| Years ago, I worked on a mentoring program that was doomed before it launched.
For the kickoff, we organized a massive, in-person, standing-room-only event with balloons and streamers. The room was bursting with excitement! I joined the CEO on stage to introduce their new program, share strategies around mentoring, and invite her employees to access the mentoring platform that my company had created for them. A man in the front row raised his hand to ask the CEO, “Will you have a profile on the mentoring platform?” Caught off guard, she stammered, looked at me sheepishly, and in front of hundreds of her eager, hopeful employees, she asked me, “Ann, can I participate with an alias?” I was dumbfounded. The CEO had just asked me if she could join her own mentoring community with a fake profile so she could hide out and not truly participate. Taking a cue from their “leader,” the audience immediately erupted in pleas for an alias too. And just like that, the CEO fated the program. Why wouldn’t she lead? What was she afraid of? Why cower when she had the opportunity to influence? Why not be enthusiastic, encouraging, and visionary instead of fearful, doubtful, and dismissive? Because she didn’t know why to lead. And when people don’t know why they should lead, they default to what they do best: manage. They manage their time, responsibilities, budgets, projects, and conflicts. She didn’t know why to lead, so she managed… from the stage. I watched her face as she processed the possibility that people might actually contact her for mentoring. What would she do? She’s already so busy! But if she knew that leading could… save her time, decrease attrition, increase effectiveness, bolster resilience and initiative, and solidify her status as a great boss… …she would have boldly said, “Yes!” © 2020. Ann Tardy and Mentor Lead. www.mentorlead.com | www.anntardy.com |