Self-Mentoring: The Invisible Leader Manual
This year I am focusing my blog and limiting myself to writing on fewer topics. The aim is to help you succeed at work. I am revisiting a few blog posts to update them to make them more useful and to answer questions that you might have. Take this post for instance, I first wrote it in March 2012 – that's many years ago. However, the topic is still relevant today, self-mentoring is key if you want to succeed and achieve career success. Dr Marsha Carr has studied and written extensively about self-mentoring. She even wrote a book on the topic.
Numerous survey results tout the benefits of having a mentor. However, many of us will never be a part of a traditional mentoring relationship. So what do you do? Simple, you mentor yourself. And there many types of mentoring – sometimes all you need is an answer to a question, so what you need in mentoring in a moment.
Self-mentoring is not a new concept, and according to Dr. Marsha L. Carr from the University of North Carolina Wilmington:
“Self-mentoring occurs when the achiever (mentee) is willing to take the initiative while accepting responsibility for his/her own development by devoting time to navigate within the culture of his/her environment in order to make the most of opportunity to strengthen competencies needed to enhance job performance and career progression.”
That means that you are responsible for your own professional development.
Becoming a Self-Mentor
To mentor yourself, you have to know yourself, it’s a journey in self-awareness. You have to know your strengths, weaknesses, needs, values, limitations, passions, how you respond in various situations, and what’s really important to you. A good place to start is to conduct a Personal SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis, and do the mentoring needs assessment from the DIY Mentoring Program, Episode One.
After you have identified your needs, you have to go out there to identify ways to fill those needs. That’s not easy to do, and that’s why it requires commitment on your part. Self-mentoring is an important concept, and the Invisible Mentor is designed to help you mentor yourself, but it requires action on your part. You have to take the information and use it for your professional development.
Think about the skills you have to acquire to excel at your job, which books can you read? Who are the experts in your industry or niche? Schedule an information interview to learn from him or her. Additionally there are specific skills that the World Economic Forum says you need to thrive in 2020 and 2022. Do you even know what those skills are and how you plan to learn them?
These Are the 10 Skills the World Economic Forum Says You Need to Thrive in 2020
- Complex problem solving.
- Critical thinking.
- Creativity.
- People management.
- Coordinating with others.
- Emotional intelligence.
- Judgement and decision making.
- Service orientation.
- Negotiation.
- Cognitive flexibility.
The World Economic Forum does its study every two years ago, and a few month ago it released the skills you need to thrive in 2022. Take a look at the list below, and you will notice that there is some overlap with the list above.
World Economic Forum 2022 Skills Outlook
- Analytical thinking and innovation.
- Active learning and learning strategies.
- Creativity, originality, and initiative.
- Technology design and programming.
- Critical thinking and analysis.
- Complex problem-solving.
- Leadership and social influence.
- Emotional intelligence.
- Reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation.
- Systems analysis and evaluation.
Self-Mentoring on The Invisible Mentor Blog
To get the most from The Invisible Mentor Interviews, while you are reading them, answer the following questions:
- Are their similarities between the interviewee and yourself?
- In what ways can you use the information?
- In what ways would you respond differently from the interviewee?
- What are your five takeaways from the interview?
- After reading the interview, what is one concrete action you can take?
- What are five things you have learned that you can use in your job?
To get the most from The Invisible Mentor Profiles, while you are reading them, answer the following questions:
- Are their similarities between the person profiled and yourself?
- What are your five takeaways from the profile?
- When you think of the person profiled, what thoughts immediately come to mind?
- In what ways can you use the information in your work and life?
- Look at the process you use to get your job done, think of ways to improve the process and make it more efficient. Is there a way to eliminate a step or combine steps? Also, is there a way to do your work in a more cost-efficient manner?
- After reading the profile, what is one concrete action you can take?
To get the most from the SummaReview, after you have read it, answer the following questions:
- Is this a book you’d like to read for yourself? Why? Why not?
- What has made an impression on you?
- Were there any kernels of wisdom?
- Is there a framework that you can use in your life and work?
- What are five takeaways from the SummaReview?
- What is one action that you can take as a result of reading this SummaReview?
Self-Mentoring in Action
The most successful people have systems in place which helped them to become successful. Both Madam C J Walker and Mary Kay Ash – who we have profiled on The Invisible Mentor Profile in Wisdom Series – had systems in place in their businesses. What systems can you introduce to aid your success at work? In addition, the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who are credited with inventing the airplane, outlined their path to success in The Early History of the Airplane. In that book is a methodology for approaching projects. Laurel Touby in her interview shared with us how she started her membership site mediabistro, which she sold for over $20 million.
In addition to the content on The Invisible Mentor, there are many available resources available to aid you on your self-mentoring journey, but before you begin, you have to understand what your needs are so that you can meet them.
The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America's Greatest Woman EntrepreneurOn Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
The Early History of the Airplane
&
Saundra McGuire on Self-Mentoring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSlfyQh9XIo&feature=youtu.be
Cannot view video? Click here. Uploaded by DowChemicalCompany on Mar 10, 2011
Further Reading
Madam C J Walker, Operated the Largest Black-Owned Business in the Early Twentieth Century
Mentor Yourself: Profile of Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
Wright Brothers, Inventors of the Airplane
The Early History of the Airplane by Orville and Wilbur Wright
Laurel Touby Shares Her Experience Building One of the Hottest Online Communities Part Two
The Invisible Teacher: A Self-Mentoring Sustainability Model, Dr. Marsha L. Carr
Action Steps to Take
Sign-up for the Strategic Reading Challenge.
Participate in the Read the World Facebook Group!
