Facilitating Effective Meetings
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The first area we want to focus on is mentorship. Henry David Thoreau once said, “There is no beginning too small.” We all need to start somewhere, and finding a good mentor is vital to your future success. Many of us would simply not be where we are today without the able assistance of someone who has been there, done that, and made the same mistakes and is trying to help us not repeat those mistakes. |
I was very fortunate at the ripe old age of twenty-four to have a community college president as my mentor. This individual had been a president for over fifteen years and had seen just about everything during his tenure in higher education. He would call me into his office at the end of the day and recount his decisions to me. Then, he would always ask me why I thought he made those decisions and what factors he took into consideration when he made them. With my wisdom and years of maturity backing me, the first few answers went something like this: “I don’t know why you made that decision. Honestly I don’t even know why you put up with crap from that person; after all, you are the president.” I thought it was important to remind him from time to time of who was in charge, as it seemed he would forget. Most often his reply would go something like this: “True, but think, Steve, think. You have to see the big picture and then understand how the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. Your job as an administrator is to not only manage people and tasks but also to see how they fit into the overall mission of the college.” He was trying to tell me not to get caught up in the little stuff and (more importantly) never to lose sight of what you are here for and (most important of all) whom you serve—the students. I can honestly say I would not be in the position I am today without the assistance of this individual. He taught me how to see things from a holistic viewpoint and always make my decisions based upon rational thought, not emotions. Tragically he lost a bout with cancer and passed away in 1997; however, a part of him—his wisdom, I hope—lives on when I make decisions each day.
How do you find a mentor? First I suggest that you do not find the first person available and, without asking, attach yourself to him in parasitical fashion and attempt to suck all the information from him! A mentor/mentee relationship should be a very special, reciprocal relationship. Many times the mentor learns from the person he is mentoring and both become more adept in performing their daily duties. One of the best ways to find a mentor—yes, this is a difficult thing to do—is simply to ask someone. Most administrators are honored by such a request and will do whatever they can to help you achieve success in your new role. If you want to look outside of higher education for a mentor, the local chamber of commerce may be able to assist you. Many area chamber offices are home to speakers’ bureaus, retired executive groups, and small business incubators/advisors. Additionally, many institutions have formalized mentorship programs in place to assist both mentors and their understudies in the mentorship process.
If you want to find out more about mentorship, the Mentoring and Leadership Network has a great paper at http://www.mentors.net/OcassPapers/MStandards.html. Also, visit their home page at http://www.mentors.net/index.html to find out more about this organization. Another good mentoring resource is the National Mentoring Center located on the web at http://www.nwrel.org/mentoring/.
Let’s
briefly recap the benefits of mentoring. Finding a good mentor can help
you grow in your new position by having access to someone who has had
experience in similar situations. Hopefully, they will steer you clear
of the same mistakes they made and also teach you to look at situations
from a multi-dimensional viewpoint. A mentor is also a great resource
who may not know the answers to all your questions but can help you locate
where the answers lie. Finally, a mentor can act as a great sounding board
for ideas and, in turn, give you back good, constructive feedback. Now
that we have you well on the way to finding and utilizing a mentor, let’s
jump into our next subject!