Closing the Distance with Mentorship

It's quite remarkable, don't you think? The progress that's been made over the years in the speed with which we can travel is absolutely remarkable!

From the limited distances that could be covered, first by simply walking, then aided by horse & wagon, to the power that was available through invention of the automobile, and exponentially increased with the use of airplanes, jets and space travel. It's almost incomprehensible!

With the use of improved technology we have significantly decreased the time it takes to get from one place to another. Distance it seems, is no longer a barrier. That is, unless we choose to let it be a barrier. 

So can Mentorship be effectively carried out over distances that limit traditional in-person, face-to-face interactions? It's a question that we've asked before, and we've received some encouraging responses!

From a personal perspective, at Pro-Vision Solutions Inc. we've enjoyed connecting with, coaching and mentoring a number of individuals using methods similar to those mentioned in this post by one of our favourite Mentoring Experts, Professor David Clutterbuck - Practice Lead, David Clutterbuck Partnership (Slough, United Kingdom).

 

Professor David Clutterbuck

In this post, Professor Clutterbuck looks at the advantages and disadvantages involved in:

 "Mentoring via Telephone or Skype/Teleconference" ...

This continues a conversation that is found in our Post of August 26, 2016 where we addressed Mentoring through the use of E-Mail.

As noted in the earlier post, each method has both disadvantages and advantages when compared to face-to-face mentoring.

Telephone mentoring

The main advantage of telephone mentoring is that, like e-mail, it can be “just-in-time”. While it lacks the visual clues of face-to-face, it is still possible to glean a lot of information from auditory clues – how passionately the other person speaks, when they hesitate, etc. The disadvantage is that it’s difficult to build in time for reflection – when someone is silent, it’s hard to tell if they are still there!

Mentoring by Skype or Teleconference

When the technology works, these conversations can be a close approximation to face-to-face sessions. However, it may not always be possible to arrange meetings of sufficient length at short notice.

Mixed media mentoring

Many mentoring programmes employ mixed media mentoring – use of any or all the above media, along with some face to face, where possible. The advantage of this approach is that it allows a flexible response to a wide range of situations.

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

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?

Let us know your thoughts and we'd be pleased to share your helpful insights with our readers in the future! What are your suggestions and insights with respect to long-distance Mentoring Relationships?

We'd love to hear from you and share your Mentoring experiences.

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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

The Roots of Mentorship

Political Intrigue, Drama, Uncertainty, and Suspense  

... all cast within a framework of high-stakes regional and international geo-political unrest. Strong, Forceful Personalities, Influence, Money, Position and Power, combined with Personal Honour, Integrity, and Reputation. (WOW!)

Although it contains many of the same ingredients that can be found in today's news, this post is actually going to take us back in time, and touch on the Roots of Mentorship!

One of the oldest stories to address the ability of Mentorship to shape and develop a young life is found within, The Odyssey - Homer's epic tale, written around the end of the 8th Century BCE. 

 
The story follows the wanderings of Odysseus and his ship's crew in their many valiant attempts to make their way home after the Trojan War. 



The Odyssey is a fascinating, 'action-packed' adventure complete with chaos, craftiness, and helpful interventions when needed! Much transpires over this 10-year journey. Yet, as amazing as this is for Odysseus, so too is the transformation that takes place within his son, Telemachus. 

Mentorship is very much 'at play' back in Ithaca where it can be seen as a developmental tool helping Telemachus grow from a young lad into manhood. Throughout this process Telemachus is guided by the goddess Athena, disguised and revealed to us in the character known as Mentor. Through Mentor's insightful and timely council, Telemachus grows in wisdom, strength and maturity. With the whereabouts of Odysseus unknown, all but a few now presume him to be dead. In his absence, many sought the opportunity to wed Penelope (faithful wife to Odysseus) and step into the position of power created by his absence. Ultimately, Telemachus stands side-by-side with his father and is seen more as an equal in a climactic confrontation with Penelope's would-be suitors.

There are so many wonderful lessons that can be learned from this classic story. And we were delighted to speak with and video record comments provided by Marilynne Miles Gray, Co-Owner of Corporate Mentoring Solutions Inc. in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). Website: http://www.mentoring-solutions.com/

Marilynne is an educator and writer with a life-long interest in many disciplines and Mentorship. She is currently developing a line of STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) educational products for young learners, in the form of 5-day, team adventure camps. Her products aim to help students learn how to solve problems in a multi-facetted world, better understand the relevance of what happens in the real world when different fields intersect, and encourage young learners to consider careers in the rapidly-growing STEAM fields. 

We enjoyed meeting with both Marilynne Miles Gray and her husband, Dr. William A. Gray on one of our trips to British Columbia. They have contributed some very valuable work and research in areas of mentorship and education. Below is a link to our video upload that came from our conversation with Marilynne. Other videos from that meeting on the topic of Mentorship are also on our YouTube Channel.
 
One of the key observations made by Marilynne relates to the important distinction between holding a position of authority VS fulfilling the role of leadership.

QUESTIONS - Your comments on this post would be appreciated to the following questions, after viewing the video that follows:

1) In what ways do you see Mentorship being helpful in the development of leaders?

2) Marilynne talked about some of the examples she's seen of variations of Mentorship that people may have experienced. What other forms of Mentorship have you experienced? (Perhaps from an advisor, counsellor, instructor, teacher, guide, supervisor)

3) When we think of the early beginnings or "Roots of Mentorship", what examples would you suggest?

4) How would you describe the difference between holding a position of authority VS fulfilling the role of leadership, without mentioning the specific names of individuals or organization.

CLICK HERE to view our VIDEO and 

the valuable perspectives provided by

Marilynne Miles Gray in our interview.

FYI - For those interested in a valuable refresher on Homer's story of "The Odyssey" we enjoyed going through the rich details found in "Cliff's Notes". 
  * A good starting point might be the summary that can be found by CLICKING HERE.

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.

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

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