship appointment

* Peter Bradbury, MBA, CA - Calgary Volunteer Business Mentor (Retired)

• It’s up to both parties to determine the length of the Mentorship relationship
• There is a commitment needed by both the Mentor and the Mentee
• Time, effort, trust, and developing an understanding of the situation all take time and effort, but they contribute to overall success that’s realized.

FYI - Additional video interviews with Dr. William A. Gary can be seen by clicking the following:

     Dr. William A. Gary on Mentoring Tips & Insights

     Dr. William A. Gary on Mentoring Relationships

PLEASE feel free to share your comments to our post. 

We'd be very pleased to hear from you and let others benefit from comments related to your experiences for 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 monthsof valuable assistance, 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

Equipping & Empowering Mentees - Dr. Wm Gray

Clearly, the primary purpose for establishing a Mentoring relationship is to provide the Mentee with a positive developmental experience and opportunity for growth. 

"Equipping and Empowering" the Mentee (Protege) is a very important dynamic that (sadly) is frequently missing in the Mentoring relationships we've seen over the years. While we feel that the Mentee is ultimately responsible to initiate moving forward in the relationship, the Mentor can add great value by finding an appropriate balance between these two positions - "Equipping and Empowering".

Dr. William A. Gray

With this post, we will "revisit" some of the important contributions that have been shown to strengthen the working relationship between Mentors and Mentees. 

We've enjoyed getting to know and work on projects with Dr. William Gray from British Columbia (Canada).  The following comments were originally shared in our post of May 24, 2016 and in an accompanying YouTube Video where he further discusses aspects of "Equipping" and "Empowering" Mentees with the use of his Mentoring Style Indicator (MSI) tool. Thank you Dr. Gray for your contributions to the building and maintaining of healthy mentoring relationships!
 

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 once again Dr. Gray for sharing your insights. For the convenience of our readers, URL links can be found for the following related resources:

• The Provision Mentorship BLOG post from May 24, 2016 at: CLICK HERE
• The Youtube Video with related comments from Dr. Gray at: CLICK HERE
  

PLEASE feel free to share your comments to our post. 
We'd be very pleased to hear from you and let others benefit from comments related to your experiences for 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, 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

Business Start-Up? Mentoring Helps!

What motivates an entrepreneur to jump on to the 'field of play' get into the game? What ignites that spark inside and takes them from the 'relative comfort' of the traditional work-world in to the often 'chaotic world' of business? Perhaps a Mentor was involved in the decision-making process, inspiring them to 'venture out' on their own! Certainly, a Mentor can be very helpful for entrepreneurs as they continue along in their journey. In fact, it would be wise to gain insight from a number of Mentors as you grow in your own experience as an entrepreneur. We definitely encourage building these important Mentoring relationships. (More regarding a service we provide at the end of this post.)

We often think that MONEY is what motives people to consider having a business of their own, but that's not always the case. I just did a quick Internet search on the phrase, "reasons for starting a business" and retrieved 187,000,000 results. That only took 0.68 seconds! Fortunately for both of us, time won't allow for me to review each of those with you now!

Here are some of the points I share with audiences when speaking on the "Reasons Why" Someone May Want to Start a Business" - in no particular order:

• A greater sense of personal fulfillment
• The freedom to work on your priorities, at your own pace and with your own process
• A new challenge and seeking a sense of adventure
• Greater personal control over your life and career path
• A better use of your personal knowledge, networks, and skills
• Profits from the business are yours, not your employer’s (Oops! ... OK - that one relates to money!)

We all have our own reasons for having or wanting a business of our own. 

What's your reason? We'd love to hear your comments!

When it comes to becoming an entrepreneur, we've enjoyed working with many who (for whatever reason) have chosen to travel down this road. One way that we've assisted communities and organizations that support those looking at starting new business ventures is through our Business Start-Up Series. It's a facilitated, collaborative process - one where we work with participating partners to provide attendees with a valuable introduction, moving them forward in aspects of their business start-up, development and growth. And within a group setting, we do see elements of peer-to-peer Mentorship taking place.

Recently, I had opportunity to follow-up with an attendee from a Business Start-Up Series we facilitated a few years ago in St. Albert, Alberta (Canada). Joanne Guthrie is a "B Pressure Welder" and has worked in Alberta’s industrial sector doing maintenance and repair work for the past 18 years. But Joanne has always had a passion for creating art. From the wire sculptures she developed as a child, she's now using her industrial skills from the trades to fashion creative pieces of art out of welded metal!

At the time we first met Joanne, the Alberta economy was taking a significant hit and she knew she was ready to make that transition from employee to being an artist with a business of her own - JSG Welding - Artistic Welding Furniture + Art. 

Reflecting back on her experience in the Business Start-Up Series, Joanne shared the following: "The Business Start-Up Series has helped me develop my business in many ways. The materials provided information in a straight forward format and were valuable in taking my business to the next level. Participating helped me to better explain my business to others, to locate my target market, and to gain new customers!

In addition, the guest speakers chosen were a perfect fit and they became a valuable resource, using much of what they recommended. Whether it was aspects of research that helped me locate potential customers, or experienced business owners who shared their stories of overcoming obstacles, I was encouraged to focus on my strengths and move forward. Joining the Chamber of Commerce and attending business networking events was wonderful for sharing awareness of my business with the community. In my opinion, the entire Business Start-Up Series was very well organized. The class size was small and intimate, which made it very comfortable for lively discussions. It's been eye opening for me, and I would definitely recommend attending an upcoming series for any new business!"

To bring things current, Joanne is very pleased to say, "Things are definitely moving in positive directions for me. I've decided to do more public art calls for the surrounding city's and to move more of my art into galleries. It's a very exciting transition."

ONE KEY PIECE OF ADVICE: For those looking to start or grow their business, Joanne says: "I feel that networking is the most important thing to do when you are starting or growing a business. The more people you talk to ... the more comfortable you get! In the beginning, you can feel timid - but word of mouth is the best way to 'get' your business out there!"

Many of Joanne’s pieces of furniture and art can be seen on her website, Instagram and Facebook. Those interested in acquiring her work, either finished or commissioned pieces, are invited to contact her directly. Additional information and links to her social media platforms can be found on Joanne’s website at: www.jsgwelding.com

ALSO - Here's the link ... to a 2-minute video we put together to introduce the unique display stands Joanne made for one of her clients. "Dinosaur Bones" ... most appropriate, given the purpose for which these stands were created! 

CLICK HERE to view the video.

"EXTRA" - The St. Albert Gazette published a story regarding Joanne on February 17, 2016 (Michelle Ferguson). At the time of our preparing this post it was still available. 

CLICK HERE to view/read that story.

We’ve enjoyed working with Joanne and look forward to her continued success as an Artist and Entrepreneur in Alberta.
 

                                                                     

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