 April 2005
Mentoring: Part 1
As Director of the Institute for Leadership Development at
Troy
(Alabama) University and frequent presenter of workshops on the subject of
leadership I’m often asked the biggest failure of leaders. I can
answer unhesitatingly; it is the failure to effectively to mentor
others.
Here are several reasons for this
failure:
- Mentoring
takes time and effort
- Fear
those being mentored might take their jobs
- Ignorance
on how to mentor effectively
- Leaders
don’t place a high
priority on mentoring
Here’s why mentoring is important.
Future orientation.
Leaders who mentor others effectively are investing in the future.
Successful leaders must be future oriented. Mentoring shows
commitment to future success by preparing those who will play important
roles in the future of the organization.
Succession planning.
Organizations should plan for who will be its future leaders, and they
should prepare those people. Today’s leaders have the knowledge
and are uniquely positioned to prepare tomorrow’s leaders.
Knowledge transmission.
It takes time to learn. But the time can be reduced by learning
from the successes and failures of others. You can touch a stove
and get burned, or you can learn not to do it from somebody that has
already “been there and done that.”
Organizational growth.
Mentoring helps organizations grow by planning for the future, planning
for succession, and transmitting knowledge. But it also promotes
organizational health and growth by establishing and strengthening
networking and communication.
Satisfies need to help others.
Most people have an inner need to help others and be instrumental in
promoting their growth. Seeing the long term positive effects of
mentoring fulfils this need and enhances a leader’s self esteem.
Fulfils the responsibility to
give. Most leaders want to repay an organization that has
provided opportunity to them. One of the best ways is by mentoring
future leaders who can ensure the long term success of the organization.
Next month I’ll tell how to be an effective mentor. |
