It is a must-do for any leader considering a mentoring initiative as part of the firm’s people strategy. Moving beyond the east of one-shot mentoring efforts that are based on the myth of a single mentor or sponsor and toward developing effective and sustainable efforts is key to success and grounded in both research and best practice.

Not all mentoring programs are equally effective, and not all companies have learned how to sustain mentoring. Intelligent Mentoring defines the key goal to develop a fully integrated a diverse portfolio of mentoring initiatives into both talent and leadership development across the organization. The most effective efforts build a diverse portfolio of effective mentoring programs, use mentoring to strengthen organizational capacity, build sustainable communities of mentors and mentees, promote collaboration across differences and link mentoring to core values such as diversity and inclusion. There are four key lessons about effective mentoring: purpose, process, participation and portfolio.

Once mentoring has been identified as a tool for using in an organization or with a unit or team, there needs to be significant clarification on what is the purpose for mentoring.  While this may seem obvious and perhaps easy, most of my work with organizations has been helping leaders to gain clarity about why mentoring is being used and for what purpose or desired outcome.  Intelligent Mentoring means first understanding the link between mentoring purpose and the specific mentoring tool or program that can best fit the needs of the organization, team or workplace culture.  Too often, we think of mentoring in a homogeneous fashion which takes the power of the diversity of mentoring structures, types, functions and methods.  Intelligent Mentoring means spending a significant amount of time reaching clarity and consensus on PURPOSE.

Once the purpose for mentoring has been discussion and some clarity and consensus has been reached, Intelligent Mentoring then turns attention to the process.  This involved how the work of mentoring is designed, delivered and assessed within the organization.  It requires a process where key stakeholders are not merely surveyed but actively engaged in the process of design, implementation and ongoing improvement.  It has become clear that process also must fit with the organization’s culture.  Understanding how decisions are made, how successful initiatives have been done in the past and gaining clarity on the “unspoken rules” within the organization is always part of the work that must be done for Intelligent Mentoring to take place.  When leaders assume all that is needed it to just do “some mentoring”, copy what has worked for other companies or purchase some pre-design product, we must become aware that the quality of the outcome begins with one’s commitment to the PROCESS.

Along with focusing on the process, Intelligent Mentoring must put forth effort to ensure that there is both diversity and inclusion in participation.  Unfortunately, mentoring programs or efforts are frequently designed and delivered in a vacuum.  A leader or small planning team sit around a table and discuss, design and deliver mentoring without meaningful engagement from the individuals who will be responsible for delivering the mentoring effort and for those who will be most affected.  For example, a design team may decide to use an online mentoring tool without any discussion with managers or employees on the fit or attractiveness of such as tool.  Done in isolation, these one-shot approached often fail within a few months and are rarely sustainable over time.  Engagement of all stakeholders is a critical part of Intelligent Mentoring.  In order for mentoring to be most effective, it requires active and inclusive PARTICIPATION.

The fourth key is that mentoring is most effective when the organization makes a total commitment.  This means designing, implementing and providing resources for not just a single mentoring effort but for a mentoring portfolio.   A one-shot approach to mentoring may help a small segment of employees in the short term.  However, to have a lasting and transformational impact on any organization, there must be commitment to address the wide range of needs with different and distinct mentoring tools.  Each of the mentoring tools must be selected to meet the specific purpose, be designed using a clear process and that involved diverse participation in order to be most effective.  There is no one mentoring program, or single design or web-based platform that can accomplish this key objective.  Intelligent Mentoring means a long-term commitment to providing the strategy, resources and support for any effort to be sustained over time.  This means moving beyond a one-shot or quick fix approach and toward building a mentoring PORTFOLIO.

As we recognize the importance of mentoring, let us focus on how this powerful tool can be most effective for supporting organizations and all of their stakeholders.  It’s time that we practice Intelligent Mentoring and commit the time and resources to purpose, process. participation and building a lasting mentoring portfolio as we move toward organizational effectiveness.

For that reason, the Clifton StrengthsFinder© serves as a starting point for self-discovery in all of our strengths-based development programs. After an individual has completed the assessment, a group of developmental suggestions is customized to the individual’s top five themes — called his or her Signature Themes — and his or her role.

Some key things to keep in mind about StrengthsFinders©:

• An individual’s Signature Themes are very unique to that person. When ranking within the set of five themes is taken into consideration, 33,390,720 different sets of Signature Themes are possible.
• Gallup does not advocate the use of the Clifton StrengthsFinder in either employee selection or hiring. They take this approach to keep individuals focused on their own intrapersonal development rather than interpersonal comparison. The assessment is not a selection tool.
• None of us are only five talents. The introductory results of the Clifton StrengthsFinder will only reveal those top 5, but it considers your top 10 in the personalized results. Most people will claim anywhere from 10 to 15 dominant talents. Claiming a dominant talent means you always use that talent and you always receive energy from it when you have the chance to use it.
• Because the report takes into account your top themes, no two people will ever have the same exact description of a talent, even if they share that talent. In fact, even if they share all five talents, the descriptions will still be different. For this reason, of all assessments which are out there, this is the only one which gives you a truly personalized portrayal. To find someone who shares your top 5 is 1:278,000; to find those same talents in the same order, well now we’re talking 1:33 million.
• Strengths don’t tell you what to do, but they tell you how you will do it. Let’s take the example of two professional photographers. Photographer A has his talents predominantly in the Executing and Strategic Thinking domains, Photographer B in Influencing and Building Relationships. Of the two, without even knowing talents, one would photograph catalog items most enthusiastically while the other would attend lots of weddings.

If you want to know more about your leadership profile and impact using StrengthsFinders© contact us via Email at  Info@southpaulconsultants.com or Phone: 412-227-9450

2. Don’t Worry About What You Don’t Know: As situations arise, focus on what you need to know to solve the problem. Begin by framing the situation: What is it you either don’t know or need to know more of? Start by defining the challenge you’re facing and what you need in order to solve it. Great leaders don’t have all the answers, but they usually have the ability to ask better questions, discovering what they most need to learn and how they will acquire the knowledge or information. The goal is to close important information and learning gaps, rather than trying to learn everything at once.

3. Ask More And Better Questions: Inquire more deeply to truly unearth important facts, information or ideas. When you improve the quality and quantity of the questions you ask, you increase the potentially valuable information you receive. Questioning is the art of learning. Asking good questions is important because:

• It helps you uncover the challenges you’re facing and generate better solutions to solve those problems.
• It’s how you increase the capacity and potential in those you lead. A good question can create an “aha” moment, which can then lead to innovation and growth
• It keeps you in a learning mode before your move into an evaluation mode. If you’re asking a question, you’re not rushing in to provide the answer, give the solution, or take on the challenge. It’s a good self-management tool to keep you focused on the bigger picture.

When asking questions about plans and projects do this in a way that not only advances the work, but that also builds relationships and helps the people involved learn and develop. This doesn’t mean that your questions can’t be tough and direct, but the probing needs to be in the spirit of accelerating progress, illuminating unconscious assumptions and solving problems. When you ask questions about the team’s practices, or processes, frame them in a way that communicates, “Why do we do things this way?”; “Is there a better approach?” In so doing, you do not trigger defensiveness but encourage others to open up their thinking. The improvements that result will be owned by the team, not imposed on them.

4. Confirm Shared Purpose and Culture. Purpose fuels passion and work ethic. It affords leaders a competitive advantage over those who don’t understand the dynamics of a common purpose, shared values, and aligned cultural vision. Great leaders create culture by design, while average leaders allow culture to evolve by default.

5. Impact and Early Wins: Your immediate major projects have been established. Think in terms of two time frames for impact: things that affect the current results you need to achieve and the things that lay the foundation for future results. This includes identifying the supporting changes you need to make in talent, roles, structure, processes, etc. In addition, you want to begin putting a plan in place for addressing the most pressing organizational challenges first. Specifically, are there are things you have observed that you want to address immediately? 

6. Draw From Other People’s Experience And Expertise: Leaders don’t often face truly unique As a result, there may be someone on the team who has insights that will benefit you. The next question is: Who might already know this? When you think “who”, focus on three things: understanding, experience and expertise. Understanding means the person you consult for advice is personally familiar with your challenge and can provide suggestions within that context. Experience is proof of ability. Expertise is a combination of experience, knowledge and insight. 

7. Assess the Team: Think about your assessment criteria and evaluate the team that you inherited. You will want to determine the optimal balance between bringing in outside talent and developing internal staff. It is important to understand if there are any immediate performance issues, what has been done to address them, etc. Dealing with them sooner rather than later is important; unaddressed performance issues will drain your time and energy. 

8. Do Something, Even If It Is Wrong: The one good thing about wrong decisions is that they normally provide valuable feedback very quickly. When you know what doesn’t work, you can get on to the next possible solution. Sometimes a timely response requires doing something, even if you know it is not the perfect solution. For example, responding to a client’s crisis — or even a simple complaint — should be thoughtfully considered, but an imperfect response quickly taken is better than a perfect response that comes too late.

• I want to learn new skills and behaviors.
• I need to overcome problems and issues that continue to surface.
• I am not sure what professional success looks like for me.
• I want to explore new possibilities and options.
• I need a deeper understanding of key strengths and growth potential.
• I really need a good sounding board and trusted advisor.
• I need to talk through how to overcome blind spots or obstacles.
• I want to increase my personal effectiveness.
• I want to carefully examine what is working and what is not working.
• I need to determine whether it is time to make a course correction.
• I need to design a game plan for the next 6-12 months.
• I want to overcome specific fears and anxieties that are keeping me stuck.
• I feel a strong need to examine my long-term goals and gaps.

If you decide you need a coach, here are some things to consider:

• Research and do your homework. Educate yourself on what coaching is, and what it is not, so that you understand what the coaching process entails.

• Confirm credentials and credibility. Gather information about potential coaches. For example, what training, experience, skills, qualifications, or certifications do they have? What kinds of clients have they worked with in the past? What types of organizations does the individual work with most often? What level of clients do they typically serve, e.g. executives, upper management, middle management, or professionals?

Take advantage of complimentary webinars or sample coaching sessions. Use these opportunities to determine if it’s a good match and if you will work well together.

Establish Team Norms and Expectations

Research shows that many professionals wonder what is expected of them at work; this is exacerbated for remote employees. When individuals work remotely, make sure you establish team norms that dictate how they should interact and collaborate. Think about whether or not remote working requires reconfirming or revising current team norms and expectations. It may be useful to engage the team in a discussion of this topic to get everyone on board.

Managers also need to define common availability hours and make these mandatory. For example, if the common availability hours are 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, all team members must be online or accessible during this period. Apart from these few common hours, remote employees can still manage the rest of their workdays according to their preferred schedules. In some instances, work with clients may mean an individual is not available during this time. If so, this needs to be communicated to the manager ahead of time.

Hold Regular Check-Ins and One-On-One Conversations

Clear and consistent communication is paramount to effectively motivate and guide remote employees. Regularly checking in with remote employees is a highly effective means of boosting their engagement. According to the Gallup management consulting firm, employees who regularly meet with their managers are three times more engaged than their peers. One of our clients advised they are doing the following to maintain the culture and foster team interaction:

• There are a number of activities that are occurring which are designed to maintain a cohesive team culture. These include ongoing culture challenges, virtual happy hours, game breaks and a culture reinforcement training. 
• Members of the leadership team are maintaining their one-on-one meetings, and skip level interviews. They have implemented weekly, sometime twice weekly check in meetings to make sure people have what they need and just to chat. These keep the team connected and provide an opportunity to maintain social interaction.

Leverage Technology

When scheduling check-ins and one-on-ones, use technology to facilitate face-to-face communication whenever possible. A study detailed in the Harvard Business Review found that face-to-face communication is 34 times more effective than correspondence via email. Leverage videoconferencing tools, such as Zoom or GoToMeetings, to create opportunities for face time with your team. In addition to videoconferencing tools, use project collaboration platforms like Trello and Slack to foster information-sharing among your team.

Communicate Constantly

Listening is one of the strongest skills a leader can develop, especially when leading remote teams. Keep your communication open and frequent. You can set up regular checkpoints to keep everyone aligned on plans, goals and projects. You also want to reiterate key messages to your team. For example, you might talk about your Guiding Principles; it is important to keep these at the forefront of everyone’s thinking during this time.  In addition, pay attention to communication preferences and styles. Some people communicate more easily through e-mail while others prefer the interaction of video or conference calls. Be prepared to adjust team communication methods to invite more inclusive contributions.

Lead Effective Meetings 

Start each meeting with a purpose or meeting objective. This gets everyone on the same page with respect to what you need to accomplish. You want to acknowledge who is in the meeting, review the agenda and ask for additions. Then, establish a protocol for how people can contribute such as raising hands, taking turns to speak or using chat features. If a conversation between individuals goes too long, ask them to take it offline. Conclude each meeting with a recap of follow up items and confirm the expectations for the next steps and deadlines. Ask for any comments or feedback, thank participants and end the meeting promptly. Send a follow up email to highlight the action plan.

Empower Your Employees

Employee empowerment is an essential ingredient of successful, high-trust teams. To empower your remote employees, avoid micromanaging and do not hesitate to continue delegating tasks. It’s not possible to manage every aspect of the work done by a remote team so don’t try. Instead of focusing on activity or hours worked, focus on the outcomes and measure your team accordingly. Beyond delegating tasks, you want to continue supporting personal development. For example, if employees want to bolster their skills in a particular area, suggest they consider taking an online course. Similarly, decide how you will handle team decision making, and determine the mechanism you will use to stay on top of projects and key activities.

Track Time and Employee Activity 

The biggest challenge for most remote teams is to stay productive, particularly if you have suddenly shifted to remote work. Examine how you are currently tracking time and determine if modifications are required. Moreover, when you know how much time is being spent on each task you can have a more accurate estimates of how long tasks will take and strengthen your ability to allocate resources effectively.

Solicit Feedback

In addition to giving feedback and guidance to your employees, seek their input on how things are going. You can gather feedback about meeting effectiveness, timeliness of decision making, the frequency and effectiveness of communication, etc. You can also get feedback about the extent to which employees feel supported in this remote environment.

Foster Emotional Sensitivity 

Establishing a culture of emotional availability is important for remote team health. Incorporate personal moments both formally and informally. A formal way may be to recognize team accomplishments during a weekly meeting. An informal way may be including open discussion time on non-work related topics during team meetings or your one-on-one meetings. You also want to foster work-life balance. Data shows that unplugging after work is the biggest challenge faced by 22 percent of remote employees. Encourage employees to establish a set schedule and step away from work when regular work hours are typically ended. In addition, team members can share ideas about what they are doing to maintain a healthy life balance.

 Make Time to Connect and Socialize

One of the main challenges of managing a remote team is cultivating the kind of connections that come from in-person social gatherings and casual conversations that happen day-to-day in a shared office environment. A recent report by software company. Buffer shows that 19 percent of remote employees report loneliness as their biggest challenge. Find ways to create substitutes for the casual hallway conversations, meals, and accidental interactions that typically happen when everyone is geographically in the same place. For example, organize online gatherings, virtual coffee hours or happy hours, and allow time for small talk before meetings. Thanks to technology, there are many strategies you can use to help remote employees feel less isolated, for example:

• Utilize Slack, WhatsApp, or other messaging apps to create group channels where employees can communicate with each other. These can serve more than project-related needs by creating a channel or group chat for sharing ideas, updates or other personal information.
• Set up weekly or monthly staff meetings, via a video chat mechanism. One of my clients has a virtual all-staff meeting every month or so, for about 60 people. The feedback he receives is very positive. He has used tools like Remote Bingo to make these meetings both informative and enjoyable.
• One of our clients advised they are doing the following to maintain the culture and foster team interaction.