Case Study Of MMOL 610 Mentoring, And Conflict Resolution

Journal Four
Brooke Pillsbury
MMOL 610A: Coaching, Mentoring, and Conflict Resolution
Dr. Kurt Risley
March 11th, 2013

Journal Four Not all members of management are qualified to be mentors. Mentoring takes the ability to coach in a meaningful way for the direct growth of another individual. Some people might even be good mentors to some people and not to others. This could be that they simply lack the knowledge needed to mentor that person or they might not get along with them. Either way, having a good match between mentor and the protégé is very important. Seeking out a match requires a little bit of preplanning. A productive mentoring relationship depends of compatible personalities and complementary
abilities and interests (HBR, 2004). There are five certain characteristics that one should look for when considering a mentor.
The first is mutual respect. The mentor must be respected by the protégé for their knowledge and accomplishments. In turn, the mentor must respect the protégé’s desire to learn (HBR, 2004). The reputation that the protégé has within the company can also influence this level of trust. In any pairing there must be a logical fit. The mentor must have knowledge and insights that the protégé seeks. These skills might include learning to foster relationships with the company’s strategic partners, or a deep experience in developing innovative new products. The protégé’s main focus should be to learn, whether that is to learn more about themselves or grow as an employee. There should be no political agenda for example using the mentor’s position within the organization to outrank other rivals for a promotion. Compatible temperaments or styles are another important factor to consider. If the mentor and the protégé have two completely learning styles or demeanors, they will clash, making the mentorship a hard one to continue with. Both mentor and protégé must also be committed to the goals of mentoring or being mentored. They most must be agreeable to and enthusiastic about investing time and energy into the relationship (HBR,
2004). Many people, when looking for a mentor, will turn to their superiors.
Bosses are usually the first person a protégé thinks of when selecting a mentor. This is logical because bosses understand the organization, the strategies and goals that could aid the protégé in personal development. Bosses have been in the protégé’s footsteps before. They also have the political clout to open doors and move the subordinate into projects with the right learning opportunities (HBR, 2004). Bosses also find a protégé to be helpful. A skilled subordinate can help with time-consuming tasks that the boss doesn’t want to do, or doesn’t have time to do. Often times companies, before the hire someone, want to make sure that there is someone their to fill their space when they are promoted or moved. All these are favorable outcomes to both the mentor and the protégé. But, there can be cons to this situation as well. Bosses have an evaluation authority over subordinates (HBR, 2004). The boss can make reward and punishment decisions without having to take into account any other influences. A boss might also be less likely to help a protégé out with something that doesn’t directly influence or benefit
them. Some bosses can earn the reputation of being people developers (HBR, 2004). They help people to grow and advance in their careers. These types of bosses are truly happiest when they are using their counseling, teaching, or nurturing personalities to help people advance within the company. The boss’s inherent conflict in being an evaluator and a personal guide does not go away. This is why most mentoring experts recommend that mentors be selected from outside the protégés chain of command. With this line of thought, not only is your boss not a suitable candidate, but neither is the boss’s boss. This is something that I hadn’t even considered when looking for a mentor when starting this project. Melissa Lamet is not only someone I look up to from a career standpoint, she is someone that I look up to personally as well. When I brought this up to her during our weekly meeting, she could see both sides of the table. She understood how a manager could start off with even the best intentions when agreeing to mentor a protégé but start to limit the advise and opportunities available to the protégé for personal gain. We had a laugh over this idea as she promised me she wouldn’t stop me from any opportunities that might arise.

Well written. I was getting ready to ding you for not talking about your coaching experience for the week and only the text stuff, and then you pulled it out in the last paragraph! Good job.

References

Harvard Business Review. (2004). Coaching and Mentoring. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.