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It is almost inevitable. When you are at a dinner honoring
someone in your profession, or if you have just watched
the recent Tony Awards presentation, when the honoree
is presented his or her award, in the ensuing speech they
will thank not only their agent, and their family, they
will often name one or more individuals without whom they
would not have achieved this honor. Although they may
be mentioned by a different name or title – it could
be trusted advisor, boss, professor, or colleague, typically
the people that are mentioned are actually mentors.
Research in both educational settings and in the workplace
indicates that students and employees alike are more
likely to succeed if they have had a mentor. Although
mentors are useful for everyone, sometimes organizations
implement mentoring programs to support particular parts
of their populations, often newer employees. And while
mentoring programs are always set up with the best of
intentions, their results are often mixed.
The Difficulties
Many employers and associations set up mentoring programs
but achieve mixed or limited success. Because of the
nature of mentoring relationships there are some difficulties
inherent in establishing success programs.
Mentoring programs that are strictly voluntary in nature
may not have the opportunity to take into account the
personalities and commitment levels of those involved.
What sounds like a good idea at the sign-up stage may
require a greater commitment level than originally anticipated
once the program begins. Many voluntary programs sponsored
by organizations are based upon matching the experience
of the mentor with the announced interests of the mentee.
But a busy litigator and an over-committed law student
may find that they don’t have the time necessary
to cement this relationship. And, if there is not an
immediate chemistry at the first meeting, the relationship
may never truly begin.
The power differential also plays into the difficulty
of the mentoring relationship. Although the mentor would
like the mentee to take the initiative, it is often
difficult for the younger and less experienced person
to take the lead. This is not to say that the mentee
should have no responsibility for the relationship.
Once there have been several meetings and a chance to
lay the groundwork, the mentor can set ground rules
for the continued interaction – including the
need for the more junior person to take initiative.
But at the beginning, the mentor must set the stage.
The Mentoring Role/Mentor and Mentee
Clarifying the roles of the two parties and goals for
the program are important parts of initiating such a
program. If the mentoring program is being implemented
to serve as a support system, it is critical that supervision
and mentoring be separated. Mentees will be reluctant
to go to the mentor with what could be perceived as
less than critical questions if they believe they are
going to be evaluated by the mentor. Determining these
lines of demarcation up front is a critical aspect of
the program. In order to feel comfortable the mentee
needs to believe that the mentor has his or her best
interests in mind, and will maintain confidentiality
about his or her concerns. On the other hand, mentees
need to understand that this relationship is with a
more senior work colleague, and some aspects do not
provide the same kind of safety that an outside of work
mentor might. In other words – it’s probably
not okay to let it all hang out with your mentor if
they work in your organization.
One of the best reasons to consult a mentor is to help
navigate the less obvious parts of the work place. This
means trying to understand and comply with cultural
norms in the organization that may not seem immediately
obvious.
A Good Resource
If you are interested in reading some good information
about successful mentoring, look for the recently published
study, “Mentoring Across Differences: A Guide
to Cross-Race and Cross-Gender Mentoring”, published
by the Minority
Corporate Counsel Association, and written by Ida
Abbott, Esq., and Rita S. Boggs, Ph.D. Although the
study is geared specifically to mentoring as described
in the title, the keys to successful mentoring relationships
are articulated clearly in this publication. One of
the perhaps surprising pieces of information in this
study was that individuals were not necessarily mentored
within race and gender boundaries, and that in fact
there were broad demographic differences in pairings.
Those with the best mentoring experiences were those
who had multiple mentors who served different roles
in their development.
If you are a Mentor
Take this role seriously. Although
it is possible that at the start of your career there
was no such thing as a formal mentoring program, the
growing demands and complexity of the practice of law
may require more structure. In addition, greater diversity
in the legal profession has probably had some impact
on the informal nature of work relationships. The demands
of work and external commitments mean that it is far
less likely for work colleagues to have a leisurely
lunch, share a table at trial strictly for educational
purposes, or spend several hours after work at the local
pub. It is the case that many of these kinds of activities
have helped forge mentoring relationships. The fact
that they may no longer exist does not lessen the need
for this kind of role between junior and more senior
attorneys.
Take the initiative and make the time.
If you decide to participate in this kind of relationship,
it’s important for the person with the greater
power level to initiate and jump-start the relationship.
More junior attorneys may be reluctant to call upon
a more senior person for their time when they already
know how busy you are.
Create some structure. It
helps to spend some time up front talking about what
both parties would like to get out of the relationship.
Most mentoring relationships at work may take on two
roles – one which has to do with administrative,
political and climate issues, and another that focuses
on skill development. The closer in content that your
work is, the more likely you are to help with content
assistance. But remember that what is natural to you
in terms of firm culture may be completely alien to
a junior attorney. Helping someone navigate the waters
of the environment can be every bit as useful as focusing
on skill development.
Respect Confidentiality.
In formal programs, according to the Abbott and Boggs
article, this is one of the greatest concerns of the
mentees. If you find the conversation headed into complicated
waters from a firm standpoint, it makes sense to point
this out to the mentee.
You have a lot to gain from serving in
this role. Not only will you have the
chance to assist a younger attorney in developing coping
and lawyering skills, you will also be assisting your
firm in the retention process. Those lawyers who have
received good mentoring are more likely to stay than
those who do not. The development of these close bonds
also helps in the recruitment of future lawyers.
If You are a Mentee
One of the biggest surprises to any young person entering
a profession for the first time is the issue of politics
in the office. Having had successful careers as students,
where criteria for success are supposedly “objective,”
the politics of reporting to different people, understanding
organizational culture, and dealing with fiefdoms and
alliances can be strange and disconcerting to any young
professional.
Connecting carefully can be very helpful.
Sometimes new professionals move quickly to develop
what they hope to be close working relationships with
those they admire. But early on it’s important
to serve all supervisors as well as you can, and to
observe the landscape for people that you believe can
assist you in navigating what can be at times treacherous
waters.
If your employer has a formalized mentoring program,
participate to the fullest extent. The best
situation is one in which you are encouraged to select
your own mentor. This can give you a chance to observe
those around you and select someone that you believe
will be compatible with you. If you are assigned to
a mentor arbitrarily, approach the relationship with
objectivity and work to gain the most from this opportunity.
Having a formal mentor should not inhibit you from approaching
others who you believe can assist you in the workplace.
In addition, it’s always a good idea to seek mentors
that are not your work colleagues. Having an objective,
external group of advisors is very useful. Just as a
business has a board of directors, having your own personal
advisory board can be key to your career development.
Remember that ultimately you are responsible
for your own career development. Sometimes
new hires believe that the firm is responsible for their
professional well-being and development. Many firms
today offer many resources for new hires including programs
such as orientation, in-house CLE’s, trial colleges,
marketing development, retreats, and mentoring programs.
Your future success will in part be dependent upon your
ability to make connections with those around you and
gain their trust and respect. It simply makes good sense
to utilize these offerings to your advantage. Twenty
years down the road you may be able to attribute your
success, in part, to assistance you received early on
from another professional.
Mentoring for Success
If you are responsible for your mentoring program it
makes sense to get feedback from both parties in these
relationships about how things are progressing. A program
in name only that does not foster attorney development
and feed into associate success may be worse than not
having a program at all. If you have mentor pairs that
are doing well, it only makes sense to find out what
makes the relationship work. Focusing on successes is
often more productive than noting those pairings that
are less than successful. Although it is widely believed
that mentors want to work only with “stars”
you may find relationships that have prospered because
a mentor helped a marginal associate turn the corner
to success. That is a mentor who will be remembered
and noted long after the formal mentoring process has
ended. And you might even hear your name mentioned in
an acceptance speech.
Wendy L. Werner is the owner and principal
of Werner Associates, a career
coaching and law practice management firm. She can be
reached at www.wendywerner.com/associates.
This article first appeared in the St. Louis Lawyer
publication of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St.
Louis.
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