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The technician's philosophy of "going fast and breaking things" does not leave much time for mentoring. Fewer than three in ten employees in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany strongly agree that their performance is managed to motivate them to do outstanding work. The solution requires companies to redesign performance systems and culture and turn managers into coaches.
Micro-mentoring is a particularly effective method that creates a productive feedback loop in real time.
What is micro-mentoring?
Unlike micromanagement – where executives try to control every detail of a project – the micro-mentoring attaches to setting the parameters for success and adopting a more pbadive approach.
Managers do not need to dictate the exact steps to achieve the desired result. Anyone who thinks there is only one way to accomplish a task is probably a micromanager. On the contrary, a strong leader will show his team the river and let it decide how to cross it.
Along the way, a micro-mentor acts as a defender. They push for the resources and tools needed, encourage and cultivate a positive cultural dynamic.
Comments are provided in small increments and digests, and conversations are bidirectional: the team member and the leader must be vulnerable and open to the other person's input. It's much easier to achieve in a casual setting, like having a coffee or going for a walk together.
I recommend opening the conversation by asking a question such as: "I have encountered difficulties and I want to know your opinion. What is it that you think of [insert issue]? "
It's direct but not confrontational. Whether it's the mentor or the mentee who asks for it, neither of them feels attacked or degraded.
It is recommended that managers take notes during each interaction to follow the concerns, progress and reflections of their mentors. Then, when the inevitable cycle of revision is announced, everything is already there – already written and discussed. Nothing comes as a shock.
Finally, good micro-mentors reward good performance and act decisively vis-à-vis regular underperformers.
Whether it's a thank-you note, public praise or a gift, there are many ways to cheer up and appreciate the team members. Promotions and increases occur only once a year in most cases; these small rewards help maintain momentum. People need to feel recognized and respected all year long to stay happy at work.
With employees still struggling after months of mentoring by patients, strong leaders need to recognize that this does not work – especially if a person tends to cause toxicity within the team. In these scenarios, it is best that everyone move quickly to something else. With micro-mentoring, these things surface quickly and mentees can have many chances to succeed.
One of the most difficult aspects of micro-mentoring is that the mentor traces the boundary where trials and possible failures can occur without risking the project. This fine line is where micro-mentoring meets micromanagement. Some executives prefer almost zero tolerance for risks and failures and could easily move towards a micromanagement strategy. A healthy border that preserves the interests of the team while leaving room for apprentices to learn from experience is better for everyone.
No management technique is 100% foolproof. There will always be times when a role just does not fit with someone, and it does not matter. But most of the time, micro-mentoring will help build a strong bond between mentors and mentees – a bond that can last for many years.
Leading a thousand-year-old manpower
For decades, I was lucky to have colleagues who followed me from one company to another. In particular, they said they were looking for a transparent, growth-oriented leadership culture that I had always believed in through micro-mentoring. Part of this success, however, required adapting to new environmental and generational influences.
Today, we are all more distracted. Our smartphone is our fifth branch and calendar notifications, emails, Slack messages and texts never stop. This is one of the reasons why traditional mentoring no longer works – we do not have the time to sit for hours and talk without interruption about a person's goals and development.
Generation Y members expect fast returns, just like anyone who is tuned to the speed and convenience of technology. The focus changes quickly and the problems must be resolved when they feel out of place by the time they are approached.
In addition, people in the early years of their career tend to do job-hop. The millennial generation (like all professionals) is concerned about the situation as a whole. They want to be valued, accomplished and led by people they trust. Rather than using talent, technology companies can create a supportive environment through micro-mentoring.
It's not rocket science, but leaders will not become star micro-mentors overnight. Leaders will learn as they go and I always learn as well. As long as there is transparency, vulnerability and margin of error in real time, the team will continue to grow together, creating amazing things over time.
Vivek Lakshman, founder of Chatlets.ai and vice president of innovation for emerging products at Pramati Technologies, a global startup incubator and technology investor
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