Mentoring – stick or a lever?

Can you complete this well known saying: "give me a lever long enough ..." ?

If you said "and I will move the world" you’re amongst the majority. It makes sense, right? However, there is a vital piece often left out of the quote from Archimedes.

As any engineer will quickly point out. Archimedes said: "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it and I shall change the world."

Have you ever used a lever? By itself it's just a stick. But lean it against something that acts as a fulcrum and you magnify its power a thousand-fold. You get leverage!

In the same way, mentoring is recognised as powerful for personal and professional development and progressing career plans. It is a long lever and it can move a person's world, shift the capability of their workplace and change communities.

However, mentoring also needs a fulcrum to achieve its full potential. What makes the difference? The mindset, skills and tools that mentors and mentorees have.

Too many organisations say they have a "mentoring program" but in reality do little more than introduce mentors to mentorees. They give people a stick.

If you want real leverage from mentoring you have to give people the fulcrum, too. This means you have to equip mentors and mentorees with the right:

• Mindset – values and attitudes, a manifesto that makes mentoring work;
• Skills - essential abilities that both mentor and mentoree need; and
• Tools - guides so mentors and mentorees know what to do and how to do it.

Developing Mindset

This is done through two-way communication about the roles, responsibilities and expectations of participants. Mentoring is based on a set of values and these must be understood and internalised to get the best from mentoring.

Gaining Skills

Mentors and mentorees need to be trained because mentoring is unlike other relationships.

Mentoring requires a unique combination of interpersonal skills that allow mentors to support and challenge mentorees, to elicit and impart information. Mentorees need to have the ability to be both reflective and action-oriented as they evolve and grow through mentoring. So both mentors and mentorees need to hone their skills of listening, questioning, rapport building and problem solving. They have to gain each other's trust and respect, think critically and creatively and have constructive conversations that produce insights and actions.

Using Tools

Even masters need the right tools. A mentoring toolkit contains useful models and practical  guides that enable mentors and mentorees to establish a productive relationship. A toolkit may contain printed materials and/or online resources that mentors and mentorees can access as needed. It may include checklists, templates, questionnaires and structured activities, video tutorials, audio recordings, live forums, articles, tips and supportive reminders to use them.

Mentoring is a lever that can change the world but it must have its fulcrum to do so. Only when participants have the mentoring mindset, skills and tools do they gain leverage. That's how mentoring works.

You can purchase my book: Mentoring Mindset, Skills and Tools here.