Starting Strong: A Mentoring Fable

"Story is a very powerful way to exemplify concepts and show the dynamics and issues involved in relationships. In this mentoring fable, Zachary and Fischler use the story of an incipient mentoring relationship and its possibilities, problems, and pitfalls to bring their suggestions for best practices to life. The first 90 days of a mentoring relationship are relatively fragile; as both mentor and mentee proceed uncertainly, they may not know how to create the ingredients that are crucial to its success:building trust, finding their comfort zones (and having the courage to leave them), setting up productive regular meetings and conversations, dealing with power dynamics, setting goals, and keeping momentum going. While the fable offers tools and skills that can be applied to any mentoring relationship, Zachary and Fischler also provide a conversation playbook for new mentoring relationships, with guidance for establishing a mentoring relationship and keeping it strong"--
A hands-on and usable guide to making the first 90 days of your mentoring relationship a successIn Starting Strong, mentoring experts Lois J. Zachary and Lory A. Fischler weave a compelling tale that exemplifies the concepts, highlights the dynamics, and outlines the issues involved in mentoring relationships. The authors use the form of a fable to tell the story of a budding mentoring relationship filled with possibilities, problems, and triumphs. The story of Cynthia, a seasoned professional, and her new mentee Rafa, brings to life Zachary and Fischler's wealth of mentoring suggestions and best practices and each episode of the fable is accompanied by reflection questions, key learnings, and strategies that readers can apply to their own mentoring relationships. The authors include a conversation playbook that guides mentors and mentees through six essential conversations that will help them establish a strong mentoring connection, and keep it moving forward.As organizations face the transition of departing Boomers and arriving Millennials, Starting Strong offers a hands-on and readable guide to create effective mentoring relationships that will ensure the success of that transition. The book:Covers the key components of a successful mentoring relationship including building trust, establishing a comfort zone (and then having the courage to leave it), holding productive meetings, dealing with power dynamics, setting goals, and keeping momentum goingShows how to avoid common pitfalls and overcome mentoring obstaclesApplies to any organizational or institutional settingStarting Strong is more than an engaging story of mentorship, it's a vital resource for understanding how to implement and sustain a meaningful mentoring relationship.