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My classmate Mark Mackay wrote “I think the key differences between coaching and mentoring is mentoring is a trust-based relationship that is focused on the big picture process of how you are developing versus a specific knowledge task of what you need to learn.”

Another one of my classmates, Andrea Bonilla wrote “I personally think that both concepts, coaching and mentoring, are similar. However the biggest difference between these two concepts is the time they both require to be successful. Leadership Coaching refers to the idea of teaching any specific skill or task. This is why most people including myself visualize the concept as a short term one. On the other hand, Leadership Mentoring refers to the idea of keeping track of how people are implementing and developing those skills. This is why mentoring requires a long term in order to build relationships between the members of an organization.”

Both indicate that one of the common elements of mentoring is relationship based.  In order to effectively mentor others, long-term trusting relationships are encouraged.  I would agree that in order to be mentored, it is important to have a trusting relationship with the individual you are working with.  There should be a certain level of comfort in knowing the individual you are working with thinks enough of you to take under “their wing”.  In return, you can apply these lessons and ultimately pass them on yourself.  Much like a young child taking his first karate class.  Their teacher is mentoring them, developing them, and instilling in them lessons they can use throughout life.  Not just about fighting or defending themselves, but also about such things as discipline, honor, integrity, and respect.  I remember taking kickboxing classes at a gym about a year ago.  I would arrive about 15 minutes early to prepare for my class.  During that the time there was always a karate class finishing up.  The instructor always had an older student assisting with drills.  I found it amazing just how much these 14-16 year olds actually knew and how well they conveyed what they had learned to these younger students.  They were encouraging and supportive.  They were also an important part of the teaching process.  With over 20 kids in a class it is difficult for one instructor to keep an eye on every one of them.  But with two or three assistants, breaking these kids into smaller groups, the level of development was not neglected.  By mentoring other students the instructor was able to teach more kids instead of limiting her class to less than ten students.

I have the opportunity to be mentored in my current organization.  I want to be mentored for a few reasons.  Number one, I want to play a bigger role in my organization because I think I have the skills necessary to help our organization and our campus grow.  Number two, I would love the opportunity to take what I have learned, and pass that knowledge on to others.  I can’t think of a better way to repay my mentor than to take the lessons I learn and pass those on to others to learn from as well.  And reason number three, is because I want to be a positive role model for my son.  My hero growing up was my father.  It wasn’t Michael Jordon or Dan Marino.  I would be honored for my son to consider me his role model and there is nothing I will not do to make his life better and if anything easier than the path I chose.  I was a good kid who made a lot of mistakes.  Not because I didn’t know any better but because I always had to learn things the hard way. 

I think having a mentor will help me to focus on my long-term goals.  I want to learn as much as possible about different areas in my organization.  In my current role, I am so zoned into the one thing that I mainly do, that I would like to have a better understanding of policies, implementation of goals, and how to be a leader.  I look forward to the challenge and cannot wait for the opportunity.  One of my teammates is currently being mentored and she came to me recently to tell me about her experience.  I couldn’t help but notice how excited and grateful she is for this opportunity.  I can’t wait to have that same feeling myself.

A520.6.5.RB_DiazBrian

When I was brought on to my team there were only five members.  I was actually hired on with one other individual.  Since I was hired two years ago, we have added two more team members.  One of the main things that really resonates with me is just how much each new member has contributed to our group success.  I like to think that I too have brought a distinct synergy and ideas on how to improve as a team as well.  One thing we actively do as a team (and under the supervision of our Director) is consider new ways to improve our processes.  We are always thinking of innovative solutions in the pursuit of achievement.  It is imperative to our success that we work diligently together.  Whetten and Cameron (2011) noted that "Developing team skills is important because of the tremendous explosion in the use of teams in work organizations over the last decade."  (p.494).  It would be impossible for my department to function without team work.

For me, it was important when I was brought on to build a relationship with each one of my team members.  While undergoing my training, it was difficult for me to get to know my teammates right away but all of them went out of their way to support me, encourage me, and let me know that I could come to them with any questions.  This made me feel good, being the "new kid on the block" and all.  One incident in particular really made me gain respect for a particular team member.  Once my training was over I found myself struggling with my day to day duties.  I reached out to this team member for advise.  I could tell she padded her answer to me while remaining encouraging but what I needed to hear some "tough love".  I needed to know what I was doing wrong and how I could improve it.  She was open and honest with me in her assessment of what I was doing and how I could do it better.  For that, I was grateful.   Honesty is very important to me.  It became apparent as I became more familiar with my team, to learn just how close they all were.  More importantly, how willing they were to trust me and bring them into their circle.

I am the type of person that is personally involved with each one of my teammates.  I have a different type of relationship with each one.  We all know about each others families, the names of each others kids, and even the names of each others pets!  I would say that is a pretty good example of a team that trusts one another and is comfortable relating.  We just go together and it is very organic. 

On a daily basis I make sure to have contact with each and every member of my team.  As I make my way into the office each morning, I stop off at my team leaders desk (no matter how early I arrive to the office she is already there and I generally arrive just before 7am!).  I stop to ask her how her evening was the night before and how her husband is, he also works for our organization and we have struck up a friendship through her.  Then the rest of the day I either IM or stop by to visit with other team members.  I try to see how they are doing with work, if they need help, or just to shoot the breeze for a few minutes in an effort to break the monotony of our day.  Since we are all working towards the same goals we share information about new techniques we may be trying out and whether or not they are successful.  We work collaboratively to meet our goals.  Whetten and Cameron (2011) noted that in the norming stage "team members become contended with team membership and begin to value the team's goals more than their own personal goals.  Individual' s needs are met through the team's accomplishment. " (p. 500).

I consider my group to be a high-performance team.  My classmate, James Barber wrote about high-performance teams in this week's discussion.  In his post, James said "A High Performance Team (HPT) is much more than that.  In an HPT members have a specific shared vision, a common purpose and a specific set of goals that they are focused upon achieving (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).  The HPT is not satisfied to simply work at a goal; on the contrary, they must produce a tangible result that will make a difference.  HPT’s are innovative and willing to challenge status quo ideas and policies.  They masterfully exercise lean principles such as continuous improvement, and strive relentlessly to alter the norms to a state of excellence.  HPT’s are built on a foundation of high credibility and trust, and individual members are very comfortable operating within the confines of the team.  In a team, members may be competitive to achieve desired results.  In an HPT members use competitive tendencies to create and share information that may help all team members, and it is taboo to further one’s own agenda at the expense of the group.  The HPT members are diligently working for one another with a goal of innovation and new ideas that lead to achievements in line with the group’s overall objectives."  My team works diligently week in and week out to make a difference.  We challenge one another and strive for excellence.  For us, this is our norm.  We so collectively, innovatively, and with regard to one another.

 We are all constantly thinking of new ways to improve our processes so I cannot say that I am alone in this effort(to our benefit).  This team is invested in our success, invested in our organization, but most importantly, we are invested in each other.  No one person is above the team and we take great pride in working together to achieve our goals.  I have said it before and I will continue to say it.  I am blessed to be surrounding by such incredible individuals.  It is a joy to work with individuals that share my beliefs, my passion for excellence, and the desire to surpass expectations.  We may not always meet our goals 100%, but we never quit trying.  But more importantly, we never quit on one another.

Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson.