Getting the Most Out of Your Mentor

By Stan Sinclair, Managing Member

In his August 5 Washington Post blog post, The Federal Coach, Tom Fox of the Partnership for Public Service answered a question from a reader who asked what young federal leaders can do to continue developing their skills after completing a formal leadership training program.  (You can read the entire column here.)  Tom offered his correspondent three good ideas:

•  Phone a friend: that is, use your fellow program members as an informal network for advice and counsel in future situations.

•   Find a mentor: Look for experienced, high-performing leaders who are willing to help you navigate the ins and outs of leadership in your agency.

•  Look for learning opportunities all around you: Read professional journals, follow leadership experts on twitter, and take notes on how exceptional leaders go about their business.

Our company is deeply involved in all three of these areas of leadership development.  In our leadership development courses, we encourage students to follow each of these paths to self-improvement, and we hope that this blog is a learning opportunity for many of our readers.  As many of our Associates are retired Federal executives, mentoring is a logical area in which we can add value to Government agency operation, and we are proud to provide that service to our customers.

Whether or not you are using a mentor or coach provided by SAG, nearly all young leaders can benefit from having a mentor.  Whether you’ve chosen your own mentor, or had one assigned to you, here are some tips to get the most out of your mentor/mentee relationship:

First, be clear about what you’re looking for.  It’s difficult, if not impossible, for a mentor to guess the areas in which you’d like to be counseled in without your help.  Be prepared when you walk into a session or meeting with your mentor. It’s a good idea to bring one or two questions with you. Make sure these questions are clear, to the point, and honest about your situation. 

Second, be careful with your mentor’s time.  This is especially true, of course, if he or she is helping you out as an unpaid service.  If time is short, look for opportunities to share a cab, grab a cup of coffee, or exchange contact information to speak at a more convenient time.

Third, be prepared for your sessions.  Bring a laptop, or a pad and paper—and take good notes that you can read, transcribe and understand.  Keep them in a safe place where you can refer to them, and take action based on them.

Fourth, keep your mentor informed.  Let them know what actions you have taken, or plan to take, based on their efforts. 

Fifth, be appreciative of your mentor’s help.  Be enthusiastic about mentor’s good ideas and be responsive to them.  Don’t forget that they are also human beings, and like pats on the back and good feedback as much as anyone else.  Remember their birthdays and career milestones.  Don’t postpone mentoring sessions unless you really have to.

SAG is proud that our Associates have mentored hundreds, perhaps thousands, of our nation’s finest young leaders.  Like Mr. Fox, we enthusiastically recommend mentoring as a low-cost leadership development tool that pays off—in spades.