Executive Coaching Expertise- Dr. Karen Otazo

As a stripper once said, “God doesn’t make junk.” Our bodies: the blood, the nerves, the lymph system, even the brain are all a series of networks. As those of you who read my work must know – I love networks of all kinds. This time we’re looking at your network of mentors,

Picking one mentor is not enough nowadays. I love to answer specific questions in my “Ask Dr. Karen” column. With a very busy life, I can’t really mentor every person who contacts me. So what’s a protégé in need to do?

Take the Initiative: Ask people you admire, like bosses and peers, if they would be willing to mentor you from time to time. Co-workers or bosses can be equally useful. These can even be people who are strangers. TEST out the relationship by asking some questions to see if you appreciate that the answers might be useful to you and your career. Be careful to not come across as flirting.
Stay upbeat and personable: Mentors and others want to support you when they feel positive around you.
Make it simple: As a protégé, you get to put in the time and effort to learn about possible mentors’ interests and needs. A protégé of mine in Jamaica invited me to Kingston to interview with radio and television to talk about my books.
Ask if you can stop by from time to time: It’s good for your mentor to meet with you regularly to understand your context and to ask questions. As you share information, a mentor will start to understand your current “story line” in your current job. For instance, after suggestions, let your mentor know how you fared on the advice.
Clarify your personal career goals: As you work with a mentor, describe where you would like to do in your career. Make sure that you’ve done a careful inventory of your skills and experiences so that your mentor will know how to advise you in expanding them.

These guidelines are heavily adapted from the Wall Street Journal, Monday, August 17^th, 2009 p.R5 “How to be a Smart Protégé” by Dawn E Chandler, Douglas .T Hall and Kathy E. Kram. Drs. Hall and Kram were my mentors when I was an active member of the Boston University Executive Development Roundtable.

Stanley Milgram, a researcher at Yale University, conducted several unusual experiments in the 1960s. One project involved selecting an obscure name in a distant US state and then asking nearly three hundred students to work at finding this person’s contact information. He found that the greatest number of people that his students had to contact to reach anyone, anywhere in the country, was six. Although Dr. Milgram’s theory has yet to be scientifically proven, its message has made headway into popular culture. It is now often said that there are only “six degrees of separation” between each of us and most anyone in the world. What a fabulous resource we have!

So, how can you use that resource in the workplace? It’s no exaggeration to say that through all your potential connections you can learn about or accomplish most anything. Someone out there will know what you need to know, or be able to help you with what you need to do. If you want to find the best person for a project, or get support for a workplace initiative, to name just two possibilities, and you don’t already know someone who can help you, then the first thing to do is to start putting your feelers out.

One high level executive wanted to meet some influential people in government in Washington D.C. to get support for legislation that his company sorely needed. So the executive mapped all the people he knew in his company, and then asked these associates to make a map of their direct and indirect connections with people in the government. Next, he asked for introductions to some of these connections to consult with them directly. He quickly found the right people to network with to obtain the required introductions.

The place to start is with your existing network. This consists of all the professional colleagues whom you feel able to approach with a question or issue. It may be a small group of like-minded people whom you have known over the years, ranging from college classmates and professors to former colleagues. You can rely on people with whom you have a good relationship to introduce you to others whom they trust and respect.

Once you have the contact, accessing information and advice, or exerting influence, is easier than ever with the internet. The speed and ease of forwarding make it an ideal way to reach people anywhere in the world. Be aware however that when someone is further away from you, personally or geographically, you may need a put a “frame,” or explanation, around your request to help others understand your thinking. You may also need to be more formal in tone. Be sure to check on the communication and networking protocol of other countries.

One savvy American executive wanted to hire a general manager to run his company’s Chinese business. His first step was to ask everyone he knew in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong to suggest candidates. He then checked their suggestions with head-hunters. Having tracked down the ideal person, the American then used his newly extended Chinese network to work on convincing the desired executive that the position was right for him. Impressed by the offer and the American’s guanxi, or connections, the Chinese executive took the job.

There are many examples of how using the six degrees of separation rule can help you make things happen. Connections are endlessly useful at work, and absolutely essential in some cultures. Using them is not just about accessing facts, knowledge or staff. People with different backgrounds or experiences can also help you think through your work or ideas, by offering you alternative perspectives. Such touchstones are invaluable.