Managers as Mentors
Building internal sales partnerships

“I speak to three or four corporations a week on the subjects of customer service, leadership and management,” said Chip Bell. “I began to see a major shift occurring in the way people were being managed – and it wasn’t good. Corporations large and small were overlooking the key aspect of leadership.” These revelations led Bell to write a new book, Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1996).

“Perpetual innovation when trying to be synergized with the corporate half-life cycle on most projects, jobs and even human resource, created mixed messages and frustration.” Bell continued. “I found one interesting common thread among the winningest corporations: incessant, nonstop and daily learning. In fact, the ability to learn faster than the competition may be the only sustainable competitive advantage of the 21st century.”

“Every element of success has with it a learning component,” Bell offers. “The challenge is to convey the knowledge.” The concept of Chip Bell’s brilliance is that every leader must become a mentor to his employees in order to place his company (team) in a leadership position. But how do you do this?

The dictionary defines mentor as being a sensitive, trusted advisor. The word mentor first appeared in Homer’s Odyssey. Mentor was a family friend who was left in charge of tutoring Telemachus (heir apparent of the Greek king Odysseus), while his father was off to fight the 10-year Trojan War.

Most people think of a mentor as someone not in their chain of command. True – but not true. It’s all in how you approach the opportunity to coach and lead. A mentor is at the highest level; the most respected adviser – he’s the one the coach calls for advice.

How does the leader carry out an insight goal from an in-charge role? By taking the position of mentor and leveling the learning field (making everyone in the chain of command an equal learner). No hidden motives. No political motives. Since learning involves experimentation, risk taking and trial and error – you (the protégé) may have to make mistakes.

Bell’s book documents that step-by-step process in a way that makes it seem like “that’s the way we should have been doing it for the last 20 years.”

Adopt a mentor mindset
Here’s Bell’s short formula for beginning to think and act like a mentor to your employees.

• Anchor all learning to a mission, vision or purpose. Break it down to a specific goal or job to be achieved. People will learn faster if they have a why behind the what.
• Demonstrate confident humility. Walk the thin line between self-confidence and arrogance. Confidence breeds confidence. But the authenticity is bred from the roots of being humble. Acceptance is the result of humility.

“Jeffrey, let me make that point to you the way it was made to me,” said Bell as he leaned forward. “My then-teenage son said of me once, ‘When my dad tells me something, I don’t buy it. But when he cries, it makes me cry.’” (Wow, I get it.)

• Use dramatic listening. Listen as if you were interviewing a hero you always have wanted to talk to. For example – if you were interviewing Abraham Lincoln or Moses or Madonna, and the phone rang, would you say, “Just a second, Abe,” and take the call? Would you be reading your mail while you were talking? Or would you be listening dramatically – hanging on every word – taking notes furiously?

Bell says, “Everyone knows how to listen, they just don’t make it a priority.”

• Ask permission to give advice. The crux of mentoring is giving advice. However, the challenge of advice-giving is the resistance advisees have to it.

Remember your reaction to the last time someone said “Let me give you some advice.” Try saying instead, “I have some ideas that might be useful.” Or, “if you think they might be helpful…” This kind of language keeps control where it belongs – with the learner – while it eliminates resistance and creates an atmosphere of acceptance.

• State advice in the first person singular. Tell a story. Use personal experience to share wisdom. Eliminate “should” and “ought to.”
• Be a learning role model. Let people follow your learning lead. If you want your people to demonstrate curiosity, demonstrate yours. The same goes for creativity. If you want your people to take risks, they must see your mistakes as well as your triumphs.

Reward results
Celebrate the excellent effort – not the victory or defeat. If you only reward results, you’ll never get the learning, risk-taking or growth necessary to emerge as a leader.

“The secret to mentoring is simple,” Bell offers. “Just recall your mentors – ask yourself what traits they demonstrated to get you to listen. Use those.”

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com.

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