Cohort

Effective Mentorships

Who is your most memorable or impactful mentor? I find it hard to identify just one. I count myself as fortunate to have several people I could put on that list! So what makes a mentor impactful for you?

I met Sree during a facilitation class and a few months later we reconnected again during our coaching class. She shared with me a blog she recently wrote on her experience of being a mentor and mentee and I asked her if I could share it! What’s important about these relationships is that like any good relationship the effectiveness comes in the design and being clear about your intentions. Here’s some guidance from Sree, hope you enjoy!

~Marsha Acker

Mentoring has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. I was fortunate to have some awesome mentors and had an opportunity to mentor others as well. Here are some of the lessons learned during my mentorship journey in a professional context.

What is Mentoring?

I recently attended “Agile Coaching” training by TeamCatapult. It is one of the best trainings I have attended and it changed the way I looked at mentoring. Per the definition provided in that training – “Mentoring is providing wisdom and guidance based on experience in the subject matter at hand, in order to support others in the quest to make sense of their world.” One of the key takeaways from that training – “As a mentor, ask thought-provoking questions and help find mentee generated solutions instead of just giving advice. Mentoring works best when advising is kept to a minimum.”

If I look back, as a mentor, I have mostly given a lot of advice and failed to ask powerful questions. This is one thing I am going to definitely change going forward.

Why Do You Need a Mentor/Mentee?

Being a mentor, you would get a chance to share your expertise and help someone else in their career journey. You would get to hear some of the challenges you might not have faced and have an opportunity to help mentee explore solutions. Improves your listening and leadership skills. You would be able to expand your impact to beyond your immediate team. Most importantly, it is a way to pay it forward and personally I found it to be very gratifying to be a mentor. You can read more about one of my mentorship experiences here.

Being a mentee, you would be able to learn from experts in your area. Helps you learn different ways to deal with things and offers you a different perspective. Helps you expand your professional network. I did not seek out mentors until recently and realize what a missed opportunity that is. I should have seeked out mentors earlier in my career.

You don’t necessarily need to have a mentor if you need advice for technical issues. You can ask any SME for advice for technical issues. Power of mentorship comes into play because of the safe space that is provided which enables you to share sensitive/conflicting situations. The most benefit I received was when I was in a very tough situation at work and I could not share the details with anyone. Luckily I built a trusting relationship with my mentor and was able to share the details and get much-needed advice at that time.

Types of Mentorship Engagement

Here are different types of mentorship engagements based on my experience:

Time bound – limited for a specific duration – a month, 6 months etc.
Goal based – Getting support for a specific goal like completing a project or getting your next promotion etc.
Need based – ongoing mentorship where you have a mentor to be your sounding board whenever there is a need.

How to Find a Mentor/Mentee?

If you are looking for a mentor, identify your goals from the mentorship engagement. Find a subject matter expert within your team or outside your team or from a different company. Advantage of having a mentor from your company is that they will be able to guide you based on your company culture. Pick someone outside of your immediate team so that you would get a chance to see how other teams operate and learn a different perspective.
You can have multiple mentors however be mindful about it since it is a time commitment both on your side and the mentor’s side. I had mentors both within my team and outside my team. That worked well for me. Depending on the topic I needed help with, I was able to get guidance from one of the mentors.
Another option to find a mentor is through your company’s official mentorship program, if there is one.

If you are looking for a mentee, check with your team members to see if anyone needs a mentor. Reach out to new employees and offer to be a mentor. Sign up for your company’s official mentorship program if there is one.

Tips to Be an Effective Mentor

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” — Steven Spielberg

This quote perfectly summarizes how you need to approach mentorship.

Here are some tips:

Be available when your mentee needs you. If at any point of time, you are unable to give the mentee the time they need, be candid about it and suggest that they find a different mentor or recommend someone else that can make the time to help.
Provide a safe and trusting space for your mentee to share his/her problems.
Give the mentoring relationship some time to evolve.
Let the mentee drive the agenda.
Set boundaries on your time availability.
If any topics are out of bounds, say so.
Similar to coaching, before giving advice, ask powerful questions to help the mentee come up with his/her own solution. Here are a couple of sites with some powerful questions:
- Co-active coaching toolkit
- 16 Powerful Questions Coaches Ask Their Clients To Help Achieve Their Goals
Keep your advice to a minimum and do not be attached to your advice.
Ask the mentee if he/she wants to be held accountable for any action items and if yes, then ask for specific next steps and dates. Follow up on the action items as agreed.
If you are unable to help the mentee with their goals, try to put your mentee in touch with someone that can help them.

Tips For a Mentee

Set goals about what you want to achieve from the mentorship. Ex: improve public speaking skills, improve leadership skills etc.
Be proactive and drive the mentoring relationship.
Define your expectations – ex: time commitment you would require from the mentor, meet in person or on phone etc.
If you do not know who would be a good mentor for you, ask your manager for suggestions.
Not all mentorship relationships work for various reasons. It is important to evaluate if the mentorship is actually adding value to you or not and if not, then discuss with your mentor and figure out the best course of action – either change the goals or change the mentor. Do not give up on mentorship if this happens.
Respect your mentors time. If you have agreed on next steps, follow through.

Hope this inspires you to find a mentor/mentee if you don’t already have one. You don’t necessarily need to have an official mentor/mentee relationship. I have some colleagues that I look up to and they have unofficially mentored me. Identify who those people are and nurture your mentoring relationship with them.

This post was first published on Technical Program Manager on December 24, 2019.

Top 5 Reasons to Join an Agile Team Coaching Cohort

There are many ways to learn and deepen your knowledge and skills. Finding the format that works best for you is key to being able to develop mastery of a craft.

For Agile Team Coaches there are plenty of learning opportunities available from a variety of organizations. At TeamCatapult we made a choice many years ago to be one of the first Member Training Organizations with the International Consortium of Agile (ICAgile). The choice included the offer of a facilitation course, and a few years later, an agile team coaching course to help those who wanted to coach and lead teams who were pursuing the art of agility.

One of the primary reasons we aligned so well with ICAgile was their approach to framework agnostic in learning agility. It aligned well with how we wanted to talk about facilitation and coaching skills in the context of the values and principles of agility – creating a space to focus on deepened knowledge of human systems dynamics and how teams and groups develop.

A secondary reason we aligned well with ICAgile was the emphasis placed on learning journeys.

Learning Agile Facilitation and Coaching

For those unfamiliar, ICAgile has two levels of certifications:

Certified Professional – means that you have acquired knowledge and skills
Certified Expert – means that you have demonstrated competency

In the ICAgile Agile Coaching track there are two Professional certifications:

Certified Professional: Agile Team Facilitation (ICP-ATF)
Certified Professional: Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC)

…which culminates in a final Expert certification:

Certified Expert: Agile Coaching (ICE-AC)

The learning objectives for the professional certifications are often covered in 2-3 days of classes. These certifications lay down the basic level of knowledge for agile team coaches.

Then comes application, experience and practice.

How Do You Learn Best?

We all have different styles and ways of learning.

There are some, perhaps you, that are social learners, meaning you prefer to learn in groups or with other people. Joining a cohort is a great way to accomplish your next goal of becoming a masterful Agile team coach!

What is an Agile Team Coaching Cohort?

The dictionary defines a cohort as “a group of people banded together or treated as a group.” An agile team coaching cohort is a group of agile team coaches who learn and upskill together.

So why would you want to join a cohort?

We’ve put together the Top 5 reasons to join a cohort, and for good measure, we’ve added one bonus reason.

Here are The Top 5 Reasons to Join an Agile Team Coaching Cohort

1) Meet Like-Minded Colleagues

We learn so much from our peers. Belonging to a cohort for 7 months will allow you to connect with fellow cohort members on a deep level in many aspects including social and professional, coupled with a mutual understanding of Agile leadership. Cohorts, in a way act like mastermind groups, but with clear leadership and an end goal.

2) People Learn Better In Groups

The traditional models of learning where an instructor does all the knowledge sharing and talking is not effective. Research shows that community plays an important role in our learning. Cohorts provide rich opportunities to learn from experiences and stories; ours and the others in the cohort. Plus, feedback can be just as valuable, if not more.

The experiences of others will be different than yours. Sometimes the difference will help you to clarify and try things that you haven’t, possibly because they are not in your practice model…yet. And then others will share things that inspire you, invite you to step outside your comfort zone and current range.

3) Get Support

A supportive environment enhances the overall learning experience. Working through a problem or issue alongside someone often shapes the overall outcome to a positive experience.

“Taking on a challenge of any kind is easier to accomplish if you have a support system—people you can go to for answers to your questions, for advice, as a shoulder to cry on, or encouragement.”

4) Develop Your Skills

Enhancing current skills or developing new skills certainly is the main focus of joining a cohort. However, a secondary and equally important reason to develop new skills as an adult, includes life satisfaction as well as improving and maintaining your mental well-being. What better way to do that than with like-minded, enthusiastic peers who will share this 7-month journey with you?

5) Learn to Work With Live Group Dynamics

In a cohort, you will be in community and relationship with the other members of the group, including your co-leaders. As you learn together you will also be developing relationships that transcend the material. Group dynamics naturally emerge and we will work with what shows up as a way to model the skills you will be using to coach relationships and team dynamics in your work.

Bonus TIP: Continued Support Long After the Program Ends

Because the format of learning relies on you building relationships with other cohort participants, you will likely build lifelong relationships that will endure beyond the end of the program. This will become a supportive network of colleagues who “have your back” when you need it.

Learn More About Coaching Agility From Within and Apply to Join!

We invite you to our in-depth, 7-month program.

It is rigorous, placing an emphasis on practice and feedback opportunities through skill drills, peer coaching, team coaching, ongoing group work, professional one-on-one coaching and one-on-one supervision of actual Agile coaching sessions.

You will have ample opportunity to learn from your peers and bring real-world scenarios to the group for feedback and guidance.

Apply now!

Intentional Listening Means Being Curious

Are We Listening? Maybe. But How?

Chances are good that we don’t think much about how we listen. We just do it as we always have.

Maybe when we were younger, we were told to be quiet while someone else was speaking. Maybe we listen harder when we hear someone purposefully whispering or talking about us. The truth is, we generally don’t listen with the intention to do it well or to be helpful.

When we don’t know how to or don’t try to listen well, the conversation may not often go much beyond small talk. We may divert the conversation away from what the speaker wanted to say or cut it off before something important is said. We may even be unhelpful when we divert the conversation back to ourselves.

Add Curiosity To Your Listening

If you’re thinking listening is hard with certain people, keep reading, there is good news! The good news is that to have curiosity in a conversation is simply a relief! It means that you don’t need the answers. You can slow down and relax into the conversation, and simply rely on your innate sense of curiosity.

The first step to listening mastery is to be aware of our tendencies. In other words, knowing how we usually listen. Once we know that, we can try to improve it. Having a framework helps, of course!

So, here’s the framework we teach at TeamCatapult.

Framework for Listening

There are three levels of listening, according to “Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives” by Henry and Karen Kimsey-House.

Level I is called “Internal Listening”
Level II is called “Focused Listening”
Level III is called “Global Listening”

Internal Listening

This is the most common form, so you may recognize it. While we’re listening to someone else, we’re actually paying attention to our own thoughts. Our responses tend to be about ourselves, not the other person. Some examples are:

A: “I just went to Spain last week.”

B: “Oh, nice! I love Spain! I was there about 3 years ago.”

And, if we do ask a question, it tends to ask for data, something the person can answer pretty easily, usually with a “yes” or “no”.

A: “I was in Barcelona”

B: “Oh, did you go to the Sagrada Familia? That’s my favorite place there.”

Here is a work-related example of Level 1 listening:

A: “I need to talk to you about my team.”

B: “You and everyone else. My teams are falling behind this week too.”

A: “I’d like to try something new.”

B: “Have you already talked to John about it?”

Focused Listening

The objective is to listen for meaning (content, empathy, clarification, collaboration). If we ask a question, it continues the thread that was already started and hopefully, causes the person to share again.

A: “I just went to Spain last week.”

B: “Oh, nice! What attracted you to Spain?”

A: “My son just finished a semester there.”

B: “Wonderful. How did he like it?”

And, a work-related example of Level II listening:

A: “I need to talk to you about my team.”

B: “Okay, what’s going on?”

A: “I’d like to try something new.”

B: “Say more, I’m curious.”

Notice that in Level II listening, the focus remains on the person speaking. The listener may have thoughts about how the topic relates to him or her, but still keeps the focus on the other person.

Global Listening

The conversation objective is to listen for depth (intent, emotion and intuition). At this level of listening, sometimes we hear what isn’t said, or we notice something about the way in which something is said. We may notice facial expressions, changes in tone or body language.

A: “I just went to Spain last week.”

B: “Oh, nice! What attracted you to Spain?”

A: “My son just finished a semester there.”

B: “I noticed your whole face lit up when you said that!”

A: “I always wanted my children to have an international experience, so I’m just thrilled!”

And, for that work conversation:

A: “I need to talk to you about my team.”

B: “Okay. You seem stressed. What’s going on?”

A: “Yeah, I am very stressed out.”

B: “How could I help you release some stress before we talk about your team?”

Careful and Intentional Listening

As an Agile coach, we aim to be helpful and being helpful requires careful and intentional listening. That’s why it’s a fundamental skill to master. Not only will the skill of listening help you in professional settings, but it works wonders with a spouse, children and friends too. It starts with listening in ways that suspend judgment and communicate curiosity and respect.

When we master listening, we are able to reach new levels of conversations, likely deeper and more meaningful ones. We can even help someone learn about him or herself too. This is important because our role as Agile Coach is not to teach or give answers but to facilitate self-awareness and draw out the knowledge, creativity and resourcefulness that is already within someone.

Although the “Global Listening” may not feel natural at first, the good news is that it’s possible to practice the three levels of listening in every single conversation! Notice what level you usually use, then challenge yourself to move up one level and stay there for as long as you can. If you slip back into level I by talking about yourself, that’s okay. It’s common. Just notice it and go back to level II listening, staying focused on the other person.

Practice The Three Levels of Listening!

As you practice this, notice how the conversation goes. Does it feel different than other conversations? In what way? Notice how much you can learn about the other person. Did they tell you anything surprising? Notice where the other person takes the conversation and remain curious. As we coaches like to say… “Notice what you notice!”

Agile Coach: From Accidental to Intentional

From “Guide” to Coach

My first work as a coach came about accidentally in the late ‘90s while working in a fast-growing software company. Developers and system engineers were rapidly being promoted to management jobs without previous management experience. To help them through this transition, I was designated as their “guide.” The idea was to transfer my knowledge as a manager and developer of people to folks who were new to these roles. For me, this was an accidental opportunity to develop new skills, and started my path to become a professional certified coach. This eventually led me to my role as an Agile Coach and Trainer, where I work with organizations to transform their work process and team mindset.

Learning to Evaluate and Adapt

During my initial work as a “guide,” I evolved as I went, seeing what worked for one person and then applying what I had learned with the next. As I built expertise over time, I developed techniques and frameworks to apply coaching practices effectively. For example, I realized that the interview training I received as part of hiring new employees was useful here. It used a variation of what I now call “Powerful Questions,” and was an efficient way to get to the most effective agenda for me and the person I was coaching. The method focuses on what the client is concerned about, rather than teaching what the coach thinks the client needs to know. This approach worked with teams as well. Teams became more effective as they learned to listen and reflect on what had been said by teammates, rather than ordering each other about.

An added benefit of coaching individuals was that the process was transferable: I found that the new managers I had coached were often coaching their teams using the same techniques. I have seen this pattern since: just one person modeling coaching practices has a ripple effect and can help shape an organization’s culture. In those days, without calling it Agile, a collaborative environment emerged, often creating breakthroughs and “quick wins” for our customers. I like to think my coaching of the new managers was an important part of that. For example: leading meetings using Powerful Questions as the basis of the agenda, results emerged more quickly. Team members often learned these techniques “osmotically” as they engaged and became part of the organization.

Starting Your Coaching Journey

Being curious and interested is a big part of becoming an effective coach. Colleagues will naturally respond to your interest. Tactically, a key skill is your ability to pose open-ended (that can’t be answered with a yes/no), questions to “open up” a conversation. This can help a colleague or a team work through a problem and move them onto a path to solve their own problem.

Over time, you will develop a set of favorite questions that work for you. A few of my favorites:

What do you notice about this?
What will tell us when we are there?
What about this will be important in a month?
Using the right question for the scenario you are in can move a team, or inspire an individual to take the next step to a beneficial end result. And move you nicely along in developing your coaching skills.