Mentoring

Ken Perlman, an executive at Kotter International, the strategy consultancy, is a strong proponent of mentorship.
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He gets as much out of being a mentor as he does from his own mentors. Here he shares the often-overlooked benefits that make mentorship invaluable.
“I get to work with many different clients as they lead their organizations through significant change. When I ask them, to whom or what they attribute their strong leadership skills, their answers are rather consistent. More often than not, they attribute their leadership skill-building to one or more influential individuals - strong mentors - who helped show them how to lead”.

“The value of a mentor can be doubly undervalued by many people - especially younger professionals and junior executives. We learn a great deal about management principles and practices in school. Leadership, though more popularly discussed in school now, is still more often learned outside of school. The value of a mentor who can help cultivate leadership skills one-on-one in real-time, reduce the anxiety in taking big steps, and focus leaders on achieving their goals - is huge. Many times it's the first few years out of school that can shape the career path of an MBA, and that is determined by whether they create or are given an opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skill”.

“I see many recent graduates looking to their friends and peers for advice. While this is a good perspective to have, the power of a mentor who can provide a different perspective, relate different leadership experiences, and ask a different set of questions is critically important. Part of this "we know better" thinking may come from the expectation that new will disrupt old, simply based on its 'awesomeness'. The danger is that people can far too easily filter out views and opinions different than their own simply by changing the channel or subscribing to a different RSS or Twitter feed.”

“Leadership is about taking it all in, looking at what we really want to achieve, and determining a compelling path forward so that others will help you make it happen”. Coaches and peers, colleagues and friends, customers and competitors are all part of that ecosystem that helps give a platform to leaders who know how to make it work for them.

“All the research suggests that expertise is something that takes 10 years to develop at a minimum. We want our mentors to pass on an enhanced ability to evaluate business problems critically and strategically – and without expertise in the field you cannot dig down through the levels of complexity that exist in an industry or a functional area.” But while MBA programs are careful to match students with mentors who have appropriate experience and expertise, the relationship goes beyond the exchange of advice on things technical, managerial and strategic. “The most important thing you get out of it is a sense of priority.”

“It’s a relationship where the pay-off may not be the end of week, the end of the month or until a few years”. “But having that person outside the programme is a huge asset.”