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Steve Jobs’ Vision

Sad news with the death of visionary leader and creative genius Steve Jobs at just 56.  If you have never watched Steve Jobs inspirational 2005 Stanford Commencement Address on ‘How to Live Before You Die’ it is well worth your time.

Vale Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011

And in his own words:

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

Steve Jobs

Thank you Steve, for your vision, for following your inner voice and for the extraordinary gifts you have left to the world.

Tributes:

“Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.”

Barack Obama, US President

“He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it.”

Larry Page, CEO Google

“For those of us lucky enough to get to work with Steve, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”

Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and Chairman

“All of us would be touched every day … by products that he was the creative genius behind.”

Julia Gillard, Australian Prime Minister

“He was genuinely someone who changed the world.”

Tony Abbott, Australian Opposition Leader

Leave a comment below to add your tribute.

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Mentoring Fact Sheet

A number of people have asked for a Mentoring fact sheet based on our recent article Seven Good Reasons to Set Up a Leadership Mentoring Program so we are happy to oblige.

You can download your mentoring fact sheet here:  Free Fact Sheet - Seven Good Reasons Why Mentoring Works


See below for resources that may help you develop an effective mentoring program:

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Mentoring Adds Value

2630539049 37e633c709 m Mentoring Adds ValueThere are many ways that a mentoring program can add value to your company, association or organisation. Here are just some of them:

  • Mentoring is a very effective way to welcome new employees and induct them into your organisation’s culture and values or to support recently promoted employees.
  • Mentoring can offer effective support for minority groups or special employees and promote diversity.
  • A faciliated mentoring program can build a collegiate group which is more willing to share their experience and informal knowledge in a productive way.
  • Mentoring can assist in succession planning and the development of new leaders, provide a better basis for promotion and advancement decisions and shift high potential individuals onto the fast career track.

The messages that an invitation to participate in a mentoring program can be transformational.

QUOTE OF NOTE

“A lot of people don’t do great things because great things really aren’t expected of them and because nobody really demands they try.”
Steve Jobs

The power of demonstrating that great things are expected is immeasurable.  Mentoring really does add value.

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Leadership Mentoring Program – Seven Good Reasons to Set One Up

2096003943 9b89b6a653 m Leadership Mentoring Program Seven Good Reasons to Set One UpThere are numerous reasons why establishing a leadership mentoring program in your organisation may be one of the smartest things you can do, but here are seven good ones:

1. Attract and retain the best people. Some studies have shown that the presence (or absence) of a mentoring program means more than money to the decision to accept a job offer or remain with an organisation.

2. Modelling teaches more. Many of the core skills, attitudes, behaviours and ethics of leadership are best learnt by modelling rather than in a formal classroom. Mentoring allows your best people to model good leadership and offer practical guidance to your future leaders.

3. Mentoring encourages excellence. Mentoring is exceptional for its capacity to encourage excellence both in mentees and in those who mentor. While it might be expected that mentees might acquire insight and wisdom through working with a good mentor in a mentoring program, experience demonstrates that mentors also gain from the interaction. Mentors frequently explain that their role prompted them to review and reassess their assumptions and clarify their thoughts as they explain things to their mentee.

4. A well set-up leadership mentoring program enables you to recognise and reward your best people. By establishing an appropriate selection process for both mentors and mentees and providing the right framework to support this process you can ensure that participation in your mentoring program is sought by your best people, rather than perceived as a chore or a burden. Don’t take chances with this part of your program set-up as it is one of the critical requirements for its success. If you are not sure how to set things up to ensure best results call me on 03-9859 3924 and I am happy to advise you.

5. Build confidence and self-esteem through personal growth. Mentoring fosters not only professional growth but also personal growth, and can develop confidence in handling new situations, improve understanding of different approaches to a situation and enhance self-esteem for both mentors and mentees.

6. Improve cross-functional or interdepartmental communication and networks. Mentoring relationships are not usually set up between individuals with line management responsibilities. By establishing mentoring relationships between people from different areas of your organisation (or industry) greater understanding and improved cross-functional communication readily follow. Some organisations have found this benefit to be one of the most unanticipated yet valuable company-wide impacts of their whole mentoring program.

7. Foster a culture of contribution. Fundamentally the process of mentoring another always represents a generous gift by a busy person. It is a gift that can typically only ever truly be repaid in kind, over time, when the mentee in turn mentors someone else. As such, mentoring amplifies in its impact by embedding values such as respect, generosity and contribution in the corporate culture. This is arguably the ultimate and most powerful impact any intervention might have.

Check out Books on mentoring and setting up a leadership mentoring program below and in the Bookroom.

An effective leadership mentoring program can achieve all this and more.

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Is there a risk your key people make you vulnerable?

4988566409 eaf4936f4d m Is there a risk your key people make you vulnerable?In one of the seminars I present we do a quick organisational vulnerability audit or risk assessment. Regularly, participants list key person dependency as one of their organisation’s critical vulnerabilities.

The fact is that people do get hit by buses, laid low by the ‘flu, headhunted by competitors, or worse…

How well are you equipped to handle a risk such as the loss of one of your key team members?

What if it happened in the middle of a crisis? Or is there a risk that such an event would actually precipitate a crisis for you? How much valuable information or experience would you lose if you lost one of your key people? Can you affors the risk?

Easy risk management

One of your easiest protective actions is to ensure that your key individual’s second-in-charge is being mentored, coached and developed as a future leader and is aware of organisational issues beyond their responsibility.

Coaching or mentoring at each level in your organisation is a powerful way to encourage your team leaders and managers to think beyond their day-to-day responsibilities and contribute more to your business.  By recognising their value through a special coaching program you can also show your appreciation and develop their skills and commitment further at the same time as you reduce your own business risk.

Quote of Note

“There is no one who is successful today who has done the whole thing on their own …”

Jackie Stewart

I’ve heard some people say that training and developing people is a waste of resources because they might leave.

Smart leaders know that it is worse not to train and develop people, because there is a real risk they might stay!

See more details here on our Executive Coaching and Business Coaching Services

Investing in the development of your organisation’s current and future leaders is not just good risk negotiation, it’s essential to your long term business success.

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