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FINDING A MENTOR ONLINE

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More than two decades ago, female employees at Xerox wanted to ensure they were taking full advantage of opportunities to advance their careers, so they formed what the company calls a "caucus group" -an organization of dues-paying members that pro- vides programs for career devel- opment for a specific group of employees. The group, calledThe Women's ,Alliance {TWA), wanted a formal mentoring program, but in their initial efforts, they discov- ered that the work of matching employees with mentors possess- ing the right set of interests. skills, and experiences was enormously time consuming.

What saved the TWA mentor- ing program was online database technology. The group set up Web-based software that makes matching mentors and prot6g6s

a self-service operation. Par- ticipants fill out an online profile detailing their educational and work background and interests, as well as their goals for partici- pating in the program.The profile also includes information about each participant's geographic location and community-service activities. Once an employee's profile is complete, the individual can use the database to search for a possible mentor by using droP- down menus to select the desired skills, experience, and back- ground.The software returns a set of matching mentor profiles, and the would-be prot6g6 selects one of them.The system generates an e-mail message to that person. The potential mentor reviews the requesting employee's profile and either accepts or rejects the request.

The mentoring program has been received enthusiastically by the women of Xerox. ln a recent count, 175 employees were par- ticipating. The software is easy to administer and inexpensive enough that the caucus group's dues cover its cost. Based on that success, other Xerox cau- cus groups, including groups for Asian, Hispanic, and African Amer- ican employees, have expressed interest in using the system. Thanks to online self-service and the commitment of the women's group, mentoring is spreading at Xerox.

Source; Based on Beth N- Carvin, "The Great Mentor Match," f + D, January 2009, OCLC .FirstSearch, http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org.

LS6 Tett how managers and peers

develop employees

through coaching.

Goach

A peer or manager who works with an employee to motivate the employee, help him or her develop skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback.

Coaching A coach is a peer or manager u'ho u'orks l'ith an emplol'ee to motivate the employee, help him or her develop skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback. Coaches n-ray play one or more of three ,oles,42

l. \)Torking one-on-one rvith an employee, as n,hen giving feedback. 2. Helping enployees learn for themselves-for example, helping them find experts

and teaching them to obtain feedback from others. 3. Providing resollrces such as rnentors, courses, or job experiences.

Linda Miller, a coaching speciaiist ar ihe Ken Blanchard Companies, describes the coach's role in terrns of two contrasting managers u,ith u,horn she has rvorkec{.41 The first of these, a manager at a retaiting colnlrany, had a supervisor rvho was not a coach. The retail manager's boss was nervous that if his ernployse5 learned too tnuch, he rvouldn't be as valuable. So he lirnited the retail managerl experiences unril she became so fiustrated she began to look for another job. In contrast, at a financial- services business, a manager had a repuration for developing his ernployees. Accord- ing to Miiler, this rnanagert strength was coaching: "He kneu' exactly how much time

273

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Human resource managers may be called upon to coach HR employees or to coach other employees in HR-related skills' ln fact, modeling "coach-like" behav- ior by coaching managers can inspire them to try coaching their employees. Here are some guide- lines for effective coaching:

. Listen carefully to learn the client's goals. Then listen for gaps between where the employee is now in a situa- tion and where the emPloYee wants to be. Coaching tYPicallY will need to focus on how to close those gaPs.

r lnstead of giving advice or telling others what to do, ask questions that helP PeoPle think through the situation themselves. BY refraining from

LS? Identify the steps in the process of career management.

solving problems yourself, you're giving others a chance to develop and see their own problem-solving skills. Keep in mind that what works for one person maY not work as well for another. Because of individual differences, the person you coach may want to handle a situation differentlY than you would-and that Per- son's idea might actuallY work best for that Person, given his or her strengths and weak- nesses. So instead of focusing on what you would do, focus on building the other Person's strengths and passions' To the extent that you control the situation, give the Person you are coaching enough free- dom to try out his or her ideas. lf some of the ideas don't

work, ask more questions to help the person figure out what went wrong and come uP with new ideas for next time.

r Maintain confidentiality in the coaching relationshiP. You need to have candid conversa- tions, and these haPPen onlY ifthe person being coached trusts you to keeP Private con- versations Private.

Sources: Ken Blanchard ComPanies, "Why Aren't Managers More Coach- like?" lgnite, SePtember 2009, www.kenblanchard.com; Mark NYman

and Liz Thach, "Coaching: A Leadership Development OPtion," SuPervision, February 2009, Business & ComPanY Resource Center, httP://galenet' galegroup.com; and Marshall Gold- smith, "What to Know about Coaching Your Successor, " BusinessWeek, April 7 , 201 0, wwwbusinessweek.com.

ir would take for him to develop the person undl the person would get recognized by

rhe company and promoted it-tto u neu, position," and he came to think of this del'el-

opment ",

hi, l.g*y ro rhe company. ln other words, the coach knows that his or her g."utlr^1.,. is the abihry to make other employees more valuable' .- -R"r"ur.h

suggests that coaching helps managers improve by identifying areas for

i-f.o.'"*".,r Jicl setting goals.44 "Coo.hitlg

is most likely to succeed if coaches are

empatheric, suppofrive, n.,g..ti.al, and self-confident but don't act infallible or try

to iell orhers *hu, ,o do.a5 To benefit from coaching, employees need to be open- minded and interestecl in the process. The "HR Hotl'To" box provides more guidance

in coaching employees.

Systems for Career Management Employee development is most likely to meet the organization's needs if it is part of a human resource Systeln of career management. In practice, organizations' career

management sysrems vary. Some rely heavily on inforrnal.relationships, while oth-

"r, "r! sophisticated programs. As shown in Figure 9.3, a basic careet management

,yrr"* involves four rtrpi data gathering, feedback, goal setting, and action planning and foliou,-up. S/ays to make thi, ,yrt.- more effective include gathering data in areas associaied *iih success, keeping feedback confidential and specific, involving

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774

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Human resource managers may be called upon to coach HR employees or to coach other employees in HR-related skills. ln fact, modeling "coach-like" behav- ior by coaching managers can inspire them to try coaching their employees. Here are some guide- lines for effective coacfiing:

. Listen carefully to learn the client's goals. Then listen for gaPs between where the employee is now in a situa- tion and where the emPloYee wants to be. Coaching tYPicallY will need to focus on how to close those gaPs'

. lnstead of giving advice or telling others what to do, ask questions that helP PeoPle think through the situation themselves. BY refraining from

LS? ldentify the steps in the process of career management.

solving problems yourself, you're giving others a chance to develop and see their own problem-solving skills. Keep in mind that what works for one person may not work as well for another. Because of individual differences, the person you coach may want to handle a situation differentlY than you would-and that Per- son's idea might actuallY work best for that person, given his or her strengths and weak- nesses. So instead of focusing on what you would do, focus on building the other Person's strengths and passions. To the extent that you control the situation, give the Person you are coaching enough free- dom to try out his or her ideas. lf some of the ideas don't

work, ask more questions to help the person figure out what went wrong and come uP with new ideas for next time.

r Maintain confidentiality in the coaching relationshiP'You need to have candid conversa- tions, and these haPPen onlY if the person being coached trusts you to keeP Private con- versations Private.

Sources: Ken Blanchard ComPanies, "Why Aren't Managers More Coach- like?" lgnite, September 2009, wwwkenblanchard.com; Mark NYman and Liz Thach, "Coaching: A Leadership Development OPtion, " SuPervision, February 2009, Business & ComPanY

Resource Center, httP://galenet. galegroup.com; and Marshall Gold- smith, "What to Know about Coaching Your Successor, " BusinessWeek, 'April 7' 201 0, www. businessweek.com.

Crite for SUCC(

Figu

Steps

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Se

Typ" tory, ees i< empl selinl onw one i caree situat the s pletir need positr

it rvould rake for him to develop the person until the person would get recognized by

the company and promoted lnto a new position," and he came to think of this devel'

opment u, hL l.gu.y to the company. ln other rvords, the coach knows that his or her

gi.ut u"Lr. is the ability to nake other employees more valuable' .- R.r."r.h suggests that coaching helps managers improve by identifying areas for

improvement Jrid setting goals.44 boachi.rg is most likely to succeed if coaches are

empathetic, supporrive, lractical, and self-confident but don't act infallible or try

to iell others *hut to do-.as To benefit from coaching, employees need to be open- minded and interested in the process. The "HR How To" box provides more guidance

in coaching employees.

Systems for Career Managernent Employee development is most likely to meet the organization! needs if it is part of

" hgmun resource system of career management. In practice, organizations' career

managemenr sysrems vary. Some rely heavily on informal_relationships, while oth-

".. ^.! sophisticated programs. As shown in Figure 9.3, a basic career management

sysrem involves fou. ,t pr, data gathering, feedback, goai setting, and action planning and follorv-r_ip. War,,5 to make thi, ryrt"* more effective include gathering data in areas associaied ruiih success, keeping feedback confidential and specific, involving

274

CHAPTER 9 Developing Employees {or Future Success 275

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Criteria for guccess

Focus on competencies needed for career success.

lnclude a variety of measures.

Maintain confidentiality.

Focus on specific success factors, strengths, and improvement areas,

lnvolve management and coaches/mentors.

Specify competencies and knowledge to be developed.

Specify developmental methods.

lnvolve management and coaches/mentors.

Measure success and adjust plans as needed.

Verify that pace of development is realistic.

ed by level- rr her

rs for rs are )r try )pen- Iance

rrt of freer oth- nent ning ,a in ving

higher-level managemenr in planning ar-id foilow-up, and crafting action plans that arJ realistic and a-rgeted to building lxpertise ne.ded for the petson's career path.'16 Human resource professionals can also contribute to the system's success b1' ensuring that it is linked to other HR practices such as performance management, training, and recruiting.

Data Gathering In discussing rhe methods of employee deveiopment, we highlighted several assess- n-rent tools. Such tools may be applied to data gathering, the first step in the career management process. Self-assessment refers to the use of information by ernploy- ees to determine their career interests, r'alues, aptitudes, and behavioral tendencies. The employee's responsibiliry is to identify opportunities and personal areas needrng improvemenr. The otganizationk responsibility is to provide assessrnent information for identifying strengths, lveaknesses, interests, and values.

Self-assessment tools often include psychological tests such as tire Myers-Briggs Tl pe Indicator (described earlier in the chapter), the Strong-Campbell Interesr Inven- tory, and the Self-Directed Search. The Strong-Campbell inventory helps employ' ees identify their occupational and job interests. The Seif-Directed Search identifies employees' preferences for workmg in different kinds of environments-sales, coun- seling, and so on. Tests may also help'' ernployees identi{y the relative vaiues they priace on u,ork and leisure activities. Self-assessment tools can include exercises such as the one in Figure 9.4. This type of exercise helps an employee consider his or her current career status, fulure plans, and the fit ben'een the career and the employee's current siruatior-r and resources. Some organizations provide counseiors to help ernployees in the self-assessment process and to interpret the results of psychological tests. Com- pleting the self-assessment can help employees identify a developrnent need. Such a need can result from gaps between cuffent skills or interests and the type of rvork or position the employee has or wants.

$ell-Assessnrent The use of information

by employees to determine their career interests, values, aptitudes, behavioral tendencies, and development needs.

1't1:;i',f i:.:ii:i,r;;€!l{:*i::JbE--*

276 PART 3 Assessing Performance and Developing Employees

Figure 9.4 Sample Self-fusessment Exercise

SOURCE: Based on J. E. McMahon and S. K. Merman, "Career Development," in The ASTD Training and Development Handbook, 4th ed., ed. R. L. Craig (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996). pp. 679-97 . Reproduced with permission.

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lnformation employers give employees a bout their skills and knowledge and where these assets fit into the organization's plans.

Verizon Wireless provides an online tool that iets employees assess their current skills and abiiities in order to see how well prepared they are for job openings through- out the company. Employees can use the assessment to identify capabilities they lack and to learn what they can do to develop skills through training, job experience, or enrolling in at-r academic program.4T

Feedback In the next step of career management, feedback, empioyees receive information about their skilis and kr-rowledge and where these assets fit into the organization's plans. The ernployeek responsibility is to identify what skills she or he could realisti- cally develop in light of the opportunities available. The organization's responsibii- ity is to cornmunicate the performance evaluation and the opportunities avaiiable to the employee, given the organizationb long-range plans. Opportunities might include promotions and trar-rsfers.

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Step 1: Where am l? Examine current position of life and career. Think about your life {rom past and present to the {uture. Draw a time line to represent important events.

Step 2: Who am l? Examine different roles. Using 3" x 5" cards, write down one answer per card to the question "Who am l?"

Step 3: Where would I like to be, and what would I like to happen? Begin setting goals. Consider your life from present to future. Write an autobiography answering these questions: . What do you want to have accomplished? r What milestones do you want to achieve? r What do you want to be rernernbered {or?

Step 4: An ideal year in the future ldentify resources needed. Consider a one-year period in the future. Answer these questions: . lf you had unlimited resources, what would

you do? . What would the ideal environment look like? r Does the ideal environment match Step 3?

Step 5: An idealjob Create current goal. ln the present. think about an ideal job for you with your available resources. Describe your role, resources, and type of training or education needed.

Step 6: Career by obiective inventory Sum m arize current situ ati o n. r What gets you excited each day? r What do you do well? What are you known for?

' What do you need to achieve your goals? r What could interfere with reaching your goals? r What should you do now to move toward

reaching your goals? r What is your long-term career objective?