 What is Mentoring? Description
Mentoring could be described as the facilitation of learning towards long
term goals. Dr Beverly Kaye (2003) pronounced that ‘behind every successful
person, there is one elementary truth: somewhere, somehow, someone cared about
their growth and development, this person was a mentor’. In researching mentors
one finds that the name of a mentor appears in the history of many successful
people with an almost expectant frequency:
- Freddie Laker mentored Richard Branson (Business).
- Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great (Historic Politics).
- Mel Gibson mentored Heath Ledger (Acting).
- Eddy Merckx mentored Lance Armstrong (Cycle Racing).
- Haydn mentored Beethoven and Mozart (Music).
- Merlin was the mentor of Arthur (Legend).
There is a paradigm shift taking place with the concept of mentoring which has evolved over the years. Mentoring is seen as a two way relationship premised on a trusting relationship where both parties benefit from the relationship. This style of relationship creates a learning and development environment for both parties and when implemented in either a program or culture can create a similar work environment in an organization. Part of the paradigm shift is the move from the traditional view of mentoring to modern or effective mentoring. Mentoring is about personal and professional growth. Mentoring is about the development of critical thinking skills using the Socratic Method as a means to develop those skills.
Cultural Aspects of Mentoring
Cultural aspects are highly relevant in the definition of mentoring, the
traditional American 'career orientated' mentoring, termed 'sponsorship' has
been unpalatable to the European market, the concept of a ‘father figure’
doesn’t sit well with the greater need for self-direction. The European 'developmental
mentoring', with the focus on 'personal growth and learning' (Clutterbuck,
1998) has centered on ‘mutual support’, to European sensibilities this ‘feels’
a healthier option. Though whatever the point of reference one approaches
defining the term, at its core mentoring encompasses a ‘strong learning theme’
(Egan, 2002) and acts as a ‘change catalyst’ (Johnson et al, 1999).
Professional Mentoring
The professional coach can have specific views that ‘mentoring invents
a future based on the expertise and wisdom of another…mentors freely give
advice and opinions regarding strategies and policies’ (Zeus and Skiffington,
2005). The primary differential for Mentoring is that it has ‘overtones of
implying that the older and wiser mentors will be passing on their advice
and also that they may be able to act as a patron to the mentee’ (Rogers,
2004), which can be directly linked to the etymology of the word itself, to
the practitioner/academic mentoring is positioned much more around the ‘whole
person and the big picture’ (Cranwell-Ward et al, 2004). Mentoring is the
more strategic, organic and holistic process. ‘Mentors talk about their own
personal experience. With experience, any leader can act as a mentor and offer
advice and a hand up’ (Rosinski, 2003). Though as recently as the 1990’s leading
writers in the field were stating that ‘it is necessary to dazzle the protégé
with knowledge and experience’ (Clutterbuck, 1991). And that a mentor is a
‘professional person who is a wise’ (Caruso, 1992). A ‘career friend’ (Rolfe-Flett,
1996).
Recent view towards Mentoring
The approach of a new millennium engendered a more commercial viewpoint
around the validity of mentoring and coaching. We see a shift to a focus on
the mentor being ‘an experienced, objective sounding-board with
the power to influence events’ (Conway, 1995) and the application of a learning
organization alignment. ‘To help and support people to manage their own learning
in order to maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their
performance and become the person they want to be’ (Parsloe, 1999). The move
to 2000 identifies a shift to a more rounded and inclusive approach, with
the mentor as a person who, ‘embodies a whole spectrum of roles’ (Connor
et al, 2000). A person who ‘provides guidance and support, facilitates,
enables’ (Henley Management College, 2000). Most recently this has been
extended to the mentors role being ‘holistic’, based on ‘reflective
learning’, being ‘akin to pastoral care’ (Clutterbuck, 2004) and being ‘big
picture’ (Cranwell et al, 2004).
Company definitions of Mentoring
Interestingly within each business that identifies itself as operating
a mentor program, there appears the need to define for a niche internal audience.
So different companies have subtlety different descriptions of mentoring.
- For Avaya, 'Mentoring is a term used to help, advise and guide employees
through the complexities of business'.
- At EDS, 'Mentoring is a mutual learning partnership in which individuals
assist each other with personal and career development through coaching,
role modeling, counseling, sharing knowledge and providing emotional support'.
- Within Abbey, 'Mentoring is a relationship, not just a procedure or
activity, where one person professionally assists the development of another
outside of the normal manager/subordinate relationship'.
- For Bennetts, 'A mentor is a person who achieves a one-to-one developmental
relationship with a learner and one whom the learner identifies as having
enabled personal growth to take place'. (Cranwell-ward et al, 2004).
The question whether Coaching is a
subset of mentoring indicates that appropriate roles may change as the mentoring
relationship develops…. coach, facilitator, sounding board, critical friend,
networker, role model. (Connor et al, 2000), giving the impression that mentoring
sits in the lead position with a subset of aligned roles; with non academic
writers also suggesting that mentoring is the model for coaching and that
mentoring as a working title is too formal, thus they utilize the word coach
as it is a more readily palatable (Hudson, 1999).
 Origin of Mentoring. History
The history of mentoring dates back to when Mentor first appears in Homer’s Odyssey (875BC:Conjecture) where Mentor is charged by King Odysseus to watch over his son Telemachus and his palace while he was fighting in the Trojan War. Telemachus was Athena's favorite
(Rieu, 1946) stating that she would 'always stand by Telemachus's side and
guard him throughout all his adventures'. Athena, the goddess of 'War & Wisdom',
took Mentor's form so as to guide counsel and empower both Odysseus and his
son at various points in the Odyssey.
On studying the etymology of the word ‘mentor’ we find it originates from
the Greek: Men-'one who thinks', 'tor' masculine suffix (Klein, 1967). Linking
this to the actual guidance coming from a woman, we can deduce that the creation
of the word relates directly to the time in history when men were a dominant
power, by hierarchical rather than intellectual capacity. This use of the
word mentor as a ‘trusted guide’ has proliferated to this day.
The first recorded modern usage of the term can be traced to a 1699 book
entitled Les Adventures de Telemaque, by the French writer Francois Fenelon
(Roberts, 1999). In this book the lead character is that of Mentor, ‘Telemaque’
itself was an imitation of Homer’s classic The Odyssey. The word mentor did
not seem to appear in the English language before 1750 (Anderson and Shannon,
1995), the Oxford English Dictionary stating that the word was first used
in 1750 by Chestere in ‘Letters to Son, 8th March’. It is this timeline that
would lead some to believe that mentoring disappeared and re-emerged, when
in actuality, regardless of its title, the process has been consistent throughout
European history. Starting with the ongoing monastic mentoring as written
about by Saint Bede, editor of the critical edition of De Corpore. The monastic
mentor continues throughout history to this day. It is recorded in 1511 that
Luther and his monastic mentor, Johann von Staupitz sat and discussed multiple
themes (Christianity today, 2006). The ‘apprentice to the craftsman’ was also
a prevalent phenomenon throughout the industrial age. In 1640 apprenticeship
actually meant to be ‘indentured’, which was akin to ownership. An apprentice
served up to 12 years or until the age of 21.
Today in comparison the focus is on competence as opposed to time served.
Generally ‘little consideration is given to the British apprentice system
doubtless owing to the lack of evidence’ (Thomas, 1929). Though instruction
of sons by fathers is admittedly ancient, there was also a formal method by
which a young person would be taught by the master craftsman, though interestingly
the young apprentice was considered a chattel; which would indicate a less
than equal relationship, which years later is demonstrated in the ‘developmental
vs. sponsored’ forms of mentoring. Mentoring made its preview via Levinson’s
(1978) work ‘The Season's of a man’s life’, with its reference to a 'life
cycle', it acted as a catalyst for the 1990’s in mentoring on a wider forum.
This work argued ‘the need for mentors to improve the transition from 'young
adulthood' to 'authoritive maturity'. Levinson’s developmental theory consists
of universal stages or phases that extends from the infancy state to the elderly
state. During the last decade there has been a distinct parallel between the
perceived validity of mentoring and coaching, with writers reporting a 'paucity'
of information on the theory of the mentoring role (Wynch, 1986) and cautioning
against the abundant 'pragmatic' activity around mentoring is at odds to the
scarcity of 'empirical' activity (Little, 1990). The defining of Mentoring
as a term does little to increase the confidence of the potential client in
this regard.
Usage of Mentoring. Applications
When you look back at the history of mentoring you will see that it has had many different forms. The traditional style of mentoring with an older more experience person mentoring a junior person primarily in a work related role is the one that most can equate to. There is a paradigm shift in moving more towards effective or modern mentoring and less of a focus on the traditional style. Effective mentoring focuses on personal and professional growth and the development of critical thinking skills. It also helps the participants in learning effective communication skills and how to build a trusted relationship. Mentoring can be part of the solution to address a number of organizational challenges such as the aging work force, talent shortages, succession planning/succession development, leadership talent shortages to name but a few. The development of a mentoring culture is beginning to become more topical in the discussions around the power of mentoring and the business value that it can bring. Mentoring can also provide a huge benefit in the personal growth of an individual which will also have an impact on their professional growth as well.
- Developmental mentoring.
- Sponsored mentoring.
- Workplace mentoring.
- Life mentoring.
- Peer mentoring.
Steps in the Mentoring. Process
Mentoring it is very much relationship based. The relationship process can be broken down into three phases:
- Trusting Phase: The most important phase is the “trusting phase” where the mentor and the mentee will work together to develop a trusted relationship. This may require both parties to share something of a personal nature in order to gain the trust of their counterpart. The trusting phase in duration can be one meeting to as many as five or six depending on your ability to build that trust.
- Learning and Development Phase. This is where the “heavy lifting” is done. The mentor and mentee work at growing personally and professionally during this time frame. The duration of this phase is open ended but will evolve from weekly meetings to bi-weekly and monthly meetings based on the agreement of both parties.
- Maintenance Phase: Contact is still maintained with each other but it can be monthly, every six months or perhaps once a year just to make sure things are going well. You can revert back to the learning and development phase at any time.
A Mentoring process could also have the following typical steps (phases):
- Confirm developmental need Stage.
- Facilitate self-management of learning Stage.
- Support learning Stage.
- Assist in evaluation.
Mentoring and the Socratic Method
With the paradigm shift to effective mentoring, the use of the Socratic Method to assist in the development of critical thinking skills is evolving. An effective mentor guides their mentee to the answers rather than telling them what to do or what the answer is. It is a process that involves active listening skills and the framing of answers in the context of a question.
There are very few situations where you would not use the Socratic Method. You may find that your mentees become frustrated with you constantly asking questions, but you can provide them with the answer to their question by framing it in a question that now takes the answer and focuses on making the mentee think about the potential outcomes.
For example, “If we were to do XYZ what would the outcomes be?” Our future leaders of tomorrow want to be mentored not managed. The Socratic Method is a positive step in that direction.
Strengths of Mentoring. Benefits\
Mentoring whether formal or informal has personal and professional benefits. In most organizations the decision to do something is usually premised with the question, “what is the business value” and mentoring is no different. The decision to implement mentoring in an organization should be premised on the question of, “what business problem do we want to solve?” The best approach to take is to identify a business challenge or a personal challenge that you want to address and then explore how mentoring can assist.
For example having an aging work force is a great place to train your aging employees to become mentors. They can then assist in the knowledge transfer that needs to take place prior to their departure and we can also have a mentor work with the successor on their soft skills.
In situations where an individual has difficulties in communicating effective with co-workers or clients mentoring has been very successful in providing the tools to change that behavior. They key is to guide the employee to the answers rather than telling them. This is where training of the mentor is crucial.
- Enables the long term patronage/development of an individual.
- Demonstrates personal/corporate commitment.
- High ROI (Return On Investment) in relation to attracting and maintaining
talent.
Limitations of Mentoring. Disadvantages
As an effective mentor you need to understand what your limitations are with mentoring. As you gain more experience in this field you will be able to deal with challenges that you may not have tackled earlier in your mentoring career. The main thing to realize with mentoring is that you are not there to diagnose the mentee and you are not there to provide coaching. There are professionally trained people that can take on that responsibility. Your challenge is to know when to hand off to these people. A mentor cannot solve all the problems.
- When perceived as being controlled by the a Head Office function or
highly monitored, the process can become highly mechanical and false, thus losing its inherent value.
- Can allow the reinforcement of 'face fitting', if mentors are able to
cherry pick who they mentor.
- Try telling your boss she is a lousy mentor!
Assumptions of Mentoring. Conditions
- Mentoring is a hugely complex arena, of which this information scratches
the surface.
- By its own definition mentoring is a process rather then a model. As
such models enable mentoring activity.
- Mentoring is a complex activity, with the potential for great reward
or devastation to a business and or individual. If this is being considered
within a business context, utilize the help of professionals.
Book: David Clutterbuck
- Everyone needs a mentor
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Forum discussions about Mentoring. Below you can ask a question about this topic, share your experiences, report a new development, or explain something.
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NEW Should Mentoring be Mandatory?
I have no doubt that mentoring - formal or informal - has great personal and professional benefits for both individuals involved and the company they work for.
If there is one management tip I would ...
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Mentor Traits and Requirements
In the workplace, FEAR often stops good mentoring; holding on to information, they may want my job.
A good mentor has to have the following attributes / traits (the culture of a company can influence...
10 2 comments |
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How to Become an Expert (Quickly)
Experts with "deep smarts" are a rare asset for any business. They are people who sometimes have business-critical expertise that facilitates wise and quick decisions about strategy and tactics. They ...
10 8 comments |
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Effective Mentor Competencies
There is a paradigm shift of moving away from the traditional style of mentoring to one that is called 'effective mentoring' or 'modern mentoring'. This style or process creates a two way trusted rela...
10 2 comments |
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Formalized versus Instinctive Mentoring
Successful mentoring is always instinctive. Mentoring cannot be a kind of duty only. It needs strong commitment. As for quality there is a great difference between the performance of an appointed ment...
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Phases in Mentoring Relationships
There are a number of different research positions on the various phases of a mentoring relationship. I have condensed it down to three:
The Trusting phaseThe Learning and Development phaseThe Mainte...
8 9 comments |
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Mentoring in Various Cultures
In African culture especially in our region, mentoring is very important for the growth of a child. It is carried out at an early stage or let me say unconsciously by the parents, aunties or uncles of...
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The best, top-rated topics about Mentoring. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions.
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Why is Mentoring Under-utilized?
Mentoring can be one of the most effective training and empowering tools available. I am concerned as to why the mentoring process is so underutilized.
Most mentoring in companies takes place on an i...
33 55 comments
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Advanced insights about Mentoring. Here you will find professional advices by experts.
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Myths on REACHING the top What Experiences, Qualifications and Characteristics are Needed to Reach the Top?
I'd like to contribute a summary of an article by HRM Professor Monika Hamori of Instituto de Empresa Business School. H...
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Do's & Don'ts of Mentoring Building Mentoring Relationships
Amy Gallo offers following Do's and Don'ts for building a successful mentoring relationship and network in her article "...
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How Mentors can Create more Positive Mentoring Experiences 7 Advices for Better Mentoring Relationships
Dawn E. Chandler and Lillian Eby (“When Mentoring Goes Bad”, Executive Adviser, May 2010) are offering following advice ...
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Pitfalls Of Mentoring Managing Mentoring Relationships
In a recent article titled “When Mentoring Goes Bad” by Dawn E. Chandler and Lillian Eby (Executive Adviser, May 2010), ...
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The Need to Formalise, Connect, Invest and Reinforce Mentoring Organizing Mentoring
In organisations where knowledge sharing is not a culture, mentorship can become a challenge. One might need to assist t...
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Promotion-focused versus Prevention-focused Employees Mentee Motivation
An interesting way to look at mentees for motivation purposes is described by Heidi Grant Halverson and E. Tory Higgins ...
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Setting Up a Network of Mentors 8 Practical Tips
In the article “How To Be a Smart Protégé” (The Wall Street Journal ‘Business Insight’, August 2009), Dawn E. Chandler, ...
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What is Your Leadership Point of View? Reflection on your Leadership Style
In my experience very few leaders are able to define and succinctly articulate their leadership point of view. The reaso...
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Five Leadership Development Ideas Leadership Development, Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring
Although years of research and analysis by biographers, historians, and scholars have produced an enormous library of bo...
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What is the Opposite of Situational Leadership? Leadership Development, Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring
Situational Leadership can be seen as an adaptive style. The opposite, non-adaptive, or inflexible, style of leadership ...
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Write a Personal Mission Statement Establish focus on who you want to be in your life...
Covey wrote this pearl of wisdom in his book Seven Habits: "The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of wh...
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Identify and Develop Leadership Abilities Leadership Development, Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring
Covey's 4 Roles of Leadership® helps managers to identify and develop 4 important abilities of 'true' leaders:
Modeling...
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How to Develop your Own Leadership Philosophy Leadership/Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring
In an article “When should a leader be directive or empowering? How to develop your own situational theory of leadership...
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Mentoring Myths Mentoring Best Practices
In a recent article titled "Demystifying Mentoring", published on hbr.org, Amy Gallo offers her perspective in regard to...
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The Best Managers in Mentoring Employee Development, Employee Growth, Coaching by Managers, , Career Management, Management Development
Gartner (2018) surveyed 7,300 employees and executives across 25 industries and found that there are 4 types of managers...
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Ineffective Behavior Analyzing Manager, Employee or Self Behavior
There are many different forms or manifestations of ineffective behavior, such as
- Finding it difficult to say 'no'.
...
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Freud ‘s Personality Types Personality Types, Leadership Development, Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring
Freud recognized that there are an almost infinite variety of personalities which could be in the end broken down into 3...
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How to Assess Relational Skills of the Mentee? Human Resources, Leadership
You can use the 4 dimensions of relational skills to assess relational skills:
Influence skills:
- Look for a history...
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How to Develop Better Relational Skills? Human Resources, Leadership
Although it is not necessary to be interested in or skilled at all four dimensions of relational work in order to succee...
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Recognizing Distressed Managers in Leadership Pipeline Transition Coaching, Mentoring, Management Development, Leadership Development
Moving from one manager level/phase to the following in the Management / Leadership Pipeline is a difficult task. Freedm...
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E-Mentoring Functions versus Traditional Mentoring Online Mentoring
A new form of mentoring that has emerged with development of the internet is called e-mentoring. E-mentoring uses comput...
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Practical Tips to Increase the Performance of your Employees Employee Development, Employee Growth, Coaching by Managers, Mentoring, Career Management, Management Development
The performance of an employee (or a team of them) depends on many factors. One of the main factors is how well the empl...
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4 Patterns of Behavior Creating Behavioral Awareness
According to Willem Roding there are 4 patterns cuasing behavior:
1. INSTINCT: Stimulus --> Reflex. Automatic decision:...
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Reverse Mentoring Approach What it is and how it works
As the name suggests, reverse mentoring shifts the responsibility of organizing mentoring to junior employees, who teach...
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Leadership Self-Assessement Leadership Training, Leadership Development, Coaching, Mentoring
Before you seek training in leadership, you should assess your strenghts and weaknesses as a Leader by comparing with th...
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Various sources of information regarding Mentoring. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops.
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Introduction to Mentoring Mentoring, Mentor, Mentee
Presentation about mentoring that includes the following sections:
1. Mentor Definition
2. Mentoring Functions (Career...
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The Fatal Coaching Mistake by Managers Coaching, Mentoring, Management, Leadership
Managers and executives often don't realize how much influence they have over their staff, by just being their superior...
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NLP: The 6 Neurological Levels 6 layers to view at the reality of a person or issue
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is used increasingly by businesses and individuals in HR, marketing, sales and organi...
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Hearing versus Listening Communicating Effectively, Active Listening, Coaching, Mentoring
A comprehensive presentation about listening and how to do it well.
Includes a scheme of the steps in the listening pro...
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Building the Helping Relationship 10 Principles for Facilitative Consultancy
Superb article by MIT Professor and OD consultant Edgar H. Schein in which he concludes that:
"... The decisive factor ...
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The Role of Supervisor | Skills of Supervisors Skills of a Supervisor, Supervisor Role, Supervisor Behavior
This presentation elaborates on the skills that supervisors need in order to be successful in their business/organizatio...
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Communication Essentials: Non-verbal, Verbal and Listening Skills Communication Skills, Personal Skills, Confidence, Power, Influence, Sincerity, Trust
Presentation about communication skills, including non-verbal and verbal communication and listening skills. The present...
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Practical Communication Tips for Managers Management Skills, Leadership Skills, Management Development, Leadership Development, Situational Leadership
As manager you need to combine professional expertise and experience with specific character traits, interpersonal and c...
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Career Development Career Management, Career Planning, Management Development, Talent Management
Presentation about Career Development/ Career Management. The presentation includes the following sections:
1. Introduc...
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Steven Covey on his 8 Habits of Effective People / Managers / Leaders Understanding the 8 Habits of Covey. Leadership Development, Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring
In this video Steven Covey explains his 7 habits plus the 8th habit he added later:
1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the ...
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Leading versus Managing Understanding the differences between Leading and managing
Dr. John Kotter gives his opinion on what are the key differences between leading and managing.
- Management is a set o...
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Young Steve Jobs on the Role of Managers Management, Leadership, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Talent Development
This video is a nice start for any management course. Jobs shares some ideas on managers (in a high-tech environment) an...
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