Mentoring - The Alternate Hierarchy - Aditya Yadav

1. *
“Running an Agile Fortune 500 Company”
Aditya Yadav, aditya.yadav@gmail.com
in.linkedin.com/in/adityayadav76

2. * A Typical Global Company
* Fortune 500/1000
* 200 Divisions
* 40 Countries
* 25000 Employees
*

3. *
@ Acme Inc.

4. * Original Question “We „Need‟ Managers to
Mentor Their Juniors. How to institutionalize a
Mentorship Program?”
* The Correct Question - “o O!!! We have never
heard of a Successful Formal Mass-Mentorship
Program Never Ever. Shall we analyze it afresh
and choose the Best Way Forward?”
*

5. *
And The Philosophy Behind The Answer

6. * Mentorship is a personal developmental relationship
in which a more experienced or more
knowledgeable person (The Mentor) helps to guide a
less experienced or less knowledgeable person.
* However, true mentoring is more than just
answering occasional questions or providing ad hoc
help. It is about an ongoing relationship of learning,
dialog, and challenge.
* The person in receipt of mentorship may be
referred to as a protégé (male), a protégée
(female), an apprentice or, in recent years, a
mentee.
*

7. * Participants join the Formal Program as Mentors or
Mentee‟s
* Administrators „Match‟ Mentors and Mentees to
each other through a „Process‟
* Seniors Mentor Juniors e.g.
* New Hire Mentorship
* High Potential Mentorship
* The Program Aligns With the Formal Hierarchy of
the Organization
* Mentees get – “Advice, Challenge and Psycho-Social
Support”
*

8. * Why „ALL‟ Formal-Mass-Mentorship programs fail?
* Trust Deficit between Seniors and Juniors
* Tends to be Brainwashing and Conformance
* Exploitation of Weaknesses and Insecurities
* Niche Specialized Functional Mentors seldom provide Broad - Thought Provoking - Career Changing - Life
Altering Perspectives
* Conflict of Interest between Managing Current Work & Offering What‟s The Best For The Mentee… The
„Disconnect‟ Surfaces very soon and the Program Tanks
* The Assumption is that the “Mentor Knows it all”
* The Assumption is a Questionable Deficit Model
* The Assumption is “What has worked for the Mentor (i) can be taught to Mentees, and (ii) will work for
them”
* The Assumption is that Mentorship by itself will make „All‟ the difference between you failing or
succeeding
* The Result: Instead of Self Reliance and Fact Based Decision Making everything then falls back to
„Needing‟ Mentors For Advise at Every Step– You become used to firing the gun from someone else
Shoulder‟s
* There have been CEO Designates who have benefitted the most, but an exception rather than the Norm
* All Such Programs Always Fail at the Mid-Management/Mid-Organizational Level
*

9. * “If you are So Good how do you have the Time to
Mentor 100‟s of people?”
* Most Mentors are „Wannabe‟s‟ and people who didn‟t
make the Cut themselves
* Mentors charge 5-10% stake in your company in return
for mostly making Introductions to VC‟s and Investors
* Some Mentorship Programs ask for 20% of your income
for the next 10 years
* Massive Exploitation Schemes beyond „Fair Value‟ with
abysmal Success Ratio‟s & Results
* If you think I‟m exaggerating „Look Around‟
*

10. * By Leaders * By Managers
* By Generalists * By Specialists
* Best if Informal * Best if Formal
* Forward Looking Long Term Impact * Short Term Immediate Impact
* Strategic Results
* Tactical Results
* Focus on Life, Career and Personal Development
* Focus on Current and Immediate Goals
* Niche Programs
* Large Programs
* Life Long Relationships
* Benefit: Accelerated Learning w/ Lower Risks and
* Short Term Relationships
Costs * Benefit: Very Effective Compared to Trainings
* For Leaders * For Craftsmen
* Directed by Long Term Business Needs * Directed By Business Goals
* Focus on the Individual * Focus on the Business
*

11. *

12. * Everyone has something to learn from Everyone else
* Mentors are not Entitled to be so by Hierarchy
* Reputation decides who becomes a Mentor and who a Mentee
* Mentors can be inside or outside the Company in a Reputation based
Knowledge Sharing Ecosystem
* Enabled by Freedom of Speech backed by Facts
* You succeed by
* Sharing your knowledge
* Receiving the best of others Knowledge
* Choosing the best advice based on Facts
* And Collective Reflection
* Deciding and Executing it yourself
* Learning from your Mistakes, Reflection, Unlearning, Relearning
* Going Yourselves from the Idea to The Business makes you succeed
*

13. * Improved Performance & Productivity
* Career Opportunity & Advancement
* Improved Knowledge & Skills
* Greater Confidence
* Empowerment & Well Being
* Improved Job Satisfaction & Motivation
* Higher Salaries & Increased Income
* Faster Learning & Enhanced Decision Making
*

14. * Enhanced understanding and knowledge
* Increased business activity, sales and networking
* Increased ideas generation and knowledge enhancement
* Enhanced confidence, CVs, professional identity and job satisfaction
* Successful completion and achievement of objectives
* Improved communication
* Greater job satisfaction, loyalty and self-awareness
* New knowledge and skills
* Leadership development;
* Fulfillment of human psycho-social needs
* Advances in career and opening up of new job opportunities
* Rejuvenation and improved motivation
* Positive attitude to change
*

15. * Impressive „Bottom line‟ results starting in the near future
* Improved job creation and business performance
* Reduced staff turnover and improved retention rates
* Improved information flow and communication
* Help in disseminating business values and developing the culture
* Improved productivity
* Higher Innovation
* Help in attracting and managing talent
* Improved business stability
* Cultivating loyalty and commitment
* Motivating older managers
* Improved morale, motivation and relationships
* Improved business learning
* Reduced labor and training costs
* Provided cost effective development
* Improved succession planning, change and culture change more easily managed
* Provided and developed effective leadership
*

16. * Personal security and * Role model
Confidence * Motivator
* Willingness to trust * Advisor
* Ability to articulate, structure * Guide
and communicate
* Resource
* Introspective and open * Listener
* Innovative and perhaps Radical * Sponsor
* Patient and tolerant * Friend
* Accessibility
*

17. * Help you reflect and rethink
* Question your Facts, Assumptions and Models
* Question your Logic, Reasoning and Rationale
* Listens and is a Sounding Board for Idea‟s
* Point you to Real Life Case‟s, what worked and what didn‟t. This way you
learn from someone else‟s Mistakes.
* Its up to you to figure out the Models, Most Insights and the Answers to
your Problems in your Specific Context.
* Mentors may or may not have all the answers
* But help develop Insights beyond your Individual Perspectives and Comfort
Zone
* They should be able to point you to finding the answers, and the right
direction in General
* Mentors are not meant to “Decide for you” or “Teach you the tricks of the
trade”, you just need a Cheat Sheet for the Latter not Mentors
*

18. * No Process! Don‟t Hide behind Emails, Processes and Forms
* Mentors and Mentee‟s Discover, Choose, Commit to and Register
Themselves. Normally by Reputation and Mutual Learning Opportunities.
Digital Platforms for Discovery or Personal Introductions needed.
* Mentors follow Mentees Long Term across Projects, Roles, Teams, Managers
and have a say in their Appraisal
* Create a Reputation Based Ecosystem Where Knowledge is Traded
* Everyone should give Fact based Advice
* The Ecosystem provides Psycho-Social Support instead of Every Man To
Himself (surprisingly 90% of Company‟s have Latter)
* You Still need Sponsors for new Initiatives, Innovation and removing
Organizational Barriers and Hindrances
* [Statistically] The segments that benefit the most historically have been
(i) Minorities and Disadvantaged Groups, (ii) Fresh Grads and (iii) Women.
Its always the best to start Mentorship programs for them first.
*

19. *Everyone Gets The Missing „Personal
Reflective Space (PRS)‟
*Different Perspectives
*Clarity in Complexity
*Pools of Reflection
*Pool of Knowledge, Skills and Facts
*Emergent Strategy: New Ideas Theories &
Strategies
*

20. Aditya!!!
*