Organizational mentoring

Ross Woods, 2014, rev. 2017

Mentoring organizations is not quite the same as mentoring individuals. As an organizational mentor, your goal is, ostensibly, to meet the request of an organization. In almost every case, they can tell you why they asked you to come. They might be suffering the effects of a problem, but they might not have identified the central problem. Finding it is your job. However, when personalities are involved, the reason they give for calling you might not be the real reason, and they might take considerable time to be open and honest.

In many cases, you will be helping them to put together a business plan or a change management plan. In a few cases, you might need to coach some people individually.

You are an architect, not a salesman. As an architect, you are helping them to design what they want and need, and to be aware of realities that affect what they do. You are not a salesman trying to get them to accept one of your predefined options. 1

 

Who will you work with?

Will you work with the Board, the CEO, or a senior leadership team (such as the CEO, COO, HR)? If so, you can make firm progress because you are probably working with the real decision-makers.

Some organizations might put you on a committee with little or no access to the real decision-makers. All you are probably asked to do is to research some defined issues and make a list of recommendations. You are already politically isolated, because the decision-makers (who will probably be the board) can safely respond to your recommendations with, "No thank you." You are also limited in the extent you can use your consultations as a lobbying approach. On the other hand, if decision-makers see your contribution as positive and insightful, you might be invited into a role that is better strategically-place to achieve the goals you set out to do.

 

Simple and difficult solutions

Solutions are simple in relatively few cases. If the main problem is a technical mistake, it might have caused stress that is disproportionately large to the problem. They panicked and asked for help.

In most cases, solutions are more complex, especially if the problem involves people’s attitudes and organizational culture. Although some of them might expect you to fix their problems instantly with a wave of your magic wand, they need to realize that they will need to go through a process.

In many cases, you need to work at both tactical and strategic change. You need to show significant short-term improvement, as well as give direction for longer term improvement.

 

What will provide value?

Especially in a business environment, clients might use the following criteria to evaluate you:

  1. Did they like you? Did they find you approachable and willing to understand their viewpoints?
  2. Did you respect them and the responsibilities represented in their positions?
  3. Did you ask the right questions?
  4. Efficiency:
    1. Did you identify the central problems quickly and efficiently?
    2. Did they see results quickly?
    3. If they are time-poor people, did you use their time efficiently?
    4. If there was a deadline, did you get the problem solved on time?
  5. Did your advice work? They will especially appreciate good solutions that they couldn’t have foreseen, and solutions that at first looked like they wouldn’t work.
  6. Were your fees good value for money? How can you demonstrate that?
  7. Did it improve:
    1. Cash flow and profitability?
    2. Morale and productivity?
    3. The reputation of the organization?

 

The role of perspective

As an outsider, some things held important by insiders will not be obvious to you, especially in family businesses where there are family undercurrents. But you can at least offer a more objective viewpoint and see their organization as an outsider does. In many cases, this is quite refreshing and helpful.

Be aware of group dynamics and power structures. It might be clear where power lays and who actually makes decisions, but it isn’t always. For example, some boards are rubber stamps for the CEO, and in other organizations the board makes most of the important decisions. In other cases, lower-level people control what actually happens.

 

Some starting questions

Especially at the beginning, you will mostly be listening and asking questions. In many cases, what people want most is to feel listened to and understood. Your list of main questions might look like this:

  1. Tell me about your organization. How did it start and what does it do?
  2. Is it unique? If so, what makes it different?
  3. Where is this organization going?
  4. What is its organizational capacity?
  5. What do you think are its main strengths and weaknesses?
  6. How well do you as a team work together?
  7. What is the leadership style?
  8. What is the organization’s culture?
  9. How does communication and information flow? Do people talk to each other or hide in their offices?
  10. What obstacles are coming up in the foreseeable future? (The coaching question)
  11. How are you going as people?
    1. Some of their personal attitudes (struggle, joys and frustrations) might be at the core of what where they are at as door need?
    2. Does the senior team have good teamwork? Does each one contribute strengths appropriately.

 

Tips

  1. Get them to talk about their ideas and draw them out. By asking the right questions, you might be able to direct them to finding their own answers. Alternatively, they might take your idea on board, give it their own flavor, and then think it was their idea.
  2. What next? Have a plan to either transition yourself out of this role or to fit into a long-term role that in agreeable to both you and them.
  3. Know when to hit the eject button. In some cases, you might need to get out of the relationship as soon as you can, for example:
    1. they resist change at any cost
    2. you realize you do not have the skills to help them, and cannot get advice from anywhere else
    3. their internal politics makes it difficult for you to work with them
    4. they try to compromise your ethical position
    5. you find then secretive or difficult to get on with.

 

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1 Thanks to Stewart Moulds for this illustration.