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Articles

Exploring the Mentoring Triad

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November 16, 2011
by Rik Nemanick, Ph.D. When most people think of the idea of mentoring, they usually think of a dyad working together: a more senior mentor and a more junior protégé. This formulation of the mentoring relationship is the most widely used and studied, but there is growing interest in other forms of mentoring. There is the concept of the “mentor network,” which envisions one protégé consulting with multiple mentors to gather different perspectives. You might also have heard about “reverse mentoring,” which is where the junior “mentor” teaches the more senior “protégé” about trends, technology, and the junior’s generation. While...
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When Mentoring is not the Answer

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October 3, 2011
by Rik Nemanick, Ph.D. Mentors are tremendous resources, both for individuals and organizations. Mentors help protégés make connections, think through difficult issues, and set long term goals. Mentors help organizations by guiding junior members, strengthening both knowledge and social capital, and creating commitment among protégés. With benefits like these, it is not uncommon for a manager to declare that “everyone should have a mentor”. While a good sentiment, there are many times when mentoring is not the answer. Good mentors are both precious and finite resources in most organizations: there are only so many to go around (for more on...
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Keeping Mentoring and Coaching Goals Up to Date

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July 26, 2011
by Rik Nemanick, Ph.D. Setting goals is a dynamic process that does not end with them being written down. To be motivating over time, goals must be reexamined periodically to both keep them in front of you and ensure they are up to date. Good goals will help guide coaching and mentoring conversations and keep the discussion headed in the right direction. Below are some ideas on how to approach updating goals after working with a mentor or coach after six months to keep them relevant: Revive. Often mentees pull their mentoring goals out partway through a mentoring cycle to...
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Mentoring at a Distance

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July 25, 2011
Making Long-Distance Mentoring Work by Rik Nemanick, Ph.D.  When I first began working with mentoring programs, I was convinced that one of the most important ingredients in successful mentoring was the face-to-face interaction between mentor and protégé. At the time, I couldn’t find any good examples of mentoring pairs making such interactions work. Over the years, I have had a number of clients who have begun to experiment with long-distance mentoring, and I have gained a new appreciation for it. As companies become more global and technology has allowed for more work at a distance including mentoring relationships. Our firm...
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