Be a Mentor: Teach Your People All the Time

By Sander A. Flaum

Employee training is not an episodic event; it is an ongoing daily process. Leaders can’t only be great doers, they also have to be great teachers. Remember the old adage, “Those that can't do teach?” Well, forget it! To be an effective leader of people, you have to do both.

There is always that cocky manager who says, “I can't be bothered with training staff, I have too much of my own work to do.” I say, “Look out--that's a manager who will be quick to blame the new hire for not knowing the ropes at the big client meeting.” But whose fault is it? It's the fault of the leader who falsely believes tending to her “to do” list is more important than training her greatest assets—her people. And, sad to say, a lot of entrepreneurs don't grasp this truth. They expect their people to come fully formed and trained. It never works out that way. The most successful entrepreneurs, Howard Schultz of Starbucks to name one of many, know that it's in the training that the mission is set and the vision is clarified to the benefit of the company.

I have not met any young leader who does this as passionately and consistently as Myrtle Potter, Genentech's COO:

“I’m not here in my role because I am gifted, I am bright, I am this, I am that. If I'm here for any reason, it's because I learned very early on, the number one job we have as leaders is to ensure that we've got capable people working with us, people who are emotionally committed, people who want to get on board, people who can buy into a vision, and people who are willing and ready to give it their all. And once you are certain that you have that, your number one responsibility is to help these people grow and develop, to allow them to exceed all of their personal goals and take their careers to the next level.” (Myrtle Potter, Fordham lectures)

In 2002, Time named Myrtle Potter one of the top 15 “Young Global Business Influentials” and Fortune ranked her number #18 on their list of the “Most Powerful Black Executives in America.” But none of that is what it is about for Myrtle. At her Fordham lecture, all she wanted to talk about was a leader's responsibility:

“You get accolades, you get recognition, you get all the wonderful things that come with it, but at the end of the day, if you're not teaching people what you know, what good are you as a leader? Not much! There's only one of me. There's only so many things I can do in a day. If I'm not multiplying my impact by putting my knowledge and my insights in the hands of others, then I'm not only cheating myself, but I'm also cheating the business that I'm running. I tell my folks every single day that the number one obligation they have is to put other people in the position where they can do what you do.”

Leaders have to be storytellers. As children, we learned through stories and as adults w e continue to learn, process new information and store memories in story form. When an employee looks at a leader, he should see himself reflected — a story both of what he is and what he can be. Whether you're two or 82, people love hearing the tales of their and others' triumphs– it helps to both shape the legend of the workplace and to promote a positive self-image. Just like individuals, companies need positive folklore that builds a positive culture. You have to communicate these messages on a large scale and inspire people to overcome pettiness. Peter Drucker says that the only three things that come naturally to an organization are “friction, confusion and underperformance.” To achieve something positive, you have to work at it skillfully and creatively.

One practice mentors can use that's even better than telling stories is to show it—model the message all the time. Former NYC Fire Commissioner Thomas Van Essen told my students how he reacts to the high-priced fundraisers he's been a part of over the last couple of years:

“I’m a person who is a lot nicer to the busboy than I am to Jacques, the maitre d'. That's just me. I think it's more important to be nice to the busboy - he probably has four jobs and 25 people living in his apartment at home. That tells me a lot about somebody. When I'm with someone and I see them treating people who are less fortunate than they are disrespectfully, or without any recognition, I lose all respect for that person.” (Thomas Van Essen, Fordham lectures)

What matters to Van Essen is that his people know they are valued. If you berate the busboy but fawn over the maitre d', what kind of a message does that send to your employees on the front lines of your operation who serve the customer? Nothing speaks louder to your people than a moment caught “off the record.”

Billy Shore, former U.S. Presidential political consultant-turned CEO of the nonprofit “Share Our Strength,” told me that the key moment in any political campaign is when the curtain is lifted and the true identity of the candidate is revealed as a result of some unplanned, inadvertent action. Billy was adamant in saying that at that point all the creative spin in the world could not rescue a candidate from his own actions. As a leader of an organization this is equally true—the microphone remains on even when you think you're off camera. It's during these moments, more than the scripted ones, that your people really learn what you're all about.

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Author Bio: Sander A. Flaum is managing partner in Flaum Partners, Inc., located in New York City. Prior to starting his new firm, he was chairman of the board of EURO RSCG Life Becker.