Blog: How to cultivate true leadership through mentoring

Leadership

How to cultivate true leadership through mentoring

True leadership does not come through trainings; it is only developed through a culture fostering mentoring
How to cultivate true leadership through mentoring

If you were to look inside successful organizations today, you would see a culture that fosters high performance and collaboration. It is a culture that focuses on “we + us” rather than on “I” with the understanding that “we + us” = success!

Kevin Junek, my mentor and business advisor, and I have discussed this very same topic at great length. Kevin is blessed in a way that he works with an organization that understands the importance of this and has been such, for a number of years. They have created what I would call a true “mentoring culture” and their hiring practices support that culture. When they are hiring, they are looking not only for people that can do the required job, but just as importantly a fit for their culture. They have built a culture of learning and development which has resulted in a high performance environment and now they protect that culture through their hiring processes. They have effectively removed the “I” from the organization and have made sure that their focus is “we + us”= success!

The development of such a culture does not happen overnight. Leadership plays a key role in the development and maintenance thereafter of any organizational culture. Global leadership creates a competitive advantage. Leadership is about having the capacity to keep learning and to change and evolve – while staying humble. You can see that having leaders in the organization who support a culture of learning and development would indeed move your organization closer to having that competitive advantage. A culture that focuses on the development of leaders within the organization through coaching and mentoring is one that supports the succession planning and more importantly the succession development process. All too often, we develop a succession plan, identify potential successors for key roles and then do nothing to help prepare them for that role. Doing so, we essentially set them up for failure. Just because you have provided someone with leadership training they are not leaders by virtue of that training. Training can stifle culture – while true development enriches culture. Development = coaching and mentoring!

Is your organization ready to begin a new journey soon? Is your organization ready to change and implement a culture that fosters a learning and development environment? Do you want to have a culture that has created a work place where people are lined up to become part of your organization? Do you want to successfully develop your current and future leaders to have that competitive advantage and see your organization reach new heights? Then you need to change how you are developing your leaders, implement a mentoring culture and embrace the power of mentoring and coaching in your organization. 2014 can and will be your year to exceed all your expectations. “Can you afford not to?”

References:

  1. Kevin Junek - http://talentc.ca/index.php/2013/leadership-starts-at-the-top/
  2. http://www.microsoftbusinesshub.com/News_and_Updates/5_steps_to_a_strong_company_culture
  3. http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/12/19/the-1-reason-leadership-development-fails/

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Topics: Leadership, Culture, #HRInsights

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