The Art of Mentoring and Staff
Development
Presented by:
Kay W. Soltis
Director of Financial Aid
Pacific Lutheran University
Staff Development and
Mentoring
Where are you in your career
• At the Beginning
• Promotion/Advancement
• Looking forward to Retirement
Staff Development
• At the beginning
Become well versed in your
responsibilities
Stretch yourself
Volunteer for your professional
organization
How does one prepare
Training - Programmatic
Professional Development
Coaching – A collaboration in which the person
being coached (coachee) defines the agenda and
the coach serves as a committed listener, active
inquirer and instrument of change.
Mentoring – Coaching and copying, this is one
time plagiarizing is a good thing, what you are
trying to do is learn from the mentor the talents
you would like to emulate.
Mentor
Defined as the process by which
“experienced people who go out of their way
to 1) help you clarify your vision and personal
goals and 2) build skills to reach them” It is a
relationship of influence, of moving forward in
ways that simple book learning, training
manuals and static leadership concepts
cannot achieve. A critical first step in
maximizing this powerful tool is pairing people
in mentoring relationships that work. (The
mentoring Match; Finding the perfect pairing
by Liz Selzer, Ph.D; CW Bulletin)
Mentoring Quote
Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen,
and a push in the right direction. ~ John C.
Crosby
I’ve learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them
feel. ~ Maya Angelou
Benefits to a Mentor
What kind of attributes should one look for in a
mentor
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Someone in the corporation/institution
that is well respected, gets things done
Availability
Experience
Trust
Attitude
Maturity
Honesty
Good listener, willing to give guidance to the
mentee to problem solve and develop
confidence and reinforces analytical skills
Benefits for Mentee
• Supportive system
• Internal view on how to control your
career
• Opportunity to see diverse perspective
and experiences
• Learn good communications skills - give
and take
• Commit to constructive feedback
• Set goals and review on a regular basis
Benefits to the Organization
• Contributes to a positive climate and a
clear understanding of professional
responsibilities and expectations
• May increase employee satisfaction and
retention by allowing a new employee to
feel part of the organization
• Allows for improved job performance,
adds to faster learning all resulting a
better trained staff
Finding a Mentor
• Does your institution have a formal
mentoring program?
• How about your college alma mater?
• Other organizations you may be
associated with
• If so these formal programs normally
have a process to match mentee with
mentors
Finding a Mentor on your
Own
• Identify someone you admire and
respect
• Decide what you hope to gain/need
in a mentor
• What characteristics are you looking
for in a mentor
• Ask around including co-workers
and subordinates for input
What to look for in a Mentor
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Someone you can respect
Look for a role model
Honesty
Sense of humor
Good listening skills
Offer feedback /constructive criticism
Positive upbeat attitude
What do mentors do?
• Help assess your strengths and
weaknesses
• Help you develop skills for success
and long range career plan
• Foster your sense of belonging with
the institution
• Help you navigate the company
culture and politics
Succession
• How to prepare for succession
• Qualities for succession vary based
on position
Summary
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Art of Mentoring
Professional Development
Succession Plan
Questions
Question and Answers
Contact Information:
Kay W. Soltis
Director of Financial Aid
Pacific Lutheran University
253-535-7161
soltiskw@plu.edu