WILL UNWOUND #694: “Do you have a Mentor?”
March 1, 2012First I declare that during the rest of the week all drinks will be on the house here in the Unwinders Tavern. I have never been prouder of you, Unwinders. Yesterday we had a vigorous debate on one of Biblioterra’s most emotional issues: what is a professional librarian? This is an issue that really hits to the old bone marrow and you all did a wonderful job of presenting your point of view in an uncompromising but very civil manner. I for one learned a great deal. Thanks.
Today I am asking for your help. The spring speaking tour starts soon for me and one of the presentations I have been asked to give is on the subject of mentoring. I’ve done a lot of work on this presentation and I feel fairly confident about it because I set up a fairly comprehensive mentoring program in the city where I was city manager.
But what I would like to get a feel for is how important mentoring has been to you in your library careers. For me, it was very important. My career mentor was a man named Ken McDonald. He was the first city manager I reported to in my library director days. By profession, he was a civil engineer. But through a series of unexpected personal and professional developments he ended up in the city manager’s chair for 16 years.
What did I learn from Ken? He gave me a “school of hard knocks” education in the subject of local politics. Remember when former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil declared that “all politics are local?” Well, that was the foundation of Ken’s approach to his job. He was an absolute master of understanding how to deal with local officials, whom he always referred to as “the salt of the earth” even when they drove him nuts.
These were the points Ken drilled into my brain:
- Local politicians are motivated not by greed or power but by ego. They love attention, flattery, and publicity.
- When you accomplish something good for the community stay out of the limelight. Let the local elected officials take all of the credit.
- You cannot have too many ribbon cuttings, receptions, and social events where the “electeds” get to give speeches, hand out trinkets, and kiss babies.
- Never bring anything controversial to Council during “silly season,” that eight week campaigning period before an election.
- Never, ever play favorites even in private. You will be found out and be targeted for the ash heap of fired public administrators.
- Never, ever misspell an elected official’s name on an official document.
- The design of the dedication plaque is as important as the architecture of a new building.
- Always meet the elected official on his or her turf for informational briefings. That could be the golf course, the neighborhood tavern, or the elected’s office.
- Do research. Find out what the elected likes to eat, smoke, and drink? Always ask about the spouse and kids.
- Politicians are motivated by votes. If you want their support don’t throw reports at them; show them that your ideas translate into votes and plenty of them.
- Politicians do not want to discover bad news in the newspaper. Always give them a heads-up phone call before they read about it in the media.
- When things go sideways, always take the public hit for it even if you are not to blame. Your job is to shield the electeds.
The list goes on and on, but you get the message. Ken was a true mentor. 20 years after I first began learning from him, I too, through a series of unexpected personal and professional developments, ended up in his old city manager’s chair. I could have never gotten there without the lessons he taught me.
Questions of the Day: Have you had a mentor? If so was it an informal relationship or did you meet him/her through a formal organizational mentoring program? Did you approach the mentor or did he/she approach you? What did you learn and how did it affect your career?
Thanks for the help.
The mentoring I’ve had was strictly informal, but hugely beneficial. In particular, I owe a huge debt to two teachers who took a personal interest in me, Dr. Milton Beckmann and Orlan Thomas.
But for twenty-five years I have been a mentor in a formal program. In the process, I have learned that successful mentoring is first and foremost simply a sharing of accumulated insights, done very flexibly, and secondly, a matter of giving people a chance to do things and grow in the process.
Wayne…can you tell me more about your formal program? Is it in your library, city, or state association?
Wayne,
For we Husker types don’t forget P.R.L.G.– Stan S.
(For the rest of the world this was directors of the larger public libraries in Nebraska ).
Will, the formal program is one I have mentioned before: the University of the South’s Education for Ministry program. It is a four-year program for adult lay people designed to give them a solid grounding in scripture, Christian history, and theology, and then giving them experience in connecting that knowledge with their everyday life, so that they can be effective lay ministers, as every baptized Christian is called to be.
I had a very strange experience with a mentor. After I got my degree, I requested a mentor through a formal mentoring program because I was hoping (at that time) to transition back to academic libraries from the public sector. We lived about 2 hours apart, so our contact was strictly via phone calls and emails. This person was very responsive and very helpful, particularly in reviewing my resume and several cover letter options. However, when we finally had the chance to meet in person (a scheduled lunch at a conference), something really didn’t click. I don’t know what it was or why. But this person never contacted me again, and I followed up our lunch with a “thank you, nice to meet you” note. However, I do not think this person thought it was nice to meet me! And if I do say so myself, I don’t have a difficult bone in my body! I’m very easygoing, open, and, well, I don’t know what happened there….
So, my best mentors have been friends in the profession, and I know I can ask them any questions, anytime, and they will be happy to help me. I hope I will be in a position to do the same in a few years.
byn…I know you are busy with your training but when you have time can you tell me more about the formal program? How did you get connected with your mentor and why do you think the relationship was ultimately non-productive? Thanks.
There are librarians who were mentors, but not in a formal sense. They were librarians with just a few more years in the profession than me, but when you are 23 and straight out of library school the wisdom of people with even a little more experience is helpful. Their help was more of an encouragement thing than a learn the political ropes thing. They helped me make the connections to get involved with ALA and gave me the encouragement I need to write for publication. Really they set me on the path to thinking like a professional who is going to pay attention and contribute at the national level.
Do you think younger librarians really want political advice from those of us who have been around the block a few times? Sometimes I can get their ear when I try to tell them the best way to approach management with a project proposal. Unfortunately the most important thing to learn as a new librarian is how to pick your battles, and I’ve yet to meet a newbie who wants to hear that.
met, thanks for a very enlightening comment. Now that I reflect upon it, I was 32 when I developed a mentor/student relationship with my city manager Ken McDonald. From 22 to 32 I had gotten my knees and elbows scraped in the rough and tumble world of local politics. So by the age of 32 I had had my youthful pride, arrogance, stupidity, and idealism knocked out of me. I was ready to learn from a master. So you’re right…you can’t be mentored unless you reach a certain level of maturity and humility. Thanks for the insight.
I’ve been fortunate to have several people in my life that I would consider mentors, but they have been mostly informal. One of them was an official mentor for a leadership program that I participated in, and we have continued that relationship on an informal basis following the end of the program. She is a Library Director and my primary mentor for career-related advice and issues.
I have a couple of instructors from my MLIS program who I’ve kept in contact with as well. They were very encouraging to me when I was in their class, and have been helpful sounding boards over the years. They took some time out from one class meeting to give the students advice about interviewing for jobs, and I still contact them whenever I’m applying for a new position as they help me prepare and think through issues that might come up in the interview.
I have another person that I go to for things that have more to do with my personal life, or to talk about work/life balance.
I consider all of these people to be mentors as well as friends. I think they are invaluable and have really helped me in my life and career. Even if you think a formal mentor/mentee relationship is not for you, I highly recommend making contact with someone in the Library field that you know, respect and admire, and asking if you can take them out to lunch to chat. I have done this many times and ALWAYS benefited from the experience. (And I pay for the meal, so that if nothing else the person who is being so generous with their time and advice gets a free lunch out of it). This is an interaction that generally has a little more depth than networking, without the commitment of mentoring. I’ve never had someone turn me down when I asked, although sometimes you have to be patient and flexible to get worked into a busy person’s schedule.
Genesis, excellent comment and excellent advice especially to young librarians. By the way, was the leadership program something within a library or library association?
Yes, it was the excellent Eureka Leadership Institute for California librarians. It was by far the best Leadership/professional development experience I have ever had, and I highly recommend it. BTW, if you’re a California librarian, applications are currently being accepted for the 2012 Institute!
Genesis…thanks for the info and great to have you back in the tavern!
Thanks, it’s good to be back! I was out on maternity leave and took a break from most of my online communities in addition to work so that I could really focus on spending time with my family.
I missed you all and the good conversations that always take place in tavern.
Boris, the next round’s on me!
I haven’t had any official library mentors – I wish I had, might have made the career a little less peripataic. I have had various mentor and “mini mentor” relationships with various people – both as mentor and mentee – over the years.
This will temporarily hearken back to yesterday’s discussion: when I got my first job, one of our older Senior Library Assistants “took me under her wing” and saved my proverbial butt more often than I can say both in answering questions at the reference desk and with family programming. That was 20 years ago, and she has now gone to the other side of the rainbow bridge, but we stayed very close throughout my entire career and I am stil grateful to her in my heart of hearts.
I was asked to be a mentor once, to a relatively new librarian who had just become a small branch manager. It was an interesting perspective, to be on the other side of the table. I learned a lot from her too – not only sharing alternate points of view, but also in answering, or trying to answer, or finding answers for the questions she asked. We also became enduring friends
I have had one formal mentor, in college administration. Great guy, he was just too darn busy to actually do anything, so that was kind of a bust, except for maybe learning that upper level administrators may have good intentions but goofy schedules
My lifelong mentor is a faculty member from my undergrad studies in theater design. Most of the important life lessons/insights I’ve maintained came from him: (a) measure three times, cut once – literally and metaphorically; (b) never, ever, EVER assume anything,” and “(c) don’t sweat the small stuff” – as in, if there really is a simple way to do something that makes sense, don’t automatically create a convoluted, contorted way to do it just because somebody else didn’t think things through.
I also got from him my lifelong beliefs that (a) policies are Good Things to have, (b) even the best policy can sometimes warrant an exception, and (c) a stupid or outdated policy should be changed. The other thing I learned from him is that everyone on the team has a role to play, from the director to the designer to the house manager to the custodian.
And you know, every time I’ve forgotten those insights and lessons, I have gotten into trouble.
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Shirl…great comment. You are so blessed to have a life mentor. They are the best kind to have.
I’m swamped today; but you know I don’t think I’ve ever really had a mentor. I’ve worked with people that have been older than I and thus had wisdom, experience and frequently humor to offer me; but none of them has really ever been a take that person under your wing and show them the ropes kinds of person I take a mentor to be.
And I would note in relation that drawing upon other persons wisdom, experience and humor is always a good a idea. It is like that saying that you should learn from the mistakes of others because you’ll never have time, in an average life-time, to make all those mistakes yourself!
I’ve lost my friend the comma again. I can’t seem to find him anywhere…
Oh God! Linda,I scanned this comment quickly and read “I lost my friend to a coma. I can’t seem to find him anywhere.”
I thought I had a mentor in the director at my first library job, and maybe she was for awhile. But it changed into something negative before she eventually moved on to another library, and we had zero contact after that.
I think my real, unofficial, mentor was the Children’s Librarian at that same library. She is not a “professional”. i.e. she does not have an MLS, but she is the best, most effective, and yes, most truly professional librarian I’ve ever met. She is younger than me but was in the profession for 15 years already when I got there. She is the one who showed me, by example, how to be a librarian and a manager. We didn’t always agree, and that became more true as I found my feet and my voice. But she was supportive and always there with advice and comfort. She became a dear friend and is still that now that I’ve retired. I wouldn’t have made it without her.
When I hired a full-time reference librarian in 2007, I did it with the thought that she would be my successor when I retired, and I tried to mentor her from day one. She is now the manager and encountering some bumps in the road, some of her own making. I am still trying to lend her some guidance and hoping she can learn from my experience and incorporate it into her own career.
Lynne, for the sake of my research I’m curious as to why your first mentor relationship turned negative.
I don’t know for sure. She talked about delegating authority but second-guessed everything and tended to chastise her staff in front of other staff members. I think because I was older when I came to librarianship, she thought I would jump right in and grasp everything immediately. OTOH, I think I wasn’t as malleable as she would have liked. I had my own opinions and I think she took it personally when they didn’t match hers. Age might have been a factor – she was a bit younger and maybe mentors need to be older. All she ever said was that she was “disappointed” with me; and that was a negative trigger for me because that was the most terrible thing I could do to my mother when I was a child; disappointment was way worse than anger. Perhaps this is TMI?
My most impactful mentors have been people in formal authority relationships: high school football coach, doctoral dissertation adviser, direct bosses, board leaders. These were mutual relationships built around our common tasks and responsibilities, and none of them, except the school-based ones, had the explicit goal of helping me to develop. The most important thing these people did was to have high expectations for my performance, patience and good humor about my stumblings and failures, and a willingness to help me learn from the failures. They gave me a lot, but I also gave something valuable to them: the junior partner’s respect, loyalty, and willingness to go all out for them.
I think the thing that is missing from structured mentoring programs is the ability of the mentor to make serious demands on the junior. Without a stake in their mutual success, the younger person is less likely to take the relationship seriously.
I don’t have a mentor now but I can think it would be extremely helpful in a library career. I know very little about the formal programs you’re talking about, Will. I’ll be reading these answers with great interest.
We actually did that for awhile. I thought it was a good thing. Actually I think we were doing it mostly with new people. Then we had a “grow you own” managers program that was similar and quite good.
I love the list of things you learned from your mentor about dealing with elected officials. Running the elected-officials-gauntlet is like nothing else on earth. You were fortunate to have a savvy guide!
That would be “grow YOUR own”. Typos abound.
I will say that I worked with some great people over the years and I also had some wonderful supervisors but I wouldn’t say that I had that one person in my life that I would call a mentor or a role model. I also had some wonderful professors throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies but I think what I have been finding is that, even amongst my library science professors, I really have been finding more encouragement to go in another direction. I found that, with at least 2 former library science students who didn’t go into the profession after they got their MLS, I should’ve gone for that MA all along in international relations (or another field of political science).
(I know it’s a little late, but I felt a strong desire to respond to this one.)
My first “mentor” was my dad, who was a librarian and encouraged me to apply for my first job as a Library Page when I was 16. It’s been great to be able to talk to him about all my different library experience since then, even now when he’s retired and very glad of that fact!
I think the librarian who trained me at that first Page job was the one who was most like a “professional” mentor to me. Not only did he train me as a Page, but he showed me quite a bit about exactly what it meant to work in a library. He even got me my second job! I believe I benefited greatly from being taken under his wing: if it weren’t for him, I might not have done so well as a Page and might not have decided to go on from there and eventually become a full-fledged Librarian!
Currently, I am quite happy to have supervisors that I can easily talk with as often as I need, so that I am able to get advice on whatever I may need it for and constantly learn on the job. I feel I have been very blessed in my library career, and hope to help others in theirs! (My husband will be entering library school in a year or two, so I’m looking forward to being, in a way, his mentor!)