Peer Mentoring - An Effective Way to Help you Grow in your Business Career
Sarah and her peer mentor at a conference they designed together.
Mentoring is defined as a strategic approach to developing a person by partnering them with a more experienced person to teach, coach, council, sponsor, and encourage. I have been designing mentor programs and participating in mentor programs for almost 20 years.
Peer mentor programs are unique in that they often lack structure, defined length, or formal training. I currently have four peer mentors that I rely on to give me feedback and to help me move through challenges, learn, and grow.
How I Found My Peer Mentors
Here are some of the ways I was able to find my peer mentors:
Professional Associations
My peer mentors have been introduced into my life through connections with similar interests or associations. I met one of my mentors, who is 75 years old, through an event we both attended at the Gestalt international Study Center in Wellfleet, MA.
Through our conversations and later through joining another professional association, we developed a strong friendship. We have attended conferences and events together, and even designed a conference together, focused on Strengths and Appreciative Inquiry. We bring different experiences to our conversations, and I appreciate her guidance and advice.
I met another peer mentor when she joined the professional association I founded in Vermont and New Hampshire (the Granite State Learning and OD Round Table). She also runs a consulting business and provides executive coaching, so we have that in common. We have also taken courses through Case Western Reserve University (she completed her Master’s Degree and I took classes with the same faculty via Coursera ). We have been peer mentors for six years and meet in person or through video call. We share tips and advice on navigating work in coaching and consulting.
Another peer mentor of mine came from a follow-up email I sent to folks who had signed up for a workshop on Mentor Program Design at the Boston Association of Talent Development (ATD). This gentleman was unable to attend; I simply followed up to see if there was any interest in talking about Mentor programs. It turned out that we had many shared interests professionally, and we also enjoy cycling. We now do a video call together every month or so to share ideas, successes, and challenges. We share a background in executive coaching, learning design, and leadership development.
Mutual Connections
Lastly, my fourth peer mentor was originally introduced to me through a common friend. As a cyclist, I joined this friend’s riding group and at the time; I was a bit slower than the others. He suggested I ride with a woman whom he worked with, as we rode at about the same pace. Starting out as friends who ride bikes together, we have coached, consulted, and mentored each other for over seven years! Often when we meet up, we are outdoors, hiking, biking, or kayaking while we discuss our work situations and request feedback and support.
These peer mentors continue to provide me with meaningful and diverse perspectives on life and work. When I want to make a change to my business, they are the first people I get feedback from! I consider them my “pseudo” Board of Directors.
How to Find The Right Peer Mentor
A starting point is to think about what areas you want to learn and develop.
Learning Objectives
What are your objectives? I often advise clients to be specific about what they're learning objectives are. Once you have a target, think about people who are in your network and who may have strengths in this area.
What Can You Offer In Return
Also, think about what you might be able to teach or help them with. Strong mentoring relationships can be built through reciprocity.
Mentoring on Specific Topics
Simply asking the person to teach or mentor you in a specific area is often effective. If you can also offer to help or teach them something, that is also a great idea. Once there is an agreement to peer mentor, discuss how to connect and how often to meet. Peer mentoring is based on positive and supported dynamics between both people.
This type of mentoring doesn't necessarily have to be long-term. It could be for a few months or simply until you master your skill or help the other person build their strength.
Interested in learning how to build a MENTOR program for your organization? Check out my new Digital Course: Mentor Program Design for Positive ROI
What tips do you have for connecting with a peer mentor? What have you tried that has been successful? Share a short success story of a peer mentor relationship that you have experienced.
Check out my blog post on the Positive Use of Power: Mentor Programs Strengthen Culture and Produce Strong ROI.
Stay tuned for upcoming blogs on formal and informal mentor programs. Having designed these programs for many organizations with positive Return on Investment (#ROI), I will write more about this approach in the next few blogs.
Workshops:
Sarah Scala hosts workshops on business mentoring for teams and organizations of all sizes.
Questions? Let’s connect. I would love to hear your success stories. Please send them to: hello@sarahscala.com or visit www.sarahscala.com
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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and executive coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.
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