Mentoring At Its Best
By Clive Simpkins, Sat Dec 10th
A daunting challenge facing South Africa at present is thecreation of employment. This requires people with eitherqualifications or capability to be drawn into the economicallyactive sector. Most important of all, it requires a commitmentfrom as many skilled South Africans as possible, to mentor otherpeople without expectation of a return. How do you developpeople capable of eclectic, creative, visionary and usablethinking? The first challenge is that qualifications are not the same ascapability. A certificate or university degree willtheoretically testify to someone’s ability to think at a certainlevel. Example: Kwame, the highly personable, formallywell-educated young black man in Donald Trump’s ‘The Apprentice’TV series, was pipped at the post by a seat-of-the-pantsentrepreneurial young man who could make up the script as hewent along. Even though Kwame was American educated, he typifieda certain element in South African business today. He wasdescribed by Trump’s insightful female marketing guru as a ‘textbook man.’ There can be no greater curse. If it was between thepages of a marketing manual, or in a Harvard Business Reviewarticle, or in an MBA case-study or syndicate discussion, thenit will be applied almost to the letter. But the ability toround-trip that information, compare it to a host of otherscenarios and come up with a creative leap that can be appliedto a fluid or volatile marketing demand, is another kind ofability altogether. It’s a talent which develops with rareexceptions, only from being joined at the hip of a genuinementor. Not all mentors are genuine. I have experience of some in SouthAfrica’s multinationals who claim employment equity (EE)commitment. They’re hellishly good talkers, but backstage, areracists of note. Their stock modus operandi is to ‘set up’ youngblack executives in their company, and then systematically erodetheir status and self-esteem through a series of subtle butdenigrating ‘failure’ experiences. At the end of which thepseudo-mentor probably sits back and says, “See, I told you‘they’ wouldn’t be up to it.” This isn’t a theoretical scenario.The HR director of one of these companies had a literal tantrumin his office when I accused his executive of complicity andculpability in this conspiracy-to-fail. In paraphrasedShakespearean terms I fear he protested too much. There wereother creepies in their woodwork too. Like dictating to staffhow they would complete certain assessment forms so the companywould garner specific awards - nauseating and disgracefullydishonest. But they make a killing, in literal and metaphoricterms whilst their black talent revolving
door spins apace.
Anglo American Corporation quietly understood the process manyyears back. They created the position of ‘executive assistant.’You were joined at the hip with one of the luminaries in theorganization. Perfectly implemented, such a mentoring becomes(excluding lala-time as we say in Zulu) a 24x7 exercise. Not only should that young person be with you every businessminute – regardless of the confidentiality of the situation,they should go with you to clients, be there when you negotiate,be there when you assist a staffer in crisis, be there when youhire or fire someone. They should go to business luncheons, betaught the finer points of globally acceptable business andsocial etiquette, be exposed to the vagaries of culturaldifferences. They should go to the theatre and movies with you.They should learn to play golf or squash or some other‘networking’ orientated sport. They should be sponsored to joina country club so they get to understand how an old-boys orgirls network operates. They should be made to read voraciouslyoutside of their specific career interest so they becomeinteresting conversationalists. They need to travel, to see andexperience how the proverbial ‘other half’ lives. The genuine mentor is she or he who will allow the one beingmentored to suffer if necessary if that’s the quick route to thelearning. People never truly learn from just theory andintellectual input. They learn experientially. Teach them to beutterly and completely honest. Explain the simple distinctionbetween diplomacy and truth. If you’re in the office and theperson says ‘She’s away at a conference today’ that’s a blatantlie. The simple and truthful answer is, ‘She’s unfortunately notavailable at present. May I take a message?’ Got it? There areno white lies. They’re lies. If you wish to mentor well, leavebehind a legacy in which your protégé is committed passionatelyto a moral and ethical path personally and professionally. Youwill contribute not only to your company and the community butto the planet. A final thought for the one being mentored: Please don’t competewith your mentor. If they’re genuine they’re seeking to have yougrow beyond where they are. Appropriate humility and receptivityare essential prerequisites, if you’re to benefit. About the author:Clive is a marketing and communications strategist and publishedbook author. His speciality is facilitating sustainable changein individuals and organizations. Website: http://www.imbizo.com |
