Mentor Them!

Teach Organizational Reality

Everyone knows at least one sad story of a technically brilliant employee with everything to offer who derailed because of political blunders, lack of interpersonal skills, or ignorance of the unwritten rules. Countless corporate advice books suggest that academic brilliance alone does not make success.

Daniel Goleman talks about the importance of EQ (emotional quotient -- your ability to monitor your own and others' feelings), while Paul Stoltz refers to AQ (adversity quotient -- your ability to deal with bad luck or plans gone wrong). Others point to arrogance, insensitivity to others, or managing upward instead of down as career stoppers. Your ability and willingness to tell it like it is can save a career, perhaps for the benefit of your own organization.

Employees need to know your point of view. They want to know your take on how people get and give resources; what kinds of influence strategies work and don't work; and what certain senior leaders want and don't want in their reports, presentations, and meetings. And they want to know this before they walk into a minefield, or, at the very least, they want to be able to look at something that didn't work and understand why!

So if you are nodding your head, consider using one of your own staff meetings to open a dialogue about your own lessons and insights. Here are some questions to consider:

• What have you learned about what counts in this organization?
• What most surprised you about the culture?
• What was the most difficult culture shift for you to make?
• What are the ways to get in really hot water here?
• How do people derail themselves?
• What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier?

People have a hunger for frank conversation in organizations today. Because of the intense competition, few employees feel that they can really express themselves or ask the questions that are on their minds. Most people claim they do not like playing politics. But because it's a reality of corporate life, a mentor watches out for the organizational well-being of a protégé. A mentor educates and protects a protégé from stumbling. A manager who is intent on keeping talent can adapt some of these principles.

Your employees want you to teach them the ropes, and they know their careers will suffer if you don't. They want you to tell your own stories. Your failures and your success stories provide valuable insights that just don't come in other ways. Managers who share their experiences establish great rapport with their employees and find that there is a strong payback in productivity and engagement.

Let Them Mentor You

Want to know one of the best ways of mentoring? Let your people mentor you. Let them tell you what they know. Ask them to tell you how they see the world. Let them coach you about how you might be more effective in their development. Observe. Stay open. You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn. And in the process of learning, continue to model, encourage, nurture, and teach organizational reality.