How to Be a Mentor in the Workplace and in Life

How to Be a Mentor in the Workplace and in LifeHow to Be a Mentor in the Workplace and in LifeBy Dawn FayBeing a mentor is part of who I am. Ive made it a point to mentor a lot of people in my many years at Robert Half. But I didnt start out knowing how to be a mentor. Most people dont. I learned by modeling myself after those who took me under their wing. From an early age, I sought advice from the individuals I fruchtwein respected, from my phenomenal fatherbei, a CPA, to my college professors. And as my career progressed, I found influential mentors in the workplace every step along the way.I was first mentored professionally during a job at a law firm the summer after my freshman year of college. I ended up working at the firm part time through college, and after graduation, I was able to pass the torch to the next student worker. With a sense of pride and responsibility, I mentored her into the role.Then, during my early career as a financial analyst, I realized it meant so much to me to have had a mentor help me as I was starting out. I decided then that I would pay it forward. By being a mentor, I could provide guidance and share my knowledge to help others succeed in the workplace. And thats what Ive continually tried to do.Are you looking to be a mentor? In my opinion, its a win-win proposition. Heres my advice on getting the ball rollingInsights about how to be a mentorIf you want to find out how to be a mentor in the workplace, a good first step is to ask whether your company has an employee mentorship program.Im proud to say Ive been involved for almost 23 years in our companys formal supervision program. It supports the transfer of leadership knowledge by matching mentors with newly promoted employees. also supports informal mentoring to enhance career development, and Ive offered my help in many different forms over the years.LEARN ABOUT WORKING AT Mentoring relationships can be built outside of work, too. I recently had lunch with one of my niece s, and we talked about the next steps in her career. I like to think I give her a point of view she might not get elsewhere. Ive found the same thing to be true when Ive been involved with nonprofits, like Dress for Success and Upwardly Global.Many people assume their supervisors should be their mentors, but the role of a mentor is to be a guide - not a boss. Its to bring a different perspective rather than a set of answers.How do you begin the process? If you sign up to participate in a formal workplace program, your company will likely strategically pair mentors and mentees, and provide established goals and measurable outcomes to aim for. These engagements typically last a set period of time. As mentioned, you can also mentor others informally.Whether you are part of an official program or mentoring someone on your own time, consider these six suggestions to make the experience valuable and enjoyable for both parties1. Adopt a rookie mindset. I have this motto Always be the rook ie. When youre new at something, youre eager, open to learning, always practicing. You arent discouraged by mistakes. Mentors should have that attitude, too, and they will get just as much out of the relationship as the person theyre mentoring. Its a growth opportunity for both sides.2. Be open-minded about whom you mentor. One piece of advice I offer mentors is that if you have a choice, be open to coaching people with whom you may not have anything in common. Ive mentored vastly different types of people, at all levels. Diversity helps give a person fresh perspectives.3. Serve as a trusted adviser. When you are a mentor, you are so many different things. On any given day, you can be a teacher, a friend, a coach or a confidante. You play a lot of roles. But I think what it all boils down to is that being a mentor is the same as being a trusted adviser. People need to feel comfortable that they can go to you and be open with their thoughts, concerns and aspirations. And you should l isten and be fully present.FIND YOUR NEXT GREAT HIRE4. Dont just be a cheerleader. You want to be uplifting, but its important for a mentor to be honest with the person theyre mentoring and to share the things they can do to improve. Its not about telling people what they want to hear. If Im mentoring someone whos stuck in a rut, I can be a shoulder for them to lean on. But I also want to let them know they need to take action, so Ill talk about the specific things they need to accomplish as next steps before we talk again.5. Know how to be a mentor who motivates and inspires. Mentors should set a good example and also provide examples. When I get together with the people I mentor at work, for instance, I talk about real-life situations, with anecdotes about what Ive been through or how I reached a goal or overcame a hurdle. I offer my insights and share my experiences. Depending on how well I know the person, I also remind them of their own history and what theyve achieved.6. Stay in contact. My husband tells me, Youve kept in touch with everyone youve ever known since you were 2. That comment describes one of the foundations of my mentoring. Just as with any relationship, after youve invested time and energy in the process of mentoring, I believe you should take the lead in staying connected. It can be as simple as sending a quick email or LinkedIn message to check in or offer kudos.The rewards of mentoringAs Ive grown in my career to the point where Im now based in New York City, where I oversee 40 offices with almost 800 people on my team, Ive tried to establish a culture in which employees consistently help others, to give back and continue the chain of support. My message You get as much as you give, and everybody can learn from everybody.Whether youre helping someone solve a problem, hit a goal, learn a skill, navigate a challenge or make a transition, you can make a difference in somebodys life.It means a lot to me when someone sends a note that says, Thanks so much for that advice, or, Thank you for being there for me. The true giftstoff is seeing people advance in their careers and their lives, and knowing youve played a part in that growth.

This is the worst airline of 2019, according to the rankings

This is the worst airline of 2019, according to the rankingsThis is the worst airline of 2019, according to the rankingsGot a trip coming up? Double check which airline you selected because on Monday researchersat Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, released their29th annual Airline Quality Ranking to the public.In order to provide a comprehensively objective ranking as possible, AQR took four key factors into account, namely mishandled baggage, customer complaints, on-time performance and involuntary denied boardings. These results are very needed by the traveling public, given all the recent reports of airlines losing the confidence of key consumers, says the studies co-author, Brent Bowen, aprofessor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddles Prescottcampus.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraThe data suggests vast improvements from all airlines acros s the board, more specifically, the new study reports the least incidents of bumped passengers, the lowest rate of mishandled baggage, and the lowest rate of customer complaints since the inception of The Annual Airline Quality Ranking all the way back in 1991. On this Bowen optimistically adds the following, Travelers can be confident that our airlines are improving.Top flightDelta Airlines ascended from the number two spot it took last year to number one in the 2019 ranking- a spot previously held by Alaska Airlines. According to the authors that surveyed the numbers, Delta welches the only US airline that improved in all four categories mentioned above.Alaska Airlines, which fell to number four this year might have the Alaska-Virgin America merger that took place March of last year to blame, considering the AQR ranking took the performance of both for the entire year into account.JetBlue was awarded the number two spot this year.Frontier was given the last spot on AQRs 29th annua l list and The Point Guys third annual list (Delta was also ranked first on both lists). The full AQR ranking is as followsThe top 10 airlines for 20191. Delta2. JetBlue3. Southwest Airlines4. Alaska Airlines5.Hawaiian Airlines6.United Airlines7. Spirit Airlines8. American Airlines9. FrontierYou might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to give your to-do list a goal-getter makeover

How to give your to-do list a goal-getter makeoverHow to give your to-do list a goal-getter makeoverThe new year is here Its time to crush those goals - but first, lets give your to-do list a little makeover and make getting sh*t done in 2019 as efficient as possible.First, grab yours and scan the first 5 tasks listed (if you dont have one, then we have a bigger problem - skip the next two paragraphs and dive right into the fruchtwein effective tool at your fingertips right this very minute).Whats prioritized at the top of your list? Laundry, returning calls or emails, errands you need to zulauf? Chances are your list is a blend of your personal and professional life - what it takes just to stay on top of everything, and not a plan to achieve the longer-term goals youve platzdeckchen.With the daily responsibilities of adulting - your job/career responsibilities, being a parent, a spouse and trying to have a social life, youre left with a whole lot of chaos and not a lot of time. Its easy to be sidetracked from your dreams and the someday plans that fight for your attention. Thats why I live die by my daily to-do list - and make sure its working for me beyond simply keeping me afloat.When I take the time to plan out my day and week, Im more productive, focused and proactive. I find more time for personal activities, and accomplish goals that actually move my geschftsleben forward. In my post, 7 Sanity-Saving Tips for Busy Mompreneurs the tip that seemed to resonate most with readers was to make your To-Do List actually work for you. Here are my tips on how to do just that.Cmon get app-yUsing an app on your smart phone to manage your To Do List makes things extremely easy convenient, since your phone is with you all the time. I love theWunderlistapp, andEvernote, for managing my to-do list because I can keep several running lists of things that need to get done, and update them whenever a thought pops into my head, plusSet up a daily to-do, weekly list, an d long-term goals, and simply move these tasks around as they become a prioritySet up reminders to alert you when tasks or lists must get done. (As I was finishing up this article, I got an alert from Wunderlist telling me that it was time to finish this article. So meta)Quickly add an item to your list as you think of it, clip an article to read later, add a grocery item to your running list and share it with your spouse or assistant (collab delegate) and sync to your desktop seamlessly.Use your smartphones dictation feature - just press the little microphone and talk. What could be easier?Plan ahead to succeedNow that you know where youll make and keep your list, you can set aside 10-15 minutes in the evening to create your action list. In the morning, we tend to grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and tackle never-ending email, right? But at night, when things are quiet and distractions are at a minimum, you can take some time to focus on how to be most productive the following day. Planning your list at night allows you to get everything out of your head and onto your action list. Youll sleep better after youve cleared your mind and can hit the ground running in the morning.Keep it (chrono)logicalThis seems obvious, but as youre planning your day, be realistic about how long things willactuallytake, what your absolute must-do items for the day are (top of the list and starred), and how organizing your tasks and errands chronologicallyand geographicallymakes the most sense. For example, if you have a lunch meeting that is near a grocery store, plan an extra 15 minutes to run in and save a second time-consuming trip. Make a sub-list of the things you need to get so you can run in and out without forgetting anything. By arranging your day properly, youll be amazed at how much more efficient you can beEmploy the 3 Ps Projects, People, PrioritiesHigh-Performance expertBrendon Burchardstresses the importance of organizing your day by considering the Projects, Peopl e and Priorities that matter most. Thinking this way is key to really moving your business forward and finally accomplishing your bigger goals.Projects List the top 3-5 projects you have going right now. Include 3 simple things you need to do to advance these projects- beyond your daily to-dos. Chip away at the bigger goals through smaller, actionable tasks you can tackle each day.People Ask yourself, Who am I waiting on? (or,Who is waiting on me?) If you need a decision, information, or data to complete your part of the task, reach out to the people who can give you what youre waiting on to move forward on your bigger goals.Priorities List the 5-10 urgent things that you absolutely must get accomplished today. List it, do it, cross it off. If it take less than 5-10 minutes, just do itnow.Be specific A task like answer email or organize desk is too broad and will remain on your listforever. Instead, return client email re press plan or file papers on desk for five minutes is more sp ecific and attainable. You may not achieve inbox zero or organize your whole office, but even answering a few pressing emails or sorting for five minutes a day will add up.Get fired upStart your day in the right mindset, then dive in Wake up earlier, even by just 10-15 minutes. The goal is to eventually wake up a whole hour early, by starting with 10 minutes each day until youre adjusted. Before you jump into work head first, get in the right mindset Meditate for 10 minutes (try appsCalmorHeadspacefor easy, guided meditations), stretch or exercise, take a shower, and drink lots of water. Ask yourself, What am I most fired-up about today? and start from a place of passion and purpose.Now you know how to use time to your advantage to really rock your goals Challenge yourself to see how many spare minutes can you find in your day, and make them count And tell me, do you have any surefire tips to share about how you organize your to-do list?This article was originally published on Creat e and Cultivate.