Be funny about HR/L&D = you winning cake. That simple.



I tried convincing myself there is one of my five a day in here. It worked.



I over indulged at the weekend – I hammered through everything in the photo above (with a little help but not as much I would have liked!) and needless to say felt all the worse afterwards.



To try and avoid the temptation of such gluttony again I am going to use this image as motivation but need a suitable phrase/set of words to make it memorable.


If anyone can come up with a caption related to HR, Learning and Development, mentoring or personal development that is witty and relevant to this photo please post a comment or email with your suggestion. Best entry wins – yep, you guessed it – the cake/savoury snack of your choice from the photo delivered to your place of work.


(NB To avoid people meeting the same fate as myself the winning entry will only be allowed one of the three on display – trust me you will not feel better afterwards if you eat anything more than that)


Closing date for entries is 16.00 (GMT) on Wednesday 4th May. Look forward to some sweet entries!


A pun too far? Now that’s blogging gluttony in action for you

Going Underground

Learnt a great lesson in the value of how to ask a question this weekend.



Going to the British Library I asked an attendant at Kings Cross station whether he knew how to get there – he responded “Yes… but more to the point do you need me to tell you?”


It could have been very patronising thing to say if he had not followed it up quickly with “Because if you do I would be glad to help” and a booming belly laugh. We are talking BIG, a la Brian Blessed laughing in Flash Gordon big, with a broad smile.

It was a lesson in (elementary!) directive questioning and a reminder to both parties of the value of knowing what information needs to obtained. The irony was I was just recently commenting on a Linkedin forum about the best coaching/mentoring questions with my own suggestion – have a look here if you fancy taking part. Needless to say this attendant was a gentle reminder that we are all, myself included, a work in progress when it comes to such areas.


So what are some of the ways to approach such conversations so you avoid similar awkward laughter at yourself with members of the public? Here are some tips:


1. Ask a question if you want to know, not to massage your ego


Use questions as an opportunity to clarify, dig deeper, encourage your inquisitive nature – don’t use it as an means to reaffirm that you know your stuff. Put your esteem to one side, embrace the vulnerability of the unknown and get excited that you are about to pick up something new.


2. Never compromise yourself by not asking a question


I see this all the time at events where you have people judging others on the quality of questions being asked – do not allow this to affect you, more than likely there are 5 other people in the room who want to know. Sure the presenter will also appreciate your interest in what they are saying to boot!


Added to this I think coaches or mentors can shy away from asking a question for fear of offending the client or being misunderstood. Remember – when you are talking you learn nothing new about the situation or that of the client’s you are dealing with. View it as an opportunity to get nearer to the result you both want. If noting else the person concerned should want this above all else and if they know you are sincere in what you are asking will be receptive.


3. “No matter where you are in life, there is always more journey ahead of you”


Thank you to Nelson Mandela for the above, which neatly articulates the folly of giving in to fears and not asking questions as we go through life, let alone when chances for learning and development present themselves. In accepting the above statement I find I have more freedom and believe in the value of my questions, knowing that however much the answers to my questions move me further along there is still (depending on life expectancy of course!) more of the same ahead of me.


So welcome the uncertainty, enjoy searching for the knowledge. And if lost at Kings Cross you know which one of the London Underground attendants will direct you to the right place.

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Hanging Tough

I am reading Jason Selk's '10 Minute Toughness' at the moment and really enjoying it, being a sucker for any self improvement texts, especially if they are able to throw in some sports references along the way.

(I now know what people from the States are referring to when they mention 'bottom of the 9th' - previously I wondered what the big draw was to the 9th as everyone seemed to end up there at some point)

Anyways the general theme of the book was doing all you can to be at ease prior to competition or an event - with sports people this makes perfect sense in the context of practice sessions or routines you need to create on the day of competition, a good universal example (he said after bracketing Baseball as a US sport though it is big in Japan) being the different events you gymnasts have e.g the horse, the vault... the rope thingy with the hoops.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

It is all good stuff which can be applied to professional lives also but I wondered if there were two areas that could be used in the context of the corporate world. Thinking about it I have been inspired by Selk to come up with this - T and T: Technique and Temperament

Technique - so this is all about the skills you have at your disposal to do the job. In doubt about  your technique? Then like Selk says you need to get practiced and versed in your discipline so competition comes easy as the practice has been where you have grafted and tested yourself.

But how do you get 'match-fit' (so to speak) from a career perspective? You need to get involved at work and outside of it with events and opportunities to get exposure to areas that are alien to you but you will need to progress and move forward. 

Selk also talks about having public announcements of the changes you wish to make so others hold you to account - idea being you might be happy to let yourself down but you nearest and dearest will pull you up for progress updates etc. 

Perhaps not best to let clients know they are an experiment in your professional development but might be an idea to let friends know of your big ideas - they are more likely to have supportive suggestions and pull you up when you are not being honest ("Patrick stop making excuses - that red wine stain did not end up on the carpet by itself"). Also when people realise you are looking to develop skills in a certain area they might know of someone in their network who might be able to assist/advice.

Temperament - I think this is the tougher of the two to maintain and, in some ways, the more fragile as it can be a little bit more subject to the actions of others. For example, you can develop a wealth of knowledge on how to coach and mentor but there is no guaranteeing the type of questions that will be thrown at you during a session.

In some ways this is when technique comes in to its own - at least you can relax knowing you have practised your skills, it is just a case of using your judgement as to how to apply them and when.

Discretion and judgement is arguably something that can only be obtained through experience - which can be quite exciting in some ways, as at least with every step you have the opportunity to develop your skill set.

Check out Selk for more positive suggestions of ways forward. In the meantime I hope you find my T and T a dynamite piece of advice!

Resisting the temptation to add 'boom boom' for that pun... probably best to draw it to a close here for the moment.

Related articles

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Throwing Copper

Every so often we get a reminder of how the things we take for granted have a habit of biting us in the posterior when we least expect it. For example, take the case of the railway copper theft in East London this past week.

That’s right – forget your gold or platinum, copper is the precious (?!) metal on the move with it being worth in the region of £6,000 per ton.

(I say that like I am aware that this is a massive hike from previous amounts but I really have no clue – where does aluminium fit in to this? I could be a Diet Coke can millionaire)

"Ahhh my retirement fund - I have been expecting you!" Image by cackhanded via Flickr

Due to the rise in value some thieves removed the copper lines that are required for trains to run on the Central Line in the East London area of the Underground, meaning that things came grinding to a halt earlier this week. Transport for London even went on to say that after terrorism, the removal of such materials/equipment from their lines was the biggest threat to the Underground service. No mention of where signal problems on the Bank branch of the Northern Line causing delays ranked but I am sure this was up there.


Nevertheless it is an example of how an everyday, taken for granted resource can bring a vital service to a halt with immediate effect. It got me thinking about it in the context of mentoring or coaching for all us HR professionals to bear in mind - what is the asset that we need to make sure is, ahem, copper bottomed to ensure success in these areas?


Well mentoring is often aimed at being learner lead and reading Julie Starr’s excellent ‘Coaching Manual’, I was struck by how non-directive conversations can be used to empower people. This was a reminder of what many coaches state – you are aiming to equip the person or organisation with the skills and wherewithal to move resolve their issue and have strategies they can apply when moving forward, not as a repeat crux for the problems they are having.


Viewing it in this context, I wonder if a coach or mentor’s version of copper rails is not losing sight of the fact they should letting people to their own devices at the end of the assignment/project? Or maybe you might think that being able to resist the temptation to jump in and be really direct and supervise a peer on the way forward, rather than letting the solutions be a joint venture?


Perhaps you think it is none of the above – if so, what would you consider to be the equivalent of copper?


You might take it for granted but will know its value when it delays your journey – whether it be professional or geographical.

p.s. prize for anyone who can spot the mid-90s musical reference in this post

Shine a light

I was struck by the following quote from Nietszhe, and felt it had some relevance in the context of coaching, mentoring , performance management… hell just most aspects of management in general I reckon! (shout out to Robbie Steinhouse from previous posts whose book I found it in):

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how”

It really made me stop and think about how if we have a purpose to what we do we can always find a means to reach our goals – where there is a will and all that. Maybe it is a little too high brow for your liking? I know, for all that I got from that quote, if you asked me who this guy was I would most probably struggle to give you anything beyond a garbled recount of information from Wikipedia.

So how about a metaphor I can help explain a little more to keep in mind when dealing with issues of development or performance? And that you might not be questioned about so deeply if you bump in to some Stephen Fry types when you want to throw the example in to conversation? I think you could do a lot worse than consider the Green Lantern.

‘Green who?’ I hear you say - shame on you!

Hands up who wants pizza? (Image via Wikipedia)

I’ll avoid going in to a detailed account of the character, I will leave that up to you to investigate though I encourage you to do so. (I am a bias comic nut but I think aside from the sheer escapism there can be real benefits to engrossing yourself in this field of fiction – if anything else you don’t want to be lost when this summer’s latest cinematic blockbuster arrives)

The character traits that set it from alien predecessors or other multi-coloured Lanterns (no really – get in to this and there is a strict colour code) are twofold: will and humanity.

Before I am corrected on the details of the former, this is just a brief synopsis is for the benefit of those new to the character. By default a Green Lantern must have the ‘power’ of will – the idea being that they are the person who is able to step up in the face of challenges and adversity to make the hard choice or face the insurmountable foe, etc.

But what set Hal Jordan and those that followed him apart was their humanity. Will being applied without humanity loses some of its power, as it lacks sincerity and becomes more about coercion for those parties affected. View it in the context of performance management – one of the first things you ask of someone when trying to establish the reasons for a faltering performance is ‘are there issues outside of work we can help you with?’ We show concern for the individuals well being. Or perhaps look at it in the arena of mentoring or coaching.

With a mentoring example, one might ask “How will you feel when you achieve this? What difference will it make to your life, both professional and personal?” You look to try to play to peoples values, their sense of worth and so on.

So next time you have a project or a tough client to deal with, where you need to rely on others or want to bring them on board, keep in mind two points – what is creating the why/ the cause of what is being discussed, along with to what degree this is

Failing that ask yourself – what would the Green Lantern do? Beyond save the planet, of course…

A thousand benefits summarised in one sentence

I was thinking about how best to follow on from my last post about mentoring, how the term has been slightly high jacked by third parties and possible suggestions to encourage would be participants in schemes to take part.

I was really struggling to put together something simple and catchy, when I stumbled across the following sentence from Seth Godin’s book ‘Linchpin’:


“Mentoring is rarely about the facts of the deal (the facts of the deal can be easily found), but instead is a transfer of emotion and confidence”


Wowzer. I think that pretty much hits the nail on the head.


The context for the above sentence was Godin inviting Lester Wunderman to serve on the board of one of his internet companies, expecting him to give him the low down on direct marketing. Although they did learn it was about different areas such as decision making and strategy. The point is finding facts and information is the easy bit, anyone with a work ethic can do this on their own.





Image via Wikipedia

Who could not learn something from a man with jumpers like this? He had to sit down when the photo was taken otherwise any movement would mean he would be strobbing in shot

The sentence and the example in general help illustrate two things. Firstly, the quote helps illustrate that information is important but not knowing or not having the will/confidence to apply it makes its value redundant. Secondly the beauty of mentoring is the realisation on the part of the mentee of their ability to grab the tools at their own disposal, realising their skills and knowledge and then acting on it accordingly. This is coupled with (and this is the real kicker) that in doing so they might find the question or goal they had set out to do had completely changed as a result of being mentored – as shown in the example given with Wunderman.


The possibilities for change are endless, as finding a new answer can lead you down another, new exciting path.


Looking at it this way, who would not want to do it?

"You know Kevin, its not always easy being a hero"

Ahhhhh the knowledge of Mr Arnold in the Wonder Years - he really did have it all locked down in terms of advice and suggestions to Kevin, didn't he? Though it is not always easy being a hero, we all need them.

Image via Wikipedia

Winnie would never get another dude as righteous and cool as Kevin. The actor who played Paul (left) went on to give it up a career on stage and went on to become lead singer of Marilyn Manson

 I was having a conversation recently about mentoring and it reminded me of the scene from this episode. The other person was fearful about taking up some mentoring responsibilities, despite my best efforts to convince them otherwise - just to mention this was not within a work context but via the CIPD scheme (for more details check out my previous posts).


Their fears were about somehow being discovered as some sort of fraud, that being the mentor you were expected to have all the answers, knowledge and direction in the relationship; very much the vision of the HR Obi-Wan Kenobi so to speak.




Image via Wikipedia

"Do you have my wallet? This has no pockets and I keep losing it"

I do wonder if the perception of mentoring has been rather distorted by high profile "examples" of its practice such as the X-Factor. The mentor's opinion dominates as they provide advice/guidance to candidates for the position of recording artist; week after week they are expected to follow it remorselessly; in instances where the performance does not work the mentor is criticised for the choices they have made on behalf of the mentee and, more often then not as there is only one winner on the show, those who are not thought up to scratch get dumped on the scrap heap.

Whats left? Feelings of despair. Loss. Anger. All things which should not come out of a mentoring relationship.


This all loses sight of the fact that mentoring is a personal development process in which the mentee takes ownership of the direction it takes. The mentor role is to help shine a light on the mentees' thinking, so to speak, probing and asking questions - not decide what the successful outcomes should be or how the mentee should be able to recognise them.


I will have a couple more practical suggestions over the next week about what this might look like so watch this space. In the meantime be a hero. Mentor.

And if in doubt, just think "what would Mr Arnold do?"

Related articles

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CIPD Mentoring Event - TONIGHT!

If you have read my previous posts you will know that tonight is the West London Branch of the CIPD’s ‘Turbo Charge through Tough Time with Mentoring’ – I know, the anticipation is getting too much for me too!

In light of yesterdays announcements by the government of widespread budget cuts, this event is quite apt. There would seem to be pretty uncertain times ahead for all in both the private and public sector so never could it be more vital to be able to draw upon the experiences and knowledge of a mentor to help make tough decisions in the months ahead.

 

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Does this guy need a mentor maybe?

As I have mentioned previously John McGurk, L and D Advisor to the CIPD will be speaking at the event and there will be an opportunity to meet both mentors and mentess who have experienced the scheme previously. In short, as I have gone long on previous posts on this event (!), I think this is an event you cannot afford to miss!


As far as I can tell spaces are still available – please feel free to look at the CIPD website for further information. Either way I hope to see you there tonight for some inspiration in these tough times!

3 is the magic number

I saw this post from Punk Rock HR after much research – not quite, but thank you Zemanta nevertheless. I have been on a bit of a mentoring binge thought wise anyway, but this post got me thinking about how you might make a mentoring scheme work.


Punk Rock’s post suggested that it does not really work on a formal basis in organisations, which I understand -  it kind of defeats the whole purpose of what is meant to be a learner lead process if it is foisted upon you when you arrive at a new employer.


So how can businesses make it work? I think the best way is to provide the facility for the mentoring interaction to take place without forcing it upon people. But how might this look in reality?:


1. Get someone to offer up some time to try and match mentors and mentees and the admin that goes in to this


I can hear the groans already – yep it’s a thankless task and one we might not all enjoy but think about the internal networking opportunities this would provide to someone who did take this role? People love banging on about organisational citizenship and I think this is a worthy case in point – not to mention a bit of a buzz to be the go to person/hub around which the scheme depends upon.

Could also pitch it as a means of developing recruitment and selection skills or try and get some time from someone with experience in this area? Ok, it might not be possible but if you don't ask you don't get right?


2. Get more than one hub

This ties in to the point about one person perhaps having too much to do on top of their current day job. Furthermore it is always good to get a second set of eyes on things for fresh perspective – not to mention cover in unforeseen absences, holidays etc. Perhaps have management of the admin of the scheme rotating on a 2 monthly basis so people don’t get snowed under. It would also provide an opportunity to reflect on means to improve processes and practice it whilst at away from the scheme.


3. Would you consider external mentoring with other organisations?


This is something of a wild card which has just come to mind as I have been typing so I wait to be shot down on how the practicalities of this might work! Better yet if someone has an example of how they make it work please say.


There will be issues in terms of intellectual property if you are competitors, for example Barclays Capital are not going to be overly happy about their brightest and best spending time over at Merrill Lynch.


But what about cross industry or sector link ups? Could the health services not pick up a trick from a scheme which gives them access to manager in business? Might also be a good CSR opportunity?


These are just suggestions but what should not get lost in this is the the main motivation for implementing the scheme - providing the structure so individuals can find the best means to informally continue their professional development.

How to be a good mentee. No really.

I was thinking about how mentee-mentor relationships can fizzle out, often with one of both parties going to ground if future instances to mentor become available because of this.

I think this is a pity as there is so much to be gained from it for both parties. If you are having problems why not try the following:


1. Have some structure to the meeting and areas you know you wish to cover
Sometimes you can get 'mentee fatigue' - a couple of weeks in to the relationship you think you might be running out of areas to cover and are wondering if there is a lack of purpose to it.


This might be a reflection that the process has genuinely run its course - for example, if it was going for some 7 or 8 months maybe it has reached its natural conclusion? However before you let it come to a close have a look at the reasons which made you seek out the relationship in the first place. Use this to then make an informed decision you about what your next discussions are and whether this will meet the your learning needs - remember the learner needs to set the agenda and the mentor then helps facilitate you with finding the answers.


2. Give yourself a time limit for matters you wish to discuss
Your time is precious so when you decide upon what you want to cover think about  how much time you need to give to each subject. Think you are over running?  Draw that point/subject area to a close and move on. If the subject is that important use this as the basis of the next areas to cover when you next meet/communicate.


When my mentor said 'treat every meeting like it is your last' they meant it.

Alternativelty, after over running you might also find from research in between meetings/calls that you come across an answer yourself - saving time that would have cut in to the next mentor/mentee chat as well as getting in to a starter-finisher habit with your own professional development.

3. Priority problems? Make that your priority
Still having problems with allotting the time? Then perhaps the problem is not that you are covering really interesting subject areas but your prioritisation skills need some work? Hell if you are short of subject areas there is another agenda item for when you next meet?!

In short you get out what you put in - and the benefits of mentoring are too great for you not to spend some time thinking about it.

CIPD Mentoring Schemes - heroes wanted!

Ever wondered at times what benefits there are more benefits to be gained from your CIPD membership than you are getting at the moment? You have been to the branch events and seminars, picked up a brochure or two but have not really attended something that captured your imagination for the weeks and months after the event.

If this sounds like you, then I think you might be in luck. Across many regions of the CIPD branches operate mentoring schemes for members so that the experiences and knowledge of wise HR practitioners can be passed on in an informal basis to the next generation.

Although the new mentor was a whiz with teaching the crane kick, his expertise in ER was limited

Speaking from experience, I can honestly say you will find it hard to beat a scheme which is freeof charge yet can have massive benefits to your professional development, networking opportunities and having an impartial sounds board

Events are happening on a regular basis all over the UK but I would like to highlight that the West London branch of the CIPD has an event coming up on October 21st, “Turbo Charge through Tough Times with Mentoring”:

http://www.cipd.co.uk/branch/wlondon/_events/Making%20the%20Most%20of%20Mentoring.htm


Details of the location and time of the event can be found on the site, with more information on the content to follow. What I am delighted to confirm is that we have John McGurk, Adviser to the CIPD on Learning and Development speaking at the event.


John is a terrific public speaker, specialising for the CIPD in all matters coaching, L and D, and research in knowledge economy issues. In short I think if we think he could make the event of real interest to both regular and new branch members, as well as those familiar with the scheme itself.


Referring to branches in general, they are always on the lookout for new mentees but especially mentors – so if you are a CIPD member and think you have something to offer why not get involved?


Luke had Obi Wan, Eminem had Dr Dre, Daniel La Russo had Mr Miyagi – surely the question should not be if you want to get involved in mentoring, but whether you can afford not to…?


Where is my local CIPD branch? Search here:


http://www.cipd.co.uk/branches


Interested in all CIPD things wild and wonderful in the West London area? Look no further:


http://www.cipd.co.uk/branch/wlondon

Whats with that mentoring Mullarkey anyways?

This is a question which I wondered myself not so long ago.

In the first instance let me introduce myself. My name is Patrick Mullarkey and I am a HR practitioner whose role can best be described as ‘Generalist’ (what does that mean exactly? That I have to have a foot in every aspect of the field because I am not an expert in any specific area?!), the majority of my experience to date being in the not-for-profit sector. I wish to share the views and opinions of my peers, theorists of the subject area and reactions to changes as and when they occur in our industry. But why?

In the last year I was lucky to be assigned a mentor via my local CIPD branch and have found the experience hugely beneficial to my own professional development. It got me thinking- are there other ways I am be able to contact like minded people and share more ideas and approached? Surely there are other mentors and mentees wanting to share their opinions and analysis? Surely the internet is for more than downloading music and throwing sheep at people on Facebook? This blog is an attempt to see if all of these things are true.

I appreciate on some level I will have to instigate or prompt debate to get your attention- which has the danger of lending itself to hyperbole, which I will endeavour to avoid. Nevertheless. I hope through my style and wit that I will not only grab your attention but hold it.

Either way, I hope you enjoy what comes of my musings and look forward to someone telling me what HR generalists should be doing. Other than blogging.

All the best,

Patrick