Mentoring in the Moment - Dan Gaynor

Dan Gaynor

I had the opportunity about five years ago to get together in Calgary, Alberta with Dan Gaynor of Gaynor Consulting Inc.  I asked Dan, and he very generously made time in his schedule to provide a few thought on the topic of Mentorship. 

Dan brings a wealth of experience to this topic and has been on both sides of Mentoring relationships over his career. Dan’s comments were captured in a short video interview on my YouTube Channel, and I’d encourage you to watch it, after reading this post. They fit very nicely with the article that follows. You'll find a link to the video further below.

On January 1, 2016, Dan shared a post on LinkedIn, and with his permission, I’m pleased to extend this post to those in my circle of contacts. The post was called: “Mentoring in the Moment” (Sourced at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mentoring-moment-dan-gaynor ) It provides a positive perspective on what a mentoring relationship could be – certainly something worth trying to cultivate between a Mentor and Mentee. 

Now, enjoy this 'repost' from Dan Gaynor, and feel free to share your comments! 

 

Mentoring in the Moment

Mentor: An experienced and trusted advisor and guide

Mentoring receives a lot of attention these days and rightly so. Good mentors inspire us to reach for our potential. They encourage us when we need it and guide us along the path, passing on what they have learned in going there before us. Mentors build relationships that are often remembered fondly for many years.

Like so many other good practices though, we have over the years systematized mentoring in ways that have created onerous expectations and made it less appealing. Chief among these is the expectation that good mentoring must be regularly scheduled. My experience with mentoring runs contrary to this. The best mentoring is much more an organic exercise.

I would say that I have benefited from two mentoring relationships over the course of my professional life. Neither was systematic or forced. Both would be best described as mentoring in the moment. In both cases there were not all that many mentoring moments, however both individuals contributed in valuable and memorable ways to my development as a leader. Both met my criteria for mentoring. We had a warm relationship that became a friendship. They enjoyed teaching; I enjoyed learning from them. Both were trusted advisors, and when we did meet, we enjoyed our time together.

I remember well the day I went to Don Babick (then publisher at the Edmonton Journal) to present my work in redesigning our sales territories. I’d put a lot of work into the project, coming up with three progressive levels of sales positions: entry, intermediate and expert. I had developed a more complicated solution than was necessary. Don listened then offered his thoughts, “Dan I think you are making this more complicated than it needs to be. I think you should just make sure you know what a good sales rep has to be able to do and make sure they can all do it.” Then he added, “Most people think the ability to handle complexity is a sign of intelligence. The really smart people take what’s complex and make it simple.”

It was a mentoring moment that has remained with me over the years and shaped my approach to thinking and problem solving. Over the years there were other encounters and other lessons. Every now and then I find myself quoting something Don said to me, passing on what he gave me to the leaders coming after me - this is classic mentoring. We had no formally arranged systematic approach and we didn’t meet in a formal mentoring program. Our mentoring was infrequent and yet still important. It was natural. Today, many years and lessons later, I am more often in the role of mentor. Many of the best relationships I have enjoyed have been this way, more mentoring in the moment. Sometimes with people I no longer work directly with, years pass between moments. With others the encounters are closer together. Always there is a relationship.

It seems to me that systematized mentoring often misses the mark. Forcing relationships and timetables doesn’t work. We discourage potential mentors and disappoint everyone involved. Instead, let’s encourage a more natural approach. My bet is we’ll have a more more successful and satisfying experience.

Want to go deeper on leadership? Check out my book, The Heart and Hands of Leadership: The Twelve Timeless Practices of Effective Leaders, available in soft cover and in all major e-book formats. I wrote it to equip leaders at all levels with practical and powerful skills. Or check out the half-day workshops and keynote speeches I offer.

Discussion questions:

1. How many mentors have you benefited from over the years?

2. How did the relationship begin and evolve?

3. What were the most memorable lessons learned from the relationship?

Thank you Dan! Now, let me encourage those reading right now to consider their responses to the discussion questions that Dan’s listed.

Curious?  Here are my answers:

1) I’d have to say that I’ve found benefit from every mentoring relationship that I’ve had. That’s one of the reasons why I feel mentorship offers entrepreneurs such great value.

2) I’d tend to agree with Dan observation and would say that most of my mentoring relationships have been informal and grew over time. Still, I believe there’s much to be gained through an intentional and planned mentoring relationship. With that, it needs to be recognized that a certain amount of flexibility needs to come into play, so that the schedule doesn’t become a point of contention between those involved.  

3) One of the most memorable lessons I’ve learned from a mentor is that when you’re in business, you have to look after the needs of your customer, and you need to take care of that relationship better than your competition if you’re going to stay in business.

Thank you once again for sharing these important Mentoring insights with us Dan. I think you’ve underscored the importance of building what would be seen as a great, trusting relationship – one that allows for the candid sharing of our individual hopes, as well as our fears. 

And to quickly acknowledge the other side, as I’ve noted in my response to Dan’s second question, I’ve come to appreciate the value of Mentorship that takes place with an intended development and growth objective.  

Flexibility is most important and should flow naturally when there is mutual respect between the participants. Putting a workable structure into place helps to guide the relationship and addresses the desired outcomes both participants hope to achieve.

To close, something I’ve shared with my contacts: “It’s great to HOPE for things to get better – but we really need to PLAN and take ACTION for it to happen!”

CLICK HERE to view my video interview with Dan Gaynor on Mentorship.

 

Let us know if you'd like to further explore mentorship for your organization or business. 

We welcome your comments to this Post.

 
FYI: If you’re interested in business, we invite you to access the FREE information on our Business Success BLOG as well the many FREE videos on our YouTube Channel. You'll find a wealth of helpful suggestions on both Mentorship and Business Success.  ALL of these can all be accessed from the "Resources" tab on our website at: www.pvs4u.ca

Building Great Teams - A Mentorship Mindset

There is an interesting dynamic that occurs within good Mentoring relationships over time. I see it as a natural part of the development process, occurring as the Mentee puts their new skills and confidence into action. In the positive Mentoring relationships we've seen, this has been encouraged and nurtured with the guidance of an experienced and supportive Mentor. 

It's in this developmental process where I feel that the Mentor and Mentee are in fact, a TEAM. And while it may just be the two of them, the mindset that's adopted and the process they work through is very much one of TEAM BUILDING.  And TEAM BUILDING is the topic I'm going to address in this BLOG Post.

Teams are 'formed' for a specific purpose, 

but they don't always 'come together' as a TEAM. 

Why is that? 

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a discussion on the topic of TEAM BUILDING at a Futurpreneur Canada event on February 11, 2016. Futurpreneur Canada invited entrepreneurs and those assisting them to an Action Entrepreneurship Community Exchange event at Business Link in downtown Edmonton, Alberta.

       Above: (Left to Right) Jim Ewing, Camille Wallach, Amanda & Richard Maxim, Roberto Alas, and Tracy Sharuga
 
Here's a photo of the group I was with over the lunch break. Perhaps you'll notice that we're holding up VISA gift cards. Our "winning team" worked very well together and correctly answer all of the questions put to the audience by "Quiz Master" Rob Price, Alberta Director with Futurpreneur Canada. Thank you Futurpreneur Canada, and thank you to my follow team members for a terrific collaborative effort on our win! 

The day provided us with a great time of learning, networking, and for those at my discussion table, a collaborative sharing of thoughts on the topic of “Building Your Team”. Here are a few of the key thoughts and comments that came from that day.

In one of the early sessions, referenced as a "Fireside Chat", Karen Unland - Founder at Seen and Heard in Edmonton interviewed Ken Bautista, of Flightpath Ventures. I first met Karen when she was co-founder of Capital Ideas Edmonton (capitalideasedmonton.com) and Capital Ideas Calgary (capitalideascalgary.com). Now she's doing some very interesting work showcasing independent media producers, bloggers and podcasters in Edmonton. Ken Bautista, is with Flightpath Ventures, an early-stage tech fund based in Edmonton. Ken co-founded Startup Edmonton - one of several entrepreneurial ventures that he's assisted. Ken said that Mentors can provide great value to early-stage entrepreneurs and I totally agree with him. Mentors are important resource people that entrepreneurs should have as a part of their TEAM of professionals advisors.

I like to say that, “Entrepreneurship is a TEAM sport!” The odds are against you if you think you can make it totally on your own. A good Mentor can be a valuable team member to the owner of a growing business. They can help accelerate your growth and development, avoid some of the dangers ahead, and help you become a better leader within your organization.

Teams that work well together have the potential to accomplish more and develop better solutions than through any one member working on their own.

Here are some comments related to TEAM BUILDING that I believe are equally applicable to those building the working relationship between Mentors and Mentees. 

Camille Wallach, is a Workplace and Corporate Registered Massage Therapist. On TEAM BUILDING she said, "One of my favourite quotes from John Maxwell is, 'All leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less'. Positive influence leads to positive results."  

Roberto Alas kindly provided the photo seen above. (Thanks Roberto!) He is Director, Business Relations and Operations at Alpha & Omega Construction Ltd. and provided these thoughts ... "TEAM BUILDING: Is the capacity to identify the strengths and weakness of different people that you are interested in bringing together to collaborate simultaneously as a 'Team' with one or many goals in mind." 

We welcome your comments to this POST on what TEAM BUILDING or TEAM WORK means to you and we'd be happy to share your insights with others. 

Whether you're the leader of a team, or a member of a team, here are,  

"Seven Keys for Building Great Teams"

1) Purpose and Objective - Team members need to clearly understand, appreciate, and value the importance of the purpose and objective they are pursuing. 

2) Foundation of Trust - Teams depend upon all members 'pulling their own weight' and to actively do what's required to help the team succeed.

3) Open Communications - Clear and timely communication helps members coordinate and stay on track. Better communication leads to better results!

4) Clear and Specific Goals - Ideally, the 'game plan' has been developed with input from all team members, with full understanding of responsibilities, time lines, and needed resources.

5) Cooperation & Collaboration - Teams need to work together. To be successful, each member needs to bring their best efforts in order for the job to get done.

6) Positive Attitude - When we are enthusiastic about what we’re doing, we will take set-backs as a challenge and find an innovative solution. 

7) Professional Behaviour - Positive teams demonstrate mutual respect for fellow team members. They overcome individual differences to work together and achieve their goals.

I've enjoyed working within teams and helping to build effective teams. Teams may be large or they may be small ... even as small a Mentor and a Mentee, working as a team of two. The important thing to remember is that in order for a team to work well together, each of us must choose to work as a valuable team member! Adopting a Mentorship mindset will help.

At Pro-Vision Solutions Inc., it’s been our experience that ‘there’s more to be gained by working together than can be achieved on our own.’ 

Let us know if you'd like to further explore Team Building and the use of Mentorship for your organization or business. 

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

"No PAIN - No GAIN" - Are WE Ready Now?

You may have heard that the western-Canadian economy has taken a real 'kicking' over the past year, with a number of indicators pointing to challenging times. A low Canadian Dollar, oil prices around $30 per barrel, energy and construction job losses, and higher unemployment levels, are just a few that we could name.  
 
There's no denying that many sectors have experienced significant pain. But as they say: "No PAIN - No GAIN".  

Pain has a way of getting our attention! And as a result, we become increasingly motivated to find new and creative ways to transform that 'pain' into some sort of beneficial 'gain' - finding new opportunities for people to realize their Hopes, their Dreams, and their Aspirations.  Many of these individuals will be very interested in exploring the potential of building a business of their own.  And that's the exciting type of work that we enjoy doing at Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. as we assist those looking at starting, growing and developing their business potential.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

One of the key moments in a speech by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was when he pressed the "RESET BUTTON" - moving everyone beyond our reputation as a provider of raw materials and resources, to a new vision, saying: "... I want you to know Canadians for our resourcefulness."  It's a bold statement that was “put out” to the world, but it's also one that I believe Canadians are ready to embrace as we adapt to our changing realities.

See the related articles, photos and videos on the World Economic Forum at: http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/leadership-lessons-from-canada-s-prime-minister-justin-trudeau

Having said that, it needs to be recognized that not only will we need to become more innovative and entrepreneurial, we also need to better prepare those looking down the entrepreneurial career pathway. We recognize that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. Historically, about 15% to 18% of the Canadian workforce has been self-employed. We also know that after 5 years of having been in business, about 60% of those businesses have ceased operations, and about 80% have disappeared within 10 years. These are sobering statistics, so we ask: Is there a way to improve the prospects for business success?
 
We believe that Mentorship can provide entrepreneurs with a valuable support structure to assist them through their growth and development. The choice is ours to make.  

We can choose to learn things the hard way and experience all of the painful lessons taught in the ‘School of Hard Knocks’. Or we can take advantage of learning from the insights provided by an experienced Business Mentor – someone who can fast-track their Mentee towards a more successful future. 

We believe that the SMARTER choice is to look into what a Mentorship Program can do.  We'd be pleased to further discuss how this valuable business development resource can assist business owners as well as those who work with entrepreneurs.

Let us know if you'd like to further explore Mentorship. 

We'd be more than happy to bring well planned Mentorship Programs to other organizations and industry sectors. 

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

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

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