The Art of Mentoring and Staff Development Presented by: Kay W. Soltis Director of Financial Aid Pacific Lutheran University

Staff Development, Mentoring or Succession Where are you in your career At the Beginning of your career Promotion/Advancement Looking forward to Retirement

Staff Development At the beginning Become well versed in your responsibilities Stretch yourself Volunteer for your professional organization

How does one prepare for this? Training Programmatic Professional Development Coaching Definition - Coaching is a collaboration in which the person being coached (coachee) defines the agenda and the coach serves as a committed listener, active inquirer and instrument of change. Mentoring Definition – Coaching and copying – this is one time plagiarizing is a good thing, what you are trying to do is learn from the mentor the talents you would like to emulate.

Mentor Defines as the process by which “experienced people who go out of their way to 1 help you clarify your vision and personal goals and 2 build skills to reach them” It is a relationship of influence, of moving forward in ways that simple book learning, training manuals and static leadership concepts cannot achieve. A critical first step in maximizing this powerful tool is pairing people in mentoring relationships that work. (The mentoring Match; Finding the perfect pairing by Liz Selzer, Ph.D; CW Bulletin)

Mentoring Quote Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction. ~ John C. Crosby I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou

Benefits to a Mentor What kind of attributes should one look for in a mentor Someone in the corporation that is well respected, Gets things done Availability Experience Trust Attitude Maturity Honesty Good Listener willing to give guidance to the mentee to problem solve and develop confidence and reinforces analytical skills

Benefits for Mentee Supportive system Internal view on how to control your career Opportunity to see diverse perspective and experiences Learn good communications skills - give and take Commit to constructive feedback Set goals and review on a regular basis

Benefits to the Organization Contributes to a positive climate and a clear understanding of professional responsibilities and expectations May increase employee satisfaction and retention by allowing a new employee to feel part of the organization Allows for improved job performance, adds to faster learning all resulting a better trained staff

Finding a Mentor Does your institution have a formal mentoring program? How about your college alma mater? Other organizations you may be associated with If so these formal programs normally have a process to match mentee with mentors

Finding a Mentor on your Own Identify someone you admire and respect Decide what you hope to gain/need in a mentor What characteristics your looking for in a mentor Ask around including co-workers and subordinates for input

What to look for in a Mentor Someone you can respect Look for a role model Honesty Sense of humor Good listening skills Offer feedback /constructive criticism Positive upbeat attitude

What do mentors do? Help assess your strengths and weaknesses Help you develop skills for success and long range career plan Foster your sense of belonging with the institution Help you navigate the company culture and politics

Succession How to prepare for succession Qualities for succession vary based on position

Summary Art of Mentoring Professional Development Succession Plan Questions

Contact Information: Kay W. Soltis Pacific Lutheran University Telephone: