A Study of Exceptional Mentoring Insights for Adult Education and emerging mentors

The purpose of this critical engagement project was to focus on how mentoring relationships positively impact personal and professional lives -what I call exceptional mentoring. This was a qualitative study using a narrative inquiry methodology and the theoretical framework of transformational leadership. There were five participants in the study who are known in the industry to be exceptional mentors because of their dedication and passion for caring about others. The research method included one-on-one interviews lasting between two and five hours. The study explored the life stories of these individuals with the intent to learn how people become mentors, motivations for mentoring and their beliefs about exceptional mentoring. The findings revealed the following themes: influencers on how the participants became exceptional mentors; outcomes or benefits that the participants experienced from mentoring others; and exceptional mentoring best practices or elements. Each of these themes included related subthemes. I, the researcher, already having realized the power of mentoring in corporate America, expanded my conviction to the field of Adult Education. Adult Educators, being in a leadership role by virtue of their position, and their students, needing guidance as they learn new perspectives as well as new aspects of themselves, can benefit from what mentoring offers. The concluding chapter provides the reader with additional information on this topic in the form of an exceptional mentoring website which provides key takeaways from this research, as well as additional resources. Questions for future study could include how to identify specific mentoring needs among adult educators, and how to uncover key attributes of effective programs that foster mentoring relationships. Exceptional Mentoring 3 A Study of Exceptional Mentoring Insights for Adult Education and Emerging Mentors – Introduction This is a study of exceptional mentoring that provides insights for Adult Education and to emerging mentors. Five individuals, who are known to be exceptional in many ways, including mentoring, were interviewed to discover how and why one becomes an exceptional mentor. Imagine a world devoid of people such as Jesus, Gandhi, Buddha, your favorite teacher, coach, or mentor. Or try to imagine Dante’s Divine Comedy without Virgil. The world desperately needs more adults to be positive leaders and mentors of the future, for individuals and organizations. How does someone begin the process towards becoming one of these individuals? While there are thousands of books and articles about various types of leadership and mentoring, most focus on skill transfer or achieving business results. Although apprentice/protégé mentoring is a very important type of mentoring, it may not reach beyond just achieving business goals to meeting additional needs of the recipient. Every adult has strengths and knowledge gained through experience; however, many lack the confidence or encouragement to find the leader or mentor within. In order to achieve the goal of becoming an exceptional mentor, one must be willing to stretch beyond his/her comfort zone in order to discover new insights about him/herself and others. It is a neverending journey, both holistic and flexible in nature with no magic formula or perfect approach for reaching the goal of becoming an exceptional mentor. Yet through the lessons shared by five exceptional mentors, coupled with personal effort to discover more about oneself and others, the path toward becoming an exceptional mentor begins. And once this process begins, the worldExceptional Mentoring 4 changing chemical reactions brought about by exceptional mentors occur, making the world a better place in both personal and professional ways. Life’s journey can be scary with its many challenges, and unexpected obstacles along the way. By God’s grace, I have had angels -wonderful people with whom I had chemistry -appear during pivotal periods of my life. Their love and care helped me gain wisdom, as well as the confidence and courage to move beyond what I thought was possible. Their actions and impact on my life motivated me to research and discover more about leadership and mentoring, both personally and professionally. In my research, I have been privileged to hear stories and thought-provoking insights from five of these exceptional mentors. Please join me in learning from their wisdom, and in the effort to help sustain and expand exceptional mentoring. Why study mentoring? I believe that in order to positively change society, one should hold true to broad, long-term, utopian-like goals, such as equality and inclusion for all people. But it is also important to have short-term, practical goals. As a member of corporate America for 22 years, I have developed critical skills in the realm of business and politics that help me negotiate the system to sell fresh ideas. These skills, coupled with my belief that every day is a gift, motivate me to take immediate advantage of opportunities to positively impact my organization. My goal is to ensure that every room I leave is better than it was when I entered it. I see inclusive community-building through acceptance and appreciation as the biggest opportunity before me. I realize that in order to make a difference in any organization, I must be invited to the table and be respected. Paulo Freire (1986) describes this when he speaks of deviant points required to be invited to Exceptional Mentoring 5 participate in government decision-making. Freire stayed connected to his people outside of government, but remained influential by participating inside the government. Similarly, I plan to make a difference inside my organization by gaining respect and influence, while at the same time staying connected and learning from positive role models outside of corporate America. Klein and Izzo (1999) encourage leaders to bring their whole, authentic selves, including soul, to work. They describe soul as signifying “the basic vital life energy that underlies and animates all human activity. When it is awake, work flourishes, overflows, and manifests as productivity, creativity, innovation, and inspiration” (p. 10). They write that this looks different in each organization, but that “the degree of Corporate Soul ‘wakefulness’ will be reflected in the quality of commitment and excitement (or lack of it) that is present in the workforce, and ultimately in the competitiveness of the business” (p. 11). I have recently experienced firsthand how an environment of trust, safety, encouragement, and soul, as they describe, leads to deep commitment, higher productivity, and greater fulfillment. An organization must be profitable to keep people working. As our population continues to grow and change, it will become increasingly important for an organization’s employee base to reflect its diverse consumer base if the company is to satisfy consumer demand and succeed in the marketplace. However, organizations struggle to recruit and retain leaders who are the best of the best. Michael Derby (2007) from Quantum Leap, a talent management/recruiting company, defines the market as one that is candidate driven. He says that the key to the success of any organization lies in Exceptional Mentoring 6 attracting and retaining top talent. Yet in today’s market this is becoming more and more difficult. What are top employees demanding from companies? American Management Association (AMA) published a study in 2000 where employees ranked the top ten things people want at work are 1. ) Challenge; 2. ) Appreciation; 3. ) Camaraderie; 4. ) Growth; 5. ) Security; 6. ) Loyalty; 7. ) Money; 8. ) Sympathy; 9. ) Fair discipline; and 10. ) Positive atmosphere/conditions. When it comes to providing employees with these top attributes, many companies fall short. As an employee myself -and based on years of interaction with co-workers at various organizational levels, I am convinced that employees want to be respected and appreciated for their unique selves and diverse contributions. The word diversity has many definitions and connotations. While it is critically important to recognize and respect cultural, sexual orientation, and gender differences, numerous other individual attributes such as experience, age, personality preferences, styles, strengths, and weaknesses help define an individual. Klein and Izzo (1999) write that companies are struggling to foster loyalty and commitment. The new generation of workers is looking for more from work than money. “With personal balance becoming a major issue, and with growing burn-out at all levels, the modern organization is struggling with how to attract and keep top people let alone motivate them” (p. 8). Workers of all ages, and diverse backgrounds are seeking environments that challenge and support their minds, bodies, hearts, and spirits. How can I help my organization and society facilitate the diverse knowledge and talents of its people? I want to use my gifts, and experience to make a positive difference. What has helped me develop my soul and grow to where I am today? Mentoring has Exceptional Mentoring 7 provided me with the guidance, wisdom, and support to be my best. Each mentoring relationship I have experienced has been unique. At the same time, they share two common and mysterious elements: chemistry and love. Based on the challenge of defining these two elements, I embarked on a journey to discover more about mentoring. I started my quest by reading what some of the experts had to say, beginning with the definition of mentoring from Kay and Jordan-Evans (2005): Mentorship refers to a developmental relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced partner referred to as a protégé, mentee, or (person) being mentored—a person guided and protected by a more prominent person. There are two types of mentoring relationships: formal and informal. Informal relationships devel