Finding a mentor and setting the scene #mentoring

During 2013 - 2014 I participated in the Leadership Foundation Aurora programme.  As part of this initiative Heriot-Watt University offered all participants the opportunity to have a mentor within the university.  This worked well for me and was a valuable experience and I blogged about it here http://bit.ly/1zwbvDc

It also made me realise what I wanted from a mentor and that this would be different at different stages of my role within a university and at different times in my career.  In fact the realisation that asking for help and pro-actively seeking a mentor is an important decision and is a positive step. Some people do not want mentoring and I can understand this as it is difficult to articulate difficulties or challenges that you have without feeling negative or feeling like a failure.  But pro-actively seeking a mentor is a good thing to do and an opportunity.  So you have to self-mentor in order to have the confidence to ask and go for it.  Of course, there will be instances when people do not want to be a mentor, I have experienced this but for the most part people are very willing and engaging.  I also wanted to make the decision myself as to who I would ask as I had a good idea of what I was looking for and I take it quite seriously.
The two previous mentors that I have had have both been very efficient and effective with a straight forward approach probably similar to mine.  This has been useful as it enabled me to take their suggestions on board and fit them with a way of working that I could manage.  But this time I thought it would be useful to ask someone who could give me a different perspective on challenges and also someone outside of the institution that I work in.
During 2012 - 2013 I worked at the University of Edinburgh as the Student Information Points Manager which was part of the university Student Experience Project.  The Student Experience Project manager is Mark Wilkinson.  He started in the role a few months after me and was my line manager for a while until I moved to Heriot-Watt. This meant that we got to know each other a bit over a short period of time so have a basis of trust and respect.  As well as being very good at his job he is a person of integrity which is important to me in a mentor - trustworthy but not always too serious.  Also he has a good way of pointing out things that you might be doing wrong without you feeling bad about it.  I contacted him to see if he would be interested in mentoring and included a brief summary of what I was interested in discussing as broad headings.
Managing and leadership – similarities and differences
Managing people and managing teams within a professional service. 
Change management - ideas about effectively managing a change project or initiative.
Influencing and negotiating​
How to make the most of opportunities that arise within a University and recognising how they may be of use to me in my career development

He was happy to take part in mentoring and we agreed to meet up on a regular basis once or twice a semester.  So far we have had 2 meetings and it has been very useful. In our first meeting we talked about a variety of topics, general and specific including:

Discussion about mentoring and what we could both gain from the experienceThe format of our meetings i.e. an opportunity to talk about work situations in general and also an opportunity to look at specific challenges and strategies for coping with and resolving them. Building teams – inheriting 'embedded staff' and how to clarify 'how you would like them to work' Values – recognising values and matching them to the role that you work in.  Common values bring common purpose to team.  Finding a balance between seeking consensus and setting out a position.  Clarifying your position as a manager for your team and also for line manager.  Setting a challenge – one thing to work on before next meeting

So far so good and it has definitely been useful to look at things from a different perspective and from someone who I know but have not got a long history of working with closely.  Mentoring, for me, is different to line managing - I have a line manager, she is very good, I'm not trying to replicate that working relationship.  I don't feel under pressure to resolve issues which is good for me as in my normal working situation I am very solution focused.  Mentoring is providing a structured and informed, by someone with experience and insight, opportunity for me to stand back and have a look at what I'm doing and what I would like to do.  

Leadership Foundation Aurora - reflections from participating in the Aurora programme #LFAurora

Leadership Foundation Aurora - what I have learnt from participating in the programme, from background reading, from liaising with others and from reflecting.

• I have increased my knowledge of what it means to be a manager and a leader and the differences between the two roles as well as the complementary skills.
• It has enabled me to look at my professional identity and how I should develop
  
• Opportunities - be prepared to take them, don't take them all, choose carefully, don't self-sabotage

• Engage with others,  use their energy - make the most of people that you know - ask for help and advice
• Learn to manage difficult conversations 
• Try to establish a clarity of purpose, even if in reality there are inconsistencies and contradictions, and communicate it.
• Find a way of dealing with the negatives and be able to put them to one side.
• Quick wins and visibility - consider embracing these even if it's not your usual way of operating
• Power and politics - you have to realise that it's there, it's not possible to opt out 

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Heriot-Watt #LFAurora

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Heriot-Watt  #LFAurora

A session was held during International Women's Week to evaluate the Aurora programme to date

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Mentoring #LFAurora

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Mentoring  #LFAurora

As part of the commitment by Heriot-Watt University to the LF Aurora programme, all participants have been offered a mentor within the university.  The mentors are women in senior positions.  
Before being allocated a mentor, we had to fill in a short form saying what we would like from mentoring.  These were my suggestions: 

What would you like to gain from the mentoring relationship?

An opportunity to discuss with a person in a senior position in the University how they have advanced their career in the HE sector.
Also to discuss how opportunities that arise within the University may be of use to me in my career development and strategies for optimising these opportunities.

Do you have any particular areas of learning or interest at this stage that you would like to explore in the mentoring?

Managing and leadership – similarities and differences

Managing people, managing teams within a professional service

Influencing and negotiating

Describe the type of individual you believe would be best suited to you within the mentoring relationship. (Please use experience, level and area of working within the University, education, personal qualities, skills, and interests etc. as indicators as appropriate.)

I would prefer a mentor who is a member of a Professional Services rather than an academic as I feel this would be more relevant to me – but not from my own directorate i.e. Information Services.

I would prefer someone who while being a good listener, has lots of practical suggestions to offer and strategies for success within the University.

Career development at this University and at other institutions is of interest to me so it would be good to have a mentor who had a variety of experience at different institutions.

Change management is of interest to me so someone who has effectively managed a large change project or initiative would be of value.

I was allocated a mentor and we met a number of times.  It was a very useful experience and provided me with valuable insights into the workings of the institution and how to operate in a university environment.

My mentor is a very hardworking and efficient person and it made me realise that that when you work in Professional Services you have to be able cover a lot of ground and be effective in a lot of areas.  But is this what leads to success?  is it by definition more difficult when you are not an academic as you don't have that as your reason for being - are you always going to be a jack of all trades....

We focused on certain tasks and she gave me advice on how to manage change within my team, how to motivate staff and to move things forward.  It was a straightforward approach which I appreciated and was relatively easy for me to work with.  It helped me clarify to myself and to my team what we were meant to be doing and ways of doing this in Heriot-Watt University.

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Core Leadership Skills #LFAurora

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Core Leadership Skills  #LFAurora

Welcome by Ginnie Willis, Programme Director.

Introduction to the day by Rebecca Nestor.
Introduction to Leadership - it is important to practice leadership behaviours and to choose opportunities carefully.
Core leadership skills - people are more likely to do things for you if they know why. Complex tasks need more than simple rewards.
People are motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose.  It is good for motivation if people know why they do what they do.  Discussion about the processes that are used within organisations to let people know what they are trying to achieve.  But it is important to remember that in the real world / everyday life there are lots of inconsistencies and contradictions - what you can achieve and what motivates people is dependent on context.

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Action Learning Set #LFAurora

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Action Learning Set #LFAurora

The action learning set was a valuable day because:

• It was an opportunity to work with other people that I wouldn't normally work with
• All of the people in the group were efficient, resourceful and knowledgeable and also empathetic and understanding
• It was an opportunity to work in a group for a purpose and in a format and structure i.e. an action learning set, that I hadn't experienced before
• It was a safe environment in which to share issues
• It was interesting to hear other peoples issues and recognise similar challenges
• It was useful to talk things through and be guided to find my own solutions
• It was valuable to be offered objective solutions from others 
  (Although we followed the action learning process in not proffering solutions, we decided that it was ok to have an additional part to the session when we did offer advice and suggestions)

Leadership Foundation Aurora - Power and Politics #LFAurora

Aurora Leadership Foundation for HE

Power and Politics

The second Leadership Foundation Aurora event took place last Friday in Glasgow at the Marriott Hotel.  The day was focused around the theme of Power and Politics.  The preparatory reading and tasks involved reflecting on the management and leadership of your organisation and who has the power and influence.  There were two articles to read about women in the workplace and self-awareness and also about personality and perceptions.  It is thought provoking, and at times frustrating, to consider these issues and realise that it is difficult to influence perceptions and impressions.  Does competence have to take second place to warmth and likability?  Is it an either or?  Can you be successful by competence alone?  Probably not, you need to connect with people.

Unlike the previous event, this time we were allocated tables so that we would be sat with a group of delegates for the day and this group will become our action learning set.  

As at the last event Ginnie Willis, the Aurora Programme Director introduced the day and emphasised the importance of networking and making the most of the opportunities that the Aurora programme offers.  

She then handed over to Rosemary Stamp who facilitated the day.  She talked about the importance of power and politics in HE and that now is an opportunity to use new skills and new approaches.  There is a growing realisation that the skills that women have are useful to HE and business.  

I find it is very useful listening to successful women explaining about how the system works and giving insight into subjects such as power and politics.  There is always that feeling, and I think that it is shared by many women, that politics is there and you could of course ignore it or opt out of it, but to be successful you have to understand it.  If only you could just be competent and honest and do a good job.....but on the other hand it is good to connect, collaborate and share.
There was a discussion about understanding the culture of the institution that you work within, making the most of the opportunities and using emotional intelligence.
One of the main speakers of the day was Ann Priest, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of College of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University.  She gave a very interesting talk about how she has got to where she is today and the successes she has had and also some insights into challenges along the way.  She talked about self esteem and belief and integrity.  Also about having a passion for a subject and having a big idea.  Some of these ideas were ones that Lesley Yellowlees raised last time about having a specialty, something that you're very good at and then move on from there.  I think this is easier for academics or people with vocations and also do you lose all of this, by necessity, when you become a senior manager?
We then talked quite a bit in our groups about different networks including formal networks, informal networks, cross-organisational networks, expert groups, mentors etc. It was interesting to find out from other delegates which networks they value and for what purpose.  
We talked a bit about goals and how to communicate your goals to others.  How to make sure that communication is clear and that other people understand the purpose of your role or service.  This is definitely something that I have to keep working at - I'm aware that sometimes I have been thinking and planning things so much that when I come to communicate it to others I explain in my way rather than fitting it to those on the receiving end.  i miss out chunks because it seems obvious to me but it can appear unclear.  There were some suggested books about communication so I will look for them. 
There was some discussion about negative aspects in organisations and this is something that I think is essential.  There is absolutely no point being negative - even if something is wrong because it's unlikely it will change back.  You've got to see it as an opportunity to change something forward.  

There was an emphasis on the day on being self aware and being aware of your environment and making the most of it.  Also on the importance of networking and making connections - networking provides access to information, jobs, opportunities, feedback, support, political advice and protection.

I very much enjoyed the day and am looking forward to our next day which will be working in our action learning set.  

 Feedback on perceptions

 Credibility