Defence

Results through People

Helping each other

By Anna Mulholland

According to the work of Frederick Hertzberg, motivation comes from more than just financial rewards. But how can we help people get where they need to go without investing lots of money in formal training programs?

In October 2004, I was lucky enough to be nominated by my employer to attend a three-hour training session at the Certified Practicing Accountants (CPA) Congress on the topic of Coaching and Mentoring. (You may be asking at this point what do accountants know about managing and inspiring people, but just hold that judgement...)

Whilst the training was only three hours, it sparked an idea in me that I couldn't relinquish and simply had to spark into action. I wanted to become a Mentor and share my experience with and help someone else in the Department. I instantly began to consider who might be a likely Mentee.

Step 1 - Selecting a Mentee

During the training, it was recommended that to enter into a Mentoring arrangement, you should approach someone with whom you relate, on a professional level. Instantly I knew who I was interested in Mentoring, someone I didn't know well, but from what I did know was positive. That afternoon I made the phone call to the person's supervisor as a courtesy, and he embraced the idea wholeheartedly. I then contacted the potential Mentee who eagerly agreed to meet and discuss the proposal.

Step 2 - Establish a Framework

Our first meeting was to get to know each other a little and to establish a framework. We discussed our backgrounds and experience both before and while in Defence. We talked about what the Mentoring arrangement should achieve and then we established a framework which included the purpose, frequency and location of meetings (suggest once a month at a neutral venue) and the anticipated benefits for both of us.

Step 3 - Planning the Sessions

As time went on my interest in this field grew and I started to research Mentoring in my spare time from various sources. I invested in a book on Mentoring which contains practical exercises for people to use in mentoring scenarios. It has turned out to be a worthwhile investment, and whilst I use it to plan some of our sessions, I sometimes think of topics that I think the Mentee could relate to for discussion.

Step 4 - Working through the Topics

You may be wondering what the topics that are discussed are. Some examples of different sessions we have held have been:

• Discussion with the Mentee on future career direction and areas of interest for growth and development;
• Discussion about the importance of attitude, being flexible and learning from mistakes;
• Difficult situations in the workplace (how can they be handled better?);
• Think about the following questions: Describe your different responsibilities. Describe the area of responsibility you find most frustrating. Are you happy in your present job? What gives you the most job satisfaction?

Step 5 - Ongoing Monitoring

It is important to continuously question the value of the arrangement and how effectively it is working. Some would say that a Mentoring arrangement has a limited lifespan, whereas I don't necessarily agree, because the aim is for both parties to grow. With our arrangement, I remind the Mentee that at any time if it is not beneficial, that we should consider stopping the Mentoring sessions.

Benefits

The benefits to Mentoring arrangements are two-way. As the Mentor, the benefits I gain are in assisting someone else to teach themselves more about them, the habits, strengths and weaknesses. Also, it brings a new level of consciousness about communication in the workplace. Another benefit to the Mentor is in researching and contemplating the issues we face in the modern office environment and general planning skills.

Some of the benefits as highlighted by the Mentee are:

• Having a mentor gives me an opportunity to discuss challenging workplace situations which can assist me to better deal with those situations, or to learn from them.
• I have the opportunity to draw from my mentor's experiences, knowledge and advice and use this guidance as additional tools in my approach to my work and workplace.
• The most rewarding element of the mentoring arrangement is it has given me the opportunity to look inward. We talk about my strengths and weaknesses and ways to improve upon my weaknesses. I am better equipped to identify my career goals/ aspirations and to focus my efforts on achieving those goals because I am more aware of the skills I need to obtain them.

There are many ways by which someone can approach Mentoring, this is just one. Ultimately the arrangement must be the right fit for the parties involved, their needs, views and communication methods. It is just one way that people can help each other and make Defence a better place to work.

Anna Mulholland is a Results through People Regional Leader in Melbourne.

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