Dondi Scumaci Blog

I often ask people to share their mentoring stories. Who has influenced your
life, the way you think, and what you believe? Who are the people that have
deeply invested themselves in you, and how have they done that? Honestly,
these are some of the most moving stories I ever hear. They are always packed with
devotion and gratitude and wisdom. I learn something from each one of them.
These stories connect us to each other and to what we value most.

My first mentor was my Grandfather. He was a 6-foot-something Irish man, blinded
in a mining accident in his early 20′s. He never laid seeing eyes on his
wife or children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Even so, he went on
to build something from nothing. He was farmer, a fisherman, and my best
friend. We called him “Pop,” and when my Grandmother died he came to live
with us. He was a wonderful babysitter! Oh the places we would go!

We would walk to town – just the two of us – to buy fishing lures and
weights and hooks and bobs. He had memorized the streets by counting the
curbs, so he always knew exactly where we were. That made me feel safe and also, I felt important. He needed me as much as I needed him.

At the time, it seemed pretty simple. I was his eyes and he was
bigger than life! As I look back on it now, there was a whole lot of
learning going on.

Pop taught me that you are never too young or small to have vision for
another – to see things they cannot. From him I learned how to balance
myself when someone is leaning on me for support. I learned to slow down
when the path is uneven, and to communicate clearly what I see.

I smile now when I think of about our trips to town. A small child and a
giant of a man on a great adventure. In many ways, I am still using those
skills. Balancing myself, casting a vision, communicating what I see, and
helping people navigate the rough spots. Those trips to town prepared me for
a much larger mission in life and I am grateful.

Find your own mentoring stories and I assure you, they will resonate. They will remind you of who you are, where you’ve been, and what matters most. Your story has the power
to encourage and equip others. Find your stories and tell them well. In
doing so, you honor both the lessons and the teachers. In short, you reconnect.

In both of my books, Designed for Success and Ready, Set…Grow!, I heartily recommended journaling. The value of writing down your own life lessons and experiences can’t be underestimated. What you’ve learned from mentors is a good writing “assignment” for your personal growth journal. Or you may want to consider a letter of gratitude. Let your mentors know the role they’ve played in your life.

You were built for success and designed to grow!

All the best,

Dondi

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I heard a mentoring story this week. Actually it was a story that ended badly for everyone. I call it a mentoring story because it’s a perfect example of mentoring that didn’t happen, but would have made all the difference.

A bright young woman with great potential was climbing the career ladder two steps at a time. She was fabulous! With each promotion, she received greater responsibilities and felt more intense pressure to perform. Like many women she answered that call by working harder and longer. As she tells the story, she started unraveling. Her foot began to slip on the ladder and no one seemed to notice she was barely holding on. She not only lost confidence and credibility, ultimately she lost her job.

There is so much wrong with this story! Everyone lost. The organization lost a valuable resource and this employee hit the virtual wall. (And she was going way too fast when she did.)

She is going to be all right. She’s gathering herself and learning the right lessons from her setback. When I asked her what she is taking from this experience, she talked about mentoring. “I needed a mentor – someone to help me explore and discover ways to be more effective. Things were spinning out of control, and I just couldn’t “dance” fast enough. I lost my balance, and I fell.” (I would add  here that mentors don’t just magically appear. We have to look for them and sometimes recruit them!)

Statistically people who are mentored make more money. They are more satisfied in their jobs and better equipped to do their jobs. Mentors help us put things into perspective and find new approaches. They help us find our balance.

I encourage you to take make this a mentoring year. Find one and be one. (I’ll even match your commitment to that. Throughout the year, mentoring will be one area of focus for the new “Design Your Success” Podcast. That will be coming soon, and I hope you will tune in.)

Now thanks to all of you who have written in to tell us about your book discussion groups. Whether you are well on the way or just getting started, we wish you all the best as you Design Your Success. We will continue to support your efforts by adding the chapter discussion guides, so check thewebsite frequently. Ready, Set….Grow! is printed and making her way to bookstores everywhere! (Can I just say, “Go GROW!”)

And finally, here’s a shout out to Hallie whose “Designed for Success” blog makes us cheer. For each month of 2009, she will highlight one chapter of Designed for Success. You can read about her “Designed” journey at
http://nypinta.blogspot.com/2009/01/before.html.

To your success,

Dondi

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As I’d mentioned earlier this week, we’ve been receiving a lot of “Ask Dondi” emails every day. This week we’re going to tackle some of them. Don’t forget, if you have submitted an “Ask Dondi” question, watch for the question and the answer here. Thank you for keeping the lines of communication open and for sharing your questions with me.

Audrey said: Greetings Dondi! I recently saw you on John Hagee Ministries. I purchased your book today. I was really enlightened by some things you spoke about. How can I hear more about the purpose of mentoring and why our success is vital to having mentors?

I am passionate about mentoring because I believe it is one of the most important strategies for personal and professional development available to us. Through mentoring we prepare for our next steps and we make the most of the step we’re on. Mentoring builds the heart and forges confidence. It is personalized development in action! I often say life should come with the disclaimer, “Do not attempt any of this alone!”

The impact of mentoring is undeniable – for individuals and organizations. Organizations committed to mentoring report the ability to manage change more effectively, prepare future leaders, and attract the best people. When organizations make the investment in formal mentoring programs, they fully expect to see results like these:

• Improved job satisfaction
• Increased retention
• Improved job performance
• Higher quality and productivity
• Employees ready to take the next career step
• Stronger sense of community
• Employees taking personal responsibility for their professional development

From the perspective of those mentored, the benefits are also striking. People who have been mentored tend to earn more and they are promoted faster. Both of these outcomes may be related to the process of mentoring which focuses on developing a solid career plan and building a strong professional network. Mentoring “plugs” individuals into the organization and makes professional development a personal priority.

Mentees or proteges are generally exposed to a broader organizational perspective. They are made more visible and they are able to market themselves more effectively. They see how all pieces fit together to form the big picture. This allows them to build strong networks, break through functional barriers and have a greater impact.

Mary wrote: How often should you motivate your team?

I encourage you to view motivation as a value versus an event. That means motivated is something we “are” rather than something we “do.” It’s not what you do that will be the most important thing; it’s what is created inside of people by what you do (or don’t do). As a leader look for ways to promote:

• Learning and growth
• A sense of personal achievement
• Confidence and self-esteem
• Ownership and commitment
• Opportunities to demonstrate special knowledge or expertise

To foster these attributes on your team you may assign challenging tasks that ask people to stretch, make progress and improvement more visible, reinforce and celebrate what is working well, get people involved by asking for their advice and their opinions, and find ways to let people shine.

I would also look for and respond quickly to what frustrates your team. If you can’t fix it, acknowledge the frustration and refocus your group on what they can impact. Sometimes people get lost in the things they cannot personally change and this will steal their strength and energy. We can’t ignore what isn’t working well but we need to maintain a rigorous focus on the action we can take and the impact we can have. In Designed for Success, you will find more ways to empower yourself and others with personal accountability.

My best to you as you make motivation an element of your culture.

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Thank you for the wonderful feedback on Designed for Success. The response to the interview with John Hagee has been remarkable. What an honor it was to be with Pastor Hagee on the set of John Hagee Today, airing around the world. If you missed the two-day interview, it will air again next week, February 21-22.

I appreciate each of you who have taken the time to comment. Your questions are also right on the mark. Many of you have asked about mentoring specifically, and I am delighted to address those questions here. First, if you don’t have a mentor, make 2008 the year to find one! Mentoring is by far one of the most powerful things you can do for your career (and your sanity). We are designed for success, but we are not designed to go it alone! Our lives should come with that disclaimer. Do not attempt any of this alone! A good mentor is a sounding board, a trusted advisor, and visionary. This is someone who can help you sort it out, find opportunity inside challenge, and craft your professional development. Ask the most successful people; they can point to mentors who have helped them achieve the level of success they currently enjoy. Several of you asked how to choose a good mentor, or what is the ‘criteria’ you should consider when selecting a mentor. Here are a few things you may want to consider. Good mentors:

• Believe in personal growth. They are growing and learning; development is a core value.
• Possess excellent communication skills.
• Are trustworthy.
• Have achieved a level of success or accomplishment you aspire to.
• Help you make important discoveries and find your blind spots. 
• Rather than lending you their judgment, they assist you in developing your own.
• Are willing to invest themselves in the success of others.
• Have an excellent reputation, marked by integrity.
• Are authentic. They are willing to share what they have learned from success and failure.

Who in your personal or professional life meets these criteria? I encourage you to ‘test drive’ a mentor. Run a challenge you are currently facing by them. Ask their opinion about an opportunity. Learn from their experience by asking questions. What has been their greatest career lesson or most notable achievement? What skills did they consciously work to develop and master? What challenges have they faced, and how did they overcome those? What do they value, and how do they reflect and honor those values in their work? How has mentoring impacted them? As you look for a mentor, remember to be one. As you reach forward with one hand, reach back with another and bring someone along. You may have the answer someone else is looking for. Invest yourself in others. It is such a pleasure to watch another person ‘become.’ Stayed tuned for more of the mentoring discussion! We will explore this topic more fully in the days to come. In the meantime, if you have a specific question, please post it! Many of you shared such positive feedback about Designed for Success. Thank you for that! Please go to amazon.com and give us a review! Thank you in advance for helping us share Designed for Success with the world.

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