Mentoring Hits the Mark

I conducted a Speed Mentoring: Pairing Up session last week, and it occurred to me how important mentoring is to an organization’s growth and employee engagement, especially during a budget crisis.  (Speed Mentoring: Pairing Up is the way that I provide an opportunity for Mentees to meet with at least three prospective Mentors in pursuit of finding a suitable match.)  I had several participants mention to me that they are really getting a lot from the mentoring program that I develop and manage.  They expressed that they are not able to go to training because of the budget, so the mentoring events that I provide allow them the opportunity to still enhance their knowledge, develop their skills, and learn from others through networking.   

Mentoring is the perfect way to provide…

·       No cost targeted learning events.  It’s one of the most cost effective ways to motivate and inspire people and help them grow.

·        A pool of internal talent sources.  You don’t have to hire a contractor because people share their own knowledge, skills, and experience.

·       Opportunities for share knowledge across an organization.  People can learn about other areas of an organization.

·        Assistance to new employees as they acclimate to the organization.  You could have more experienced employees mentor new employees to help them learn how to navigate the organization and building.

·         Networking opportunities.  Create ways for people to meet people whom they wouldn’t ordinarily talk to or interact with.

If your company is experiencing a budget shortfall, consider establishing a mentoring program.  If you already have a mentoring program, re-evaluate it to look for ways for meeting employee learning and development needs through expansion.  When designed properly, based on organizational needs, there is no doubt that Mentoring Hits the Mark.

Creating Learning Cultures

I attended the Metro DC ASTD Chapter dinner program on Thursday night...Rethinking organizational Culture and Implications for Performance. The program was presented by Joe Wilmore, Wilmore Consulting Group. Joe presented very useful information that, once again, caused me to reflect on a related topic that really interests me, learning culture.

I started thinking about my organization and my contribution to its learning culture. In other words, do I do the following:

• educate myself about the value of learning,
• take advantage of L&D activities
• share knowledge and skills obtained with co-workers
• view mistakes as opportunities to improve and learn to create a “safe” learning environment

The answer is “YES”! I can say that I contribute to creating a learning culture with my organization.

Could you say that you are positively contributing to creating a learning culture in your organization? If not, what can you do differently to start contributing? If so, what are you doing to contribute?

Take Charge of Your Own Development (Part 2)

In my last post, I discussed how I decided to take charge of my own development. I explained how I began to energize my career. Once you start taking control of your own development you must continue by staying current in your field.
We are most happy when we feel like we have some control over things that impact our lives like our careers. Other benefits according to Mind Tools include: being better equipped to make informed decisions, building expert power, and keeping you alert to future trends.
Our development is totally up to us! No one can stop you from reading a book or attending a free webinar.

I now look for ways to stay current in the L&D field. Here's a few ways that I keep up-to-date...

Sign up for free newsletters and white papers...Mind Tools Newsletter, The Learning Cafe, Strategic Partners

Communities of practice...Toolbox for HR, OPM Federal Training and Development Wiki

Sign up for free webinars

Join National ASTD

Join Metro DC ASTD

Join LinkedIn groups...ASTD National, Chief Learning Officer, Young Government Leaders, CPLP

I have 3 mentoring partners which were mentioned in my April 13th post.

Industry reports...Bersin & Associates, ASTD Research

Networking...Metro DC Dinner Programs and networking events, attending special interest groups (SIGS) events

Volunteer at the ASTD Leadership Conference, and as Metro DC Director of SIGS opportunities

Subscribed to free publications...Chief Learning Officer, Talent Management Magazine

Sign up for Google Alerts

Taking Charge of Your Own Development

I often do check-ins to see how I’m developing as an L&D professional.  A couple of years ago during one of my check-ins, I realized that I was allowing my work environment to determine how I was developing my professional skills.  I felt that it was a waste of time to keep going to training, attending webinars, and networking with other L&D professionals because I wouldn’t be able to use whatever I learned from these activities in my current work environment.  This was totally the WRONG approach to take to my development!  I was not taking charge of my own development. 

After I realized that I wasted several years being stagnant in my career development, I decided that it was time for me to TAKE CHARGE of my own development.  I decided that I needed to place myself in environments where I can have stimulating conversations with other L&D professionals and stop allowing my current environment to dictate my growth potential. 

So what did I do?…I enrolled in graduate school in a Human Resource Development program.  That lasted for a semester and a half, which earned me nine credits.  After another check-in, I realized that graduate school wasn’t what I needed.  Although I gained new knowledge, I was in a program with people who were in pursuit of an L&D career.  I had already been in the field for 14 years.  I met quite of few individuals, whom I am still in contact today.  In fact, I coach, mentor, and assist them in entering into the field. 

During my last class in graduate school, I decided to pursue the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) credential in order to validate my current knowledge and skills as a L&D professional.  I needed to know that I knew what I thought I did.  I didn’t use the excuse that my organization won’t pay for it.  I was fortunate enough to use the money I had allocated for my next class in graduate school to pay for my certification.  This was truly a great accomplishment for me and I learned a lot during the study process!  It showed me that my skills hadn’t completely atrophied.  I was finally TAKING CHARGE OF MY OWN DEVELOPMENT!!! 

This was just the beginning.  In my next post, I will share with you some tips that I continue to use which have allowed me to keep my career development energized despite where I work or with whom I work.

You can take charge of your development too.  If I did it, so can you.  Maybe, you’ve already done it and can help someone on their learning journey.  Share your stories of how you’ve taken charge of your own development…