Coaching Your Players:Learning to Mentor Within Your Organization

Presented by:College of the Holy CrossCampus Activities Board

Ben Correia, AdvisorJimmy Doan, President

Elizabeth Heston, Treasurer

Overview of Session

•Importance of Mentoring

•Best Practices in Mentoring

•Mentoring Within CAB

•Mentoring in Action

•Examining Scenarios

Why are Mentoring Relationships Important?

•Produces better results for the team

•Not only do you want to accomplish the specific goals and mission of your organization, but you also want to build up the future leadership of the group

•Builds camaraderie and teams

•Transformative for both the mentor and mentee

Supporting Research: Kouzes & Posner

• Requested thousands of “personal-best leadership experiences”– “We’ve found them in profit-based firms and nonprofits,

manufacturing and services, government and business, health care, education and entertainment, and work and community service. Leaders reside in every city and every country, in every position and every place. They’re employees and volunteers, young and old, women and men. Leadership knows no racial or religious bounds, no ethnic or cultural border.” (p. 14)

– The data collected not only came from these various populations, but also from international entities.

Kouzes & Posner Results

• After sifting through the data and coding the results, they identified five practices which were common threads in the “personal-best leadership experiences”.– Model the Way

– Inspire a Shared Vision

– Challenge the Process

– Enable Others to Act

– Encourage the Heart

• How does mentoring intersect with each of these practices?

Model the Way

• Clarify values by finding your voice and affirming shared ideals; Set the example by aligning actions with shared values

– Mentors must establish authentic relationships with others in order for them to genuinely see them as a role model

Inspire a Shared Vision

• Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities; Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations

– Leaders can more effectively share their vision with others when they have genuine relationships built on trust and share a common language

– Leaders can more easily build support for a shared vision when they know what values they share with others and when they understand what motivates others

Challenge the Process

• Search for opportunities by seizing the initiative and by looking outward for innovative ways to improve; Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from experience– Mentors and mentees can provide each other with new

perspectives and mutually challenge each other in a non-threatening environment

– Mentors can provide mentees with the opportunities to process their experiences and celebrate the small wins

Enable Others to Act

• Foster collaboration by building trust and facilitating relationships; Strengthen others by increasing self-determination and developing competence.

– This practice is the essence of mentoring relationships where a leader, through an authentic relationship, can encourage growth and bolster others’ skills and confidence

Encourage the Heart

• Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence; Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.

– Mentors know what forms of appreciation will resonate most with their mentees

– Mentoring relationships help to create strong communities and provide inspiration for true celebrations

College of the Holy CrossCAB Mission Statement

CAB is the major programming organization on campus. Its purpose is to promote the cultural, recreational and social aspects of student life.

Run by students, the focus of this board is to plan, program and provide activities for the entire

campus.

CAB provides a wide variety of activities in the areas of performing arts, special events, outings, social

events and weekly entertainment.

Structure of the CAB Board

Advisor

President

10-Spot

Cross & Scroll

Publicity

Vice-President

Comedy

Concert

Treasurer

Arts & Outings

Social

Secretary

Music

Special

Assistant Co-Chairs & Committee Members

Advises Advises/Point Person to Advises

AdvisorExecutive

BoardGeneral Board

General Members

The Advisor – E-Board Relationship

• Guide Executive Board members to develop an overall mission and purpose

• Provide constructive feedback on committees’ progress

• Evaluate and assess position specific performance

The Point Person – Co-Chair Relationship

• Guide Co-Chairs without overpowering them

• Serve as a knowledge base

• Serve as liaison to Advisor

• Offer different perspective

The Co-Chair – Committee Member Relationship

• See Committee Members as future leaders of organization

• Provide resources for Committee Members to assist in brainstorming and implementing programs

• Foster an environment to promote exchange of ideas

Important Aspects of Mentoring

• Ways of mentoring effectively

• Stepping Up and Stepping Off

• It’s the Little Things AND the Big Things

• A Balanced Relationship

Stepping Up and Stepping Off

• Why is it so difficult?

• Stepping Up

– When the difficulty outweighs the results

– When the situation threatens to hurt someone

• Stepping Off

– Knowing when you are not needed

– Letting your mentees deal with difficulty

Stepping Up and Stepping Off

• How to make the right “step”

– Know yourself

– Know the details of what you are doing

– Make sacrifices and understand you are not perfect

– Have realistic expectations

– Be willing to address problems

It’s the Little Things AND the Big Things

• Why look at these details?

• What can contribute to poor work and work ethics

– School work

– Personal issues

– “a funk”

• Seeing the signs

– Disconnect, lashing out and depression

It’s the Little Things AND the Big Things

• How to catch the little things

– Work schedules

– Personal problems

– Personality traits

– Being open and available

A Balanced Relationship

• Respectful on both sides

• Personal yet professional

Mentoring In Practice

Questions?