Mentoring - Jan. 23, 2014
So this is my mentoring
page. So what exactly does that
entail? According to Webster’s the word
mentor means to teach or give advice or guidance to someone. For the next 14 weeks, my mentor is Dr.
Bonnie Tiell who has her own page about her under my mentor. Bonnie is going to show me the academic side
of college.
Having played tennis at Macomb Community College, I have an understanding of what the student-athlete goes through during the course of their season. I also have the coaching aspect as I coach both in high school and college. What this mentorship will do is help me see through the eyes of the instructor.
There is a lot of planning and thought into what goes on in the class. It’s not just the grading but what is going to be taught and how. During my career, I’ve made it a mission to help the student-athletes be the best that they can be. I’m confident that this mentorship can help me becoming a better mentor as well as broadening my horizons.
Having played tennis at Macomb Community College, I have an understanding of what the student-athlete goes through during the course of their season. I also have the coaching aspect as I coach both in high school and college. What this mentorship will do is help me see through the eyes of the instructor.
There is a lot of planning and thought into what goes on in the class. It’s not just the grading but what is going to be taught and how. During my career, I’ve made it a mission to help the student-athletes be the best that they can be. I’m confident that this mentorship can help me becoming a better mentor as well as broadening my horizons.
Tips From The Agent
Below are just some tips and suggestions that I have about mentoring.
- Be aware of what the purpose is and where each side is coming from. For the mentor, the purpose is to pass on your knowledge and skills to help the mentee improve. Remember that when you started out, someone was there to help you out. For the mentee, you want to improve in all areas and be the best worker that you can be. Your mentor is taking time out of their schedule to help you so make sure you appreciate it.
- You get out of it what you put into it. If you don’t take the opportunity seriously, you will not learn from it. During my online MBA experience, I’ve had classmates with life experiences, values, beliefs and backgrounds all over the map. Some I had not been exposed to and likewise, I’m sure I had experiences they had no exposure to. It is a great learning opportunity.
- The only way you learn is by asking question. When I worked at Cal State Monterey Bay, I had never done water polo and maybe had seen three matches. My head coach was an Olympian and I went to practice, watched and asked a ton of question.
- When looking for a mentor, make a checklist of your strengths and weaknesses. Be completely honest with what you put down. Once that list is done, use it to search the workplace for someone who can help you improve in those areas.
- It’s not a race to get a mentor. When I worked at Texas-Pan American, I was there for six weeks before I finally found my mentor. He turned out to be one of the strongest ones I have had.
- Sometimes, you need a mentor that will help you navigate and understand the politics and social connections of a job. My mentor at UTPA had been there for over 20 years and knew how things and people ran. That was very helpful for me.
- One size does not fit all. What works at one place/area may not work in another.
- Sit down with your mentor and have a discussion. Let them know what you need to improve upon, what your goals are, what you expect from them and what they expect from you.
- In sports information, we are not a 9-to-5 job. I will typically work to 7, 9 at night and even 1 in the morning. Once you leave a job, don’t assume the mentoring is done. Jim Streeter was my first mentor and I still call him all the time for advice although I haven’t worked for him in 15 years.
- Don’t be afraid to look outside the workplace. Not all places have someone who is a mentor or someone who is right for you. You may even find a mentor who is not even in your field. My friend Abby is a minister and I’m always asking her for advice on moral issues in my job.
Mentoring Links
A Mentor Will Tell It Like It is
This article was written by Ron Consolino, who is a business consultant for SCORE. It's short but it gives you the reader's digest version on mentoring. It's like an abstract on how and why you should do it. Anyone considering mentoring should read this article. it will get you to research more.
This article was written by Ron Consolino, who is a business consultant for SCORE. It's short but it gives you the reader's digest version on mentoring. It's like an abstract on how and why you should do it. Anyone considering mentoring should read this article. it will get you to research more.
Expert Byline: Turning the Mentoring Equation Upside Down
This was written by Rik Nemanick, a consultant with The Leadership Effect. Over the last few years, companies have begun to take a harder look at mentoring. They are in essence looking at mentoring outside the box. It raises the question of whether a mentor has to be older than the the mentee. MasterCard is a company who has begun to have mentors for their senior partners. This has been called "reversed mentoring". I found the article to be very interesting. It centers on a concept that I beleive it; that you are never done learning.
Mentoring - An Essential Leadership Skill
This article is very similar to the one by Consolino. I like the fact that it goes more in depth. It gives you a list of questions to ask yourself if mentoring is right for you. It also talks about things to consider, where do you draw the line and key points. I really like the fact that the page, Mind Tools, has a plethora of links about every aspect of mentoring.
The Misery of Mentoring Millennials
I found a lot of articles about the good and bad of mentoring. This article offered perspectives I hadn't considered. The fact that younger worker do not always respect the veterans. When you are 23 to 30, you know more than anyone else and are looking for new ways to do things. It also discussed the value of having more than one mentor. I have four or five people that I rely on for mentoring in my career. I hadn't thought of the value of that until I read this article.
Mentoring Your Coaches
This was very informative article on mentoring your coaches to be better. Every athletic director wants their coaches to be successful. I would imagine that the concept of mentoring their coaches to make them better doesn't even occur to them (the AD's). The author lays out a solid plan of action of how to accomplish this. By the end of the article his message is clear; administration needs to take a hands on approach to help all their coaches be the best they can.