1. Creating an Empowered Workforce and Mentoring Future Leaders
Debbie Frahm, Director - Ventura County LCSA
Dolly Lomeli, Deputy Director - Orange County LCSA

2. Welcome! Just a few questions to get us started…
Which LCSA are you from?
What is the size of your organization?
What is your role in the organization?
What do you hope to learn today?

3. Goals and Objectives Provide an overview of empowerment and mentoring
Discuss application and strategies for:
Creating an empowered workforce and benefits to your organization
Mentoring and creating a formal mentoring program
Participants will share empowerment and mentoring ideas
Participants will discuss what can be done to make this happen at the LCSA

4. CREATING AN EMPOWERED WORKFORCE

5. Creating an Empowered Workforce
What does “creating an empowered workforce” mean to you?
How will you know that you do or don’t have an empowered workforce?
Where do you begin?
Why is it important?

6. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Decision Making
Set framework for decision making at the earliest and lowest possible level
Provide decision making discretion
Trust that your employees will make the right decision
Learn from failure
Provide employees the permission to fail
Lessons learned

7. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Share information
The more informed staff is, the better decisions they can make
Let them know how they are doing; how the organization is doing
Be clear on your expectations; individual and organizational
Hold them accountable
Recognize and acknowledge

8. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Allow your employees to thrive and grow through empowerment
Maximizing resources allows organization to capitalize on the human resources available
Create an environment where staff empowerment can be accomplished
Begin with telling staff the story
Provide staff the opportunity to understand and see the benefits
Know staff strengths (and weaknesses)
Get staff moving forward in the right direction
Be adaptable

9. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Now the why!
Helps develop your workforce
Developing staff throughout their career builds a stronger workforce
Begin with recruitment and selection process
Continue as they begin their career and don’t stop there!

10. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Where do I begin?
Plan! Be realistic
Know and understand organization’s vision
Obtain buy-in from Director, Executive team, and managers/supervisors
Create the framework; involve others
Begin with the end in mind
Make this part of your culture
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

11. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Foundation for succession planning
Prepares organization and staff for future opportunities
Prepare staff for opportunities within the organization
Retention

12. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Foundation for succession planning
Staff development is a continuous process
Provide opportunities to all staff
Transparency is critical

13. Creating an Empowered Workforce
Empowering Practices
Foster initiative and responsibility
Link work activities to organizational goals
Provide ample information
Allow group members to choose methods
Continue to lead

14. DOES MENTORING REALLY MATTER?

15. WHAT IS MENTORING? Learning partnership
Connecting an experienced employee with a less experienced employee
Sharing knowledge and information
Providing all employees with opportunity for and access to professional growth and development

16. WHAT MENTORING IS NOT Guaranteed promotion One-time event
Replacement for supervisory feedback or coaching
Program for marginal performers

17. PRINCIPLES FOR MENTORING
One-to-one voluntary pairing
Built on trust, a commitment to confidentiality, and equality between mentor and mentee
Must be structured, with clear objectives at the outset

18. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTEE
Take initiative and show resourcefulness
Develop a plan for accomplishing your goals
Listen to advice and respond appropriately
Understand terms and intent of the mentoring relationship
Maintain confidentiality of the mentoring relationship
Be committed and willing to learn

19. A GOOD MENTOR: Is absolutely credible Integrity transcends the message
Tells you things you may not want to hear but leaves you feeling you’ve been heard
Interacts with people in ways that make them want to grow, learn, and be better
Makes you feel secure enough to take risks
Supports confidence to rise above your inner doubts and fears
Supports your efforts to stretch goals for yourself
Presents opportunities and highlights challenges you might not have seen on your own

20. FORMAL MENTORING PROGRAM
Select a Mentoring Program Coordinator
Determine Goals and Expectations of Program
Establish structure:
Length of mentoring cycle
Frequency of mentor/mentee meetings
Mentoring contract
Criteria for selection of mentor/mentee volunteers
Participant process for determining goals achieved and benefits derived
Select candidates and match participants
Evaluate benefits and outcomes

21. Take Aways
Remember to appreciate the talent you have in your organization
Utilize your human resources – they will never cease to amaze or surprise you
Empowerment is “powerful”
Mentoring is one of the most important things we can do as managers and leaders
Your role as a leader is to look beyond today and think of the future for the organization and develop your staff

22. References Leadership Business
Thomas Magness, LBI Publishing business
Leadership : Research Findings, Practices and Skills, 5th Edition Andrew Dubrin , Houghton Mifflin Company 2007
Successful Manager’s Handbook, 7th Edition
Personnel Decision International (PDI),

23. Quotes
Empowerment is all about letting go so that others can get going.
Author, Kenneth Blanchard
Effective leadership empowers people. Empowerment can be felt in four ways:
People feel significant
Learning and competence matter
People are part of a community
Work is exciting
Author, Warren Bennis
A Leader is Continually Developing Character and Competence in his/her Staff.
Author Unknown

24. Questions? Debbie Frahm, Director Dolly Lomeli, Deputy Director
Ventura County LCSA
Dolly Lomeli, Deputy Director
Orange County LCSA