Mentoring in the Workplace Part 1

Mentoring is a strategic approach to developing an employee (the mentoree) by pairing him/her with a more experienced employee (the mentor) who will teach, counsel, sponsor and encourage.

Conditions of Formal Mentoring 

• Goals established
• Outcomes measured
• Access open to all who qualify
• Mentors / Mentorees are paired
• Training and support is provided
• Mentoring time is limited
• Organization benefits directly   

Benefits of Formal Mentoring

• Links competency development and business strategy
• Ensures that skills are developed
• Involves company experts in the process
• Creates and promotes a learning and diverse culture
• Ensures that organization’s goals are supported

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Build a Culture of Trust and Collaboration Part 2

Zero-Sum Game

• Gain of one team is offset by the loss of another team
• Winning or losing may be less important than the total relationship
• Negotiation and compromise may help everyone “win”  

Consider the following questions:

• What happens when you compete against someone on your own team?
• Who wins when the football center competes with the quarterback?
• When is it important to win?
• How can we work together so that everyone wins?  

Negative Competition

• Poisons interpersonal relationships
• Destroys organizational effectiveness
• Diverts time and energy
• Destroys goodwill
• Provokes anger, resentment and retaliation   

How to Build Trust

1. Always tell the truth
2. Stick to your word
3. Do what is right
4. Do what you say you will do
5. Share openly
6. Put yourself “in the other’s shoes”
7. Make decisions as a team
8. Set goals as a team
9. Work together to achieve those goals
10. Look for common ground
11. Be open-minded
12. Ask for feedback and act upon it

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Build a Culture of Trust and Collaboration Part 1

It is essential that supervisors, managers, and HR professionals build a culture of trust and collaboration so that employees feel that they can come to them to discuss any problem that may arise.  It is important to distinguish between trust and liking.  Ideally, employees should like their supervisors, managers and HR professionals, but even if they do not, it is imperative that they trust them to do the right thing.

Trust is confidence in our relationships with others. 
We earn trust gradually. In the book and movie, "The Little Prince," a make-believe little prince visits earth from his own tiny and far-away world to learn about life.  One day, he meets a fox.  He is enchanted by the fox and wants to play with him, but the fox is afraid of him and won't come near him because he doesn't know him.  The fox, sensing the prince's desire to be friends, asks him if he will tame him.  The Prince explains that he would love to tame the fox, but he doesn't know how.  So, the fox then teaches him what he has to do to tame him:

"Every day you must meet me at the same place near the edge of the wheat field, but don't come too close at first.  If you come every day at the same time and to the same place, I will begin to get use to you.  Then each day, you can come a little closer and a little closer, until finally we touch.  When we touch and embrace, I will finally be tamed."

In the scene in the movie, Gene Wilder, who plays the fox, and the little prince are careful to keep their distance as they meet each day, and gradually they get closer and closer.  When they finally touch, they embrace each other and dance around in the woods with excitement and relief because they are so happy to finally be friends.

Developing trust is like taming the fox.  You build a little at a time by consistently meeting the expectations of the other and treating him or her with respect and kindness until you become friends and are comfortable working together.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Strategic Planning: Defining the Business Environment Part 4

Every organization has a set of beliefs that govern the conduct of its members. The problem is that many of these beliefs cannot be considered guiding principles. They are usually unconscious and chosen by default rather than by design, yet they play a powerful role in shaping the culture of the institution.  

Criteria for Guiding Principles

• Aligned with mission
• Reflect deepest "truths" or values of organization
• Motivate and inspire
• Guide decisions and conduct
• Easy to remember
• Action-oriented
• Should have no more than six principles  

Complete this exercise regarding Guiding Principles:

1. List observations about your organization's culture.
2. List the beliefs that might cause each of these cultural observations.
3. Finally, list some new beliefs that would be better aligned with your organization's mission.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/