Completing the Circle of Professional Development through Leadership and Mentoring

If mentoring is about developing people, with the objective of helping them achieve their full potential, someone has to exhibit leadership to work with that individual to help them grow. John C. Maxwell, in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, notes that most leaders became leaders through the influence of another leader (Maxwell 1998). Maxwell’s findings are the result of an informal poll he takes of attendees at his leadership conferences. When asked how they became leaders, 10 percent responded natural gifting, 5 percent said they assumed a leadership position as a result of a crisis, and 85 percent credited the influence of another leader.

Maxwell further describes the development of leaders this way: “It all starts at the top because it takes a leader to raise up another leader. It takes one to know one, show one, and grow one. That’s the Law of Reproduction” (Maxwell 1998, p. 141).

True leaders seize the opportunity to develop other people. Some people in business occupy positions of power; however, some have such power yet fail to lead. Leaders see the big picture and understand that the future of their organization or profession depends on today’s growth of tomorrow’s leaders.

Mentors need to exhibit leadership to truly help develop those being mentored. The process by which this happens requires two levels of support: (1) sincere dedication and effort on the part of both individuals, and (2) an organizational commitment and support to foster such growth in young professionals. The first is an absolute requirement whereas the second is desirable but not absolute. In some instances, there is no organizational commitment or mentoring requirement. It would be wonderful if organizations widely fostered and supported mentor–protégé affiliations. Even without such organizational commitment, engineers should seek opportunities to demonstrate leadership through mentoring. It is not an organization’s responsibility to require mentoring, but rather an individual’s responsibility to take initiative to seek out mentoring opportunities and make them work.

Think about your own career. Who provided you with guidance and advice? Who was your mentor? At some point you may have thought about becoming a mentor but have yet to do so. Being a mentor to a young professional is more important than ever before.

As a mentor, you have the unique opportunity to deeply affect the professional life of a protégé. You will foster insight, identify areas of required knowledge or expertise, and expand areas of growth for your protégé. This type of guidance supplements the direction that your protégé receives from a manager. Mentoring gives you an outstanding opportunity to facilitate a young person’s growth by sharing what you have learned through years of practice. Although the main goal of mentoring is to share what you know, and challenge your protégé to think critically and creatively, you also gain from being a mentor.

In a mentor–protégé relationship, it is important to remember that professional objectives are paramount. This is a profession-based relationship, not a friendship and certain rules of engagement must apply.

There is also a difference between mentoring and managing. At first glance, you may think that your role as a manager and that of a mentor are the same. In each role, you serve as a coach, facilitator, teacher, and sounding board. However, where the manger is focused on business objectives or project outcomes, mentors focus on teaching and growth of protégés.

As a mentor, the relationship with a protégé has more depth and personal commitment. Managers manage for profitability, productivity, and business outcomes, whereas mentors focus on broader objectives and encourage protégés to ask relevant questions and think in new and creative ways.

At the foundation of any meaningful mentor–protégé relationship is understanding. As Rogers (1958) pointed out, understanding means accepting another person without making judgments, and setting aside personal beliefs and values. The accomplished mentor also understands the power of accepting a young professional as a developing person and professional.

Effective leaders and mentors share one other important quality: the ability to communicate and demonstrate a sense of hope and optimism. In Mentors: They Simply Believe, Lasley (1996) notes that a fundamental attribute of mentors is their ability to communicate their belief that individuals are capable of rising above formidable challenges and of achieving great things in the future. For engineering mentors, such a quality is paramount, and as mentors, we must look for and capitalize on opportunities to affirm the promise and potential of our protégés.

To achieve success in engineering, young engineers need role models and sound guidance. This is especially true in meeting the challenges of a global, interconnected world, and to encourage young professionals to remain in engineering instead of leaving for careers in other fields.

Becoming a mentor is not a simple decision to make, and it should not be taken lightly. The benefits to you and your protégé are well worth your time and energy. For your engineering firm, the benefits are profound and long lasting. These benefits stem from what Maxwell refers to as the Law of Explosive Growth, or, the difference between addition and multiplication. According to this theory, leaders who develop followers grow their companies one individual at a time. However, leaders who develop leaders multiply growth because for every leader they bring up, they also benefit from the work of that leader’s followers. Observes Maxwell, “That’s the difference between addition and multiplication. It’s like growing your organization by teams instead of by individuals” (Maxwell 1998, p. 208).

Essentially, mentoring is a three-step process that accompanies us throughout our professional careers:

True leaders in the profession are these seasoned engineers who are giving it back. They understand the value of cultivating the next generation and the importance of “permanent success.” Harvey S. Firestone may have said it best: “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership” (cited in Maxwell 1993, p. 236).