Executive mentoring

As is the case with mentoring for parfners, fhe executive mentor s task consists of supporting the executive in making significant transitions. Transitions can be effected in areas such as the executive s thought processes, their perspectives and their self-knowledge. 

Although the specific competencies required of mentors will always vary befween schemes, executive mentors seem to be the most distinct (Clutterbuck and Megginson, 1999). This is perhaps not surprising, given the t)rpes of needs fhey are required fo meef. 

The scheme was implemented and co-ordinated by a MIDAS project team, which amsisted of three women Sheila Flannery, the Project Manager, Keara Dunne, the Project Executive, and Adrienne Buchanan-Murphy, the Project Officer. Having formerly implemented a mentoring scheme at a division of Aer Rianta, Sheila Flannery possessed substantial experience with running such programs. 

Like partners, (aspiring) executives and directors will find the help of a highly competent and trustworthy mentor invaluable when faced with a whole array of personal and professional challenges. (Please note that the term executives will from herein be used to symbolize all variations, including aspiring... 

Clutterbuck and Megginson (1999) devoted an entire book to the challenges and practices of executive and director mentoring. In their book they emphasize that, although there are both national and individual differences, the specific needs executive mentees typically want to address show recurrent patterns, and these are shown in Table 3.2. 

In one instance, mentoring had been specifically introduced to help the business with management retention. Mentees were identified when an analysis of the succession process revealed a number of people at executive level who were critical for the future. 

Each mentee was allocated to a mentor drawn from the executive team (including the Chief Executive and Chairman). Pairings were based on the mentee s development needs, the strengths and style of the mentor, an avoidance of direct line relationship, and geographical feasibility. 

The mentoring pairs met up roughly every other month and the lifespan of the relationship was determined by the participant s feelings about the value that they were gaining from it. The mentor s performance was regularly reviewed by the executive team, and mentees were regularly surveyed to understand the impact of the program on their needs. 

Additionally, the lEE professional development function is exploring the possibility for Chartered Engineers in the regions to take on mentees who lack company support. There are still some reservations about ethical issues in these relationships - for example, mentors who might work for competitors of the mentee s company. This new lEE Mentoring Network will offer candidates an opportunity to find a trained mentor who is outside their immediate work place. The network is supported by the lEE Professional Development Section -principally Tony Johns (lEE Mentoring Executive Officer). A retired Chartered Engineer with many years experience as a traditional lEE mentor, Johns role is to ... 

Clutterbuck, D. and Megginson, D. (1999). Mentoring for Executives and Directors. Butterworth-Heinemann. 

An example of a program that seemed to work very, very well was GE s mentoring program, in which the company had 600 executives who were told that they each needed to find a younger mentor to teach them about the Internet. So it was highly focused from the standpoint of being an assignment, but there was flexibility in how the relationship was developed. It actually worked quite well. 

Extensive feedback and coaching is an important facet of developing people. While most companies have appropriate systems in place, execution is often not as good as it should be. Only 30 percent of executives rate their company as excellenf or very good at providing informal feedback and coaching and only 25 percent are satisfied with the way they are mentored. 

The editors note with profound regret the passing on October 29, 1975, of our friend and erstwhile mentor Sir Edmund Hirst, a member of the Executive Committee of Advances from 1948 to 1950 and of our Board of Advisors from 1950 to 1952, an Associate Editor for the British Isles from 1953 to 1954, a member of the Board of Advisors for the British Isles from 1955 to 1968, a member of the Board of Advisors for the British Commonwealth from 1969 to 1974 (Vol. 29), and a member of the Board of Advisors from 1974 (Vol. 30) until his death. 

An executive who is attracted to a female associate becomes her mentor and advisor... 

---