Choosing a Mentor? Cast a Wide Net
By CHERYL DAHLE

Published: July 25, 2004


. A colleague from another department raves to you about what a great mentor her boss is, while you're stuck with a supervisor whose idea of career development is dispensing an occasional, dopey "Way to go!" How important is it to have a mentor in the workplace?

A. It's crucial to have a mentor if you have significant ambitions to develop your skills and to be promoted. But it's not necessary - or in many cases even desirable - for that person to be your boss, said Kim Wise, founder and chief executive of Mentor Resources in Sausalito, Calif., which provides mentoring services for companies and individuals.

Advertisement


"Mentoring and managing are really two different things," Ms. Wise said. "A manager is responsible for a whole host of company concerns aside from you. A mentor who is outside of your company or work group is removed from that. He or she can provide an outside perspective and can also be more helpful if the very thing you're struggling with is your boss."

You could certainly look inside your company for a mentor, particularly if you plan to stay with your company for several years. But you shouldn't assume that your boss is the optimal candidate, Ms. Wise said.

Q. How do you find a mentor?

A. First, think about what you want from a mentor. Old-style mentoring was about networking and access to the corporate elite (sharing cigars and rounds of golf), but mentoring today is most powerful when focused on building skills and developing careers.

You should also have a clear idea of your own strengths and weaknesses. Sue Raiche, 50, a manager of corporate facilities interior design at the Carlson Companies in Minneapolis, spent several weeks deciding what she needed in a mentor. She polled colleagues and her supervisor about where they saw her career in five years and drew up her own list of goals, which included learning more about finance and corporate strategy. That homework made it clear that she needed to find a high-level executive with experience in many parts of the business. She wound up with a chief executive from a hospital supply company.

Q. That's nice for her, but how do you enlist someone to be your mentor?

A. Some companies, like Ms. Raiche's, have formal mentoring programs that you can ask to join. Ms. Raiche's supervisor chose her to participate in an invitation-only program at Carlson that was run by an outside firm. Some career services companies accept individuals as clients and will match you to a mentor outside your workplace for a fee. You can find someone on your own, too. Once you have your list of skills and goals, send it by e-mail to friends and business associates who may be able to recommend a good mentor.

Q. Why would a senior executive outside my company agree to spend time as my mentor?

A. Typically, mentoring partnerships wind up being useful for both parties, said Lynn Sontag, chief executive of Menttium, a company that develops corporate mentoring programs for women.

"Mentors often get as much out of the relationship as the protégés," she said. "They get a different perspective on their own management style and communications skills than they might get from direct reports."

Q. Does it matter how many levels above me the mentor is?

A. Two levels above is optimal, but that is secondary to finding the skills and experience you are seeking, Ms. Wise said. Keep in mind that the best mentors have a different work style and personality from your own. Don't look for someone who's a version of yourself 10 years down the road.

Q. How is a mentoring relationship best structured?

A. A standard guideline is to meet once a month for at least six months, and preferably for a year. Keep in mind that all the responsibility - for managing the logistics of meetings, setting agendas and establishing time lines for goals - belongs to you, not the mentor. You should leave each meeting with a to-do list. If you're trying to develop your public speaking skills, for example, you might sign up for a presentation class. If you're working on leadership, you might leave with the directive to have that tough conversation you've been avoiding with a subordinate.

Q. Should you have just one mentor?

A. For an intensive partnership, one at a time is plenty. But it's a good idea to collect several mentors over time and stay in touch with all of them, even after your formal relationship ends. Think of it as assembling a personal board of directors, filled with a variety of mentors whose judgment you trust.

Joe Nemmers Jr., 49, a senior vice president of diagnostic operations at Abbott Laboratories in Abbott Park, Ill., says mentors can come from any level.

"I have a set of mentors, both people who are at my level and below in the organization, whom I can just pick up the phone and call to get their take on a management question or strategy issue," he said.

Mr. Nemmers, who has worked for Abbott for almost 25 years, has had 18 jobs in the company. His two most influential mentors were also his supervisors, a fact he credits to the culture of the company, which has extensive internal mentoring programs. But even for employees whose companies don't offer such access, Mr. Nemmers said, finding a mentor is worthwhile.

"It's one of the most important parts of your career growth plan," he said. "If you don't have it, you'll definitely be at a disadvantage."


Workplace or career topics may be sent to [email protected].