24 CEO

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CEO 25
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In The Olnce
MANAGEMENT
AND LEADERSHIP
T
he process ol mentoring is useo in a
oiverse range ol areas such as
business. politics. sports. the arts.
ano supporting vouth. among other
nelos. It was prevalent in ancient Greece. with
philosophers olten mentoring stuoents. There
seems to be a re-emergence ol the treno ano
practice in mooern societv. particularlv with
regaro to the ioea ol leaoership ano thought
leaoers`.
Some examples ol the most noteo mentoring
relationships throughout historv incluoe:
Aristotle mentoring Alexanoer the Great.
Ireooie Laker airline entrepreneur mentoring
Richaro Branson. Mel Gibson mentoring Heath
Leoger. ano. in cricket. Terrv ]enner mentoreo
Shane Warne. while Sambaran Banarjee
mentors manv voung. aspiring cricketers. In
Hinouism ano Buoohism. there has alwavs been
a guruoisciple relationship.
The basic. traoitional concept ano philosophv
behino mentoring usuallv involves an oloer.
wiser person aovising a vounger. less-
experienceo person. ano taking him or her
unoer the wing. Obviouslv. the mentee must be
open to. ano interesteo in. the ioea ol receiving
aovice.
Tooav. the lorms ol mentoring are much more
nexible ano. inoeeo. the mentor mav well be
vounger than the mentee. Mentoring mav
incluoe aovising. teaching. coaching. or
counselling.
Mentoring is sometimes embraceo within
prolessional companies or organisations to assist
newcomers settle into their new positions ano
places in the corporate hierarchv. Some mentees
are groomeo as proteges. or eventual
replacements lor ano bv a more experienceo
colleague. Frivate tutors can sometimes be
consioereo mentors. or become as such
incioentallv.
Essentiallv. mentors usuallv have expertise in a
particular area or areas. ano thev assist those
with lesser experience in those nelos to gain
knowleoge. looting. ano to oevelop their skills.
whether on a personal or a prolessional level.
This relationship ol knowleoge sharing can be
on either an inlormal or a lormal basis.
Examples ol the latter incluoe mentoring
societies ano groups. ol which manv assist in
vouth mentoring.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
So what are the practical applications ol
mentoring in our societv tooav? As mentioneo
above. vouth-mentoring programs olten exist to
help unoerprivilegeo chiloren or teens. those
who mav be at risk. or have no suitable role
mooels. The US Big Brother program is a gooo
example ol this.
In business. management sometimes instigates
lormal mentoring. or it mav evolve naturallv as
the result ol prolessional relationships which
mav expano into lrienoships outsioe ol the
workplace. Obvious canoioates that stano out
as potential luture leaoers mav be nurtureo ano
taken unoer the wing. These oavs. companies
are wise to invest in human capital oevelopment
to reinlorce ano sustain the oevelopment ano
success ol their businesses.
Not onlv are there lormal mentoring programs
that one mav enrol in usuallv at a lee. but some
ol the worlo`s best thought leaoers ano thinkers
are available to be hireo lor mentoring.
coaching. ano knowleoge sharing. Mentoring
programs can be benencial to career
oevelopment. as well as on a personal ano social
level. Frograms ano planneo one-on-one
mentoring mav be soliolv structureo with an
outline. goals. training sessions. ano other
components to be aohereo to or the mentoring
relationship mav be more casual. ollering a
nexible approach. Apprenticeships are a lorm ol
mentoring that locus more on training lor the
job. rather than personal oevelopment.
LIFE MENTORS AND MYER
It is mv experience that mentoring is a two-wav
street. Having a great mentor. or several who
can trulv interact. will extract the relevant
inlormation lrom the mentee. share great
knowleoge ano wisoom. oller constructive
suggestions. ano have a great oeal ol input. It
can be invaluable on manv levels. Mentors
alwavs have a positive point ol view ano want to
see vou. as their mentee. being successlul. Thev
are usuallv humble in spite ol their own success.
thev are creoible. show great interest in vou. ano
openlv share their knowleoge ano wisoom.
Mentors ask great questions ano almost alwavs
have superior listening skills. Il thev happen to
be vour immeoiate manager or supervisor. thev
will olten be nrm. but lair.
The Value ol
Mentoring
MENTORING IS NOT A NEW CONCEPT AND HAS, IN FACT, BEEN AROUND FOR MILLENNIA.
BY PRAKASH MENON
24 CEO
theceomagazine.com.au
CEO 25
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CEO 27
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I believe there are a great manv benents that
can be receiveo through the mentoring process.
This mav incluoe improvement in areas one
hasn`t been previouslv exposeo to. Mentors are
supportive. ano generallv holo a strong beliel
that their mentees will succeeo. Thev might
push haro. oller woros ol encouragement. ano
act as a sounoing boaro while. at the same time.
guioing the mentee in the right oirection ano
realigning the course ol action when neeoeo.
Mentors share their vision. setting oesireo
outcomes ano the route to achieve them. Thev
can be inspirational through the knowleoge
thev have. the wisoom thev are willing to share.
ano the oesire to see their mentee achieve goals
ano jump huroles.
As mentioneo earlier. there are manv oillerent
kinos ol mentoring relationships. I have been
lortunate enough to encounter ano work with
some ol the best mentors available unoer
various circumstances.
As the lormer Director ol Logistics at Mver Lto
where I was emploveo lor manv vears. I have
hao the great pleasure ol working with CEO
Bernie Brookes ano lormer Chairman Bill
Wavish.
Initiallv. as line managers. thev were oirect in
their approach verv nrm but. equallv. verv
lair. Once an initial rapport hao been
establisheo. ano thev were comlortable that I
hao the potential to oeliver the outcome lor the
challenge set belore us a Hairv. auoacious
goal. within a verv short time lrame. thev
pusheo me to achieve the next level. stretching
mv bounoaries ano horizons. Thev provioeo
ample support ano encouragement. ano were
there to assist where I mav have struggleo. It
was reassuring to know I was believeo in ano
backeo. this serveo to reinlorce mv motivation
to accomplish the goals. Essentiallv. mv
mentors at Mver nurtureo mv inspiration ano
orive to achieve the oesireo outcomes.
Bernie Brookes came into mv lile in 200o as mv
new line manager ouring the restructuring ol
Mver. He was tough as a line manager verv
nrm. extremelv lair. verv generous. humble to
the core. wise. ano happv to share. He was an
exceptionallv gooo communicator. great
listener. terrinc aoviser. ano alwavs lolloweo
through. Alwavs consistent with his message.
Bernie was verv encouraging. hao great
subject-matter expertise imparteo bv Feter
Ramsav. These are examples ol mentoring
relationships that occurreo as a result ol
excellent working relationships. Thev were not
ol the lormal varietv. but inlormal. transpiring
naturallv. ano hugelv benencial.
FORMAL MENTORING
Other mentoring relationships I have
experienceo were as a result ol actuallv seeking
someone out with the aim ol expanoing mv
knowleoge base ano outlook. These are lormal
mentormentee relationships. with an
unoerlving structure incluoing planneo
sessions. conlerence calls. ano the like.
Essentiallv. I was looking lor someone to help
take me to the next level someone with all the
great qualities mentioneo earlier. I louno Matt
Church: a prolessional speaker. communication
eoucator. thought leaoer. ano mentor.
There were things I knew that I oion`t know
ano. hence. I coulo pursue inlormation
pertaining to them. However. there were things
I was unaware ol ano oio not know to ask
about. Working with someone who hao been
exposeo to a wioer range ol experience ano
oillerent expertise lrom that encountereo
within mv workplace someone like Matt
Church was ioeal. I was oriven to learn more.
Matt has an innate abilitv to put others at great
ease. It`s possible to leel comlortable with him
quicklv. He combines exceptionallv gooo
people skills with a great sense ol humour.
terrinc loresight. ano wisoom. As a mentor.
Matt takes his work seriouslv ano has his
mentees` best interests at heart. He is verv
articulate. a great role mooel. ano takes his
mentees lorwaro on their journev. He`s
evervthing a prolessional mentor shoulo be.
Kvlie Hammono is a highlv experienceo ano
skilleo executive career coach with whom I
have hao the pleasure ol working. Due to the
close wav she works with her clients. Kvlie can
also be consioereo a mentor. As well as being
an excellent coach ano communicator. she is
hanos on` when it comes to organisational
oetails lor executive career transitions in mv
case. leaving Mver. incluoing overseeing
resumes. LinkeoIn pronles. et cetera. Kvlie is
also aoept at lacilitating outplacements ano
strategic networking. enabling boaro
appointments ano other progressive career
moves. She has. aooitionallv. ollereo assistance
as a sounoing boaro` lor possible business
ventures.
LEADERSHIP = MENTORING
Mv nrm beliel is that leaoership equates to
mentorship. ano that solio leaoership requires
excellent communication skills. rapport. ano a
personal empathv towaros colleagues.
emplovees. ano team members.
empathv. ano was alwavs arouno lor
troubleshooting. I consioer Bernie a verv nne
mentor inoeeo. ano an outstanoing role mooel.
Highlv energetic ano sell-connoent. Bernie has
an enthusiasm that is catching. he has the
abilitv to coax the best out ol people. even in
high-pressure environments with complex
problems. As a mentor. Bernie is oeltlv skilleo
at hanoling people. loreseeing outcomes.
organising ano leaoing teams. inspiring. ano
empowering.
Bill Wavish is a nercelv intelligent man who is
happv to share his abunoant wisoom. He
believeo in mv potential lor success. was a great
teacher. consistent with his expectations. ano
hao exceptional lollow-through. He helpeo me
to achieve what hao seemeo to be the
impossible. ano mv experience with this
stretcheo me bevono mv own comprehension.
Feter Ramsav. who workeo alongsioe me at
Mver. was a consultant a specialist in logistics
who came in to help oevelop a supplv-chain
strategv. He hao excellent insight. ano
lurthereo mv unoerstanoing ol the kev aspects
involveo in creating a worlo-class supplv chain.
Consequentlv. it became possible lor someone
like me. without an extensive backgrouno in
supplv chain. to be appointeo as the Director ol
Supplv Chain lor the new` Mver unoer private
equitv ownership. Aooitionallv. not onlv was I
enableo to complete the transition lrom Coles
eight months aheao ol scheoule. but also to
translorm what was a meoiocre supplv chain at
a time ol acquisition into a worlo-class
operation. with large savings to the companv`s
bottom line. wav aheao ol time lrame.
I have no ooubt that this was all maoe possible
because ol the mentoring receiveo lrom Bill ano
Bernie. ano also. to certain oegree. the
Mentors share their vision, setting desired outcomes
and the route to achieve them. They can be
inspirational through the knowledge they have, the
wisdom they are willing to share, and the desire to see
their mentee achieve goals and jump hurdles.
I have alwavs lelt it ol vital importance to speno
time with mv team. inoiviouallv or in a group
setting. Il. as a leaoer. vou can commit qualitv
time to vour team. this will unoerpin the
leaoership role. therebv making it easier. more
elncient. ano certainlv a lot more ellective in
the long term. The more knowleoge vou pass on
to vour team. the more successlul vou will
become. Remember. vou are onlv as gooo as
the people who work lor vou.
It`s mv sincere opinion that I have an obligation
to give back to the communitv. Ior me. this
involves spenoing qualitv time with aspiring
inoiviouals ano executives to help make a
success ol their lives ano careers while. at the
same time. helping the organisations thev work
lor become more successlul ano prontable. This
is the path I will take as a mentor.
I have been blesseo to have hao a great manv
people help me in mv journev. ano to have
learneo the intricacies ano the verv tangible
benents ano value ol mentoring. Some ol the
best oecisions a companv can make are talent
management ano investing in human resources
ano relationships. Through promoting personal
oevelopment ano growth. it will be louno that
people are a business`s best asset.
The nurturing. realisation. ano expansion ol
inoivioual potential is one ol the most valuable
courses a person mav pursue or receive. It is this
value I inteno to pass on to others through the
time-proven ano empowering methoos ol
mentoring.
About Prakash
Until recentlv. Frakash Menon was the Director ol Logistics lor Mver Australia. Since leaving Mver. Frakash has joineo the boaro
ol Shooii an online retail start-up venture strategic investment. with more ventures to lollow. A worlo-class mentor. he is also the
author ol three books to be releaseo in the lorthcoming months. incluoing the Retail Revolution supplv-chain success svstem. Frakash
is an entrepreneur. philanthropist. ano an inspirational conlerence speaker. Ior lurther inlormation. please see:
http:au.linkeoin.compubprakash-menon29ab37