Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning

Mentoring is such a "hot" topic these days, I was concerned that this was going to be another one of those fluffy books that don't give you specific actions. How wrong I was! Each page is jammed full of pratical how-to's supported by both the concept behind the how-to and examples of it at work.Mentoring is a popular topic because it's so valuable in today's organization and this book is an absolute must read for anyone in a leadership position. Within days of putting what I learned to work, my team started responding. I also found that the techniques work well in my volunteer work with the local humane society.Buy this book today and read it right away.

and so I have. My second read of "Managers as Mentors" leaves me even more satisfied and full of ideas and strategies than my reading of two years ago. Chip Bell is a phenomenal speaker and author. Just the time he spends and the guidance he gives in the prologue to this book will inspire managers who want to give back primarily by coaching and teaching. Read the first time to give me insight in a new job assignment; working again with new managers and many youthful workers instead of the skilled team that I had had in the northeast, I wanted to inspire myself to be more than just a "good boss". I hope I have succeeded in making their work experience with me memorable, and, if I have, I owe a lot of my ability and willingness to guide and teach to the lessons I solidified by reading this book the first time.This time, my division is planning to embark on a formal mentoring program. The first five chapters and the SAGE principle will be my inspiration for the design of the introductory course, and we will utilize Bell's book in many ways as we move on through the test program for new managers and the final version for non-salaried employees to add to their personal growth, and perhaps become managers in turn. It may be some time before institutions of higher learning catch on to the fact that teaching lifestyles skills such as mentoring is crucial, not only to the success of their graduates in the workforce, but also in helping them obtain some harmony, balance, and personal satisfaction in addition to honing their technical skills. When they do, the competencies needed to succeed in a learning organization, and one that succeeds through building relationships to build productivity may find a home in undergraduate degrees of all kinds. Until then it is critical that those of us in the workforce develop the emotional wisdom it takes to be a successful leader, and also to keep learning ourselves, from the new and unfamiliar experiences we gain from the people we supervise.What a wonderful book to utilize in your own learning, or in your teaching (couple it with scenes from the movie "Finding Forrester" and you will have a powerful tool)...Bell's book not only sets the stage and expectations for a mentoring relationship, but gives practical advice, such as how to mentor around equipment, and a quiz to assess your mentoring skills.One of today's most valuable business books...6 stars would not be enough!

We look at work force readiness from two perspectives. My husband and I both manage full-time careers. We work with a number of people who are beginning their careers. In addition, we have college-age children (three in three different highly regarded schools). From both perspectives, we know that colleges and universities do a good job of exposing students to a lot of information and to the process of learning. However, we feel young professionals are not well equipped with actual job skills. Managers as Mentors helps us to share the information and knowledge we have in manner that is enjoyable for us and our younger colleagues. Most importantly, we used the SAGE principal to help guide our most precious proteges, our own near-grown children. Thank you, Dr. Bell!

I had read a few books on mentoring as I was recently promoted after having hired 8 new people in a short period of time. My challenge is that all 12 people I would supervise are located in all parts of the country! And, I didn't want to "supervise" these very competent people. The other books were academic, stale. Enter Managers as Mentors! That book really spoke to me. I'm buying one for my boss, highlighting all the sections as I did after I read my copy for the 2nd time, so he will know the scope and strength of the mentoring program I intend to use. I purchased the book for my two senior regionals and we will meet to study the book. The best part of mentoring?? You CAN influence all directions - subordinates, peers, superiors. Watch out! Here we come!

In today's employment market it is very difficult to find and retain hard-working motivated employees. Many companies are restructuring, down-sizing, and outsourcing many segments of their administrative activities, and employees have become less productive, less interested in performing quality work, and less satisfied with their jobs. Today's better salary market does not encompass all employment levels, especially those employees just entering the job market with minimal skills. Salary budgets do not always stretch to provide better wages. Teambuilding works well in bridging part of the gap between wages and self-confidence and pride in job performance."Managers as Mentors" provides in-depth insight for approaching management from a teambuilding perspective. Managers can recruit, train, motivate, and inspire their employees to perform at peak levels in numerous settings by following the recommendations for mentoring employees. The techniques detailed in this book are practical, straight-forward, and easy to understand and implement. Examples illustrating the steps are clearly described.Many organizations now offer internal staff mentoring programs, and my employer is one of those groups. Managers and volunteer mentors are involved, and "Managers as Mentors" has become required reading before a volunteer mentor can be paired with a protege.