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By Yvette Gilmore Senior Vice President of Servicing Product Strategy
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A woman who is looking to advance her career and become a true leader should always seek out three things: a mentor, a coach, and a sponsor.
A mentor will help them achieve the goals that they set for themselves by assisting them through the process, pointing them to the right people to speak with, and helping them set goals to achieve their desired results. A coach, just like in sports, will give them the plays that they need and show them how to execute them to achieve an end result. Whereas a sponsor will put their credibility on the line for them and speak about them in rooms where they are not present, creating paths for them in new places.
With a mentor, a coach and a sponsor, they will have access to the tools and connections to help propel them into a leadership role.
For those already leading, you can play a pivotal role serving as a mentor, coach, or sponsor for members of your team, ultimately helping them to achieve positive, cooperative results. With more than 20 years of experience leading servicer relationship and performance management efforts, overseeing teams large and small, I learned the best ways to guide your team to greatness.
In honor of January serving as National Mentorship Month, here are some of the hallmarks that I have developed to help you be an effective leader for your team through mentorship:
Always take into account the needs of your team. What type of leader do they need right now? Be that. Looking back on my career, the most stressful 2.5 years of my working life came during the credit crisis, when the company I was with was wiped out. People lost huge amounts of wealth, and, in some cases, people who had retired needed to re-enter the workforce. It even got so bad that we had to ask our employees not to have the name of the company on their luggage tags, because they were being accosted in airports. Not only was my team under a great deal of pressure, but, in some cases, they themselves had lost everything. At that time, I looked closely at what my team needed from me. What type of leader did they need me to be in that moment? They needed me to buffer the criticism, deliver the news no one wanted to hear, but also have empathy and listen to their individual stories. As a leader of leaders, I looked at my team and provided them with the resources they needed to lead.
Depending on the situation and the individuals on your team, your leadership will be different. If you’re overseeing a large team where your direct contact is mostly with a smaller leadership team, your role will be to help them. You might focus on having leadership lunches so that the employees can see the senior most leaders up close and have access to ask the questions. If you lead a smaller team, you will have more direct access to mentor on a one-on-one basis. To be an effective leader, you must be flexible. Leadership is malleable and must shift based on what your team needs at that time.
If you don’t know what your team needs, ask. Never assume. You need to be able to ask, “What is it that you need from me?” and be able to unpack what that is and how you can best work with your team to get them where they need to be. This isn’t always easy. But having these direct discussions with members of your team and helping them to focus on what their goals are and align them with the team goals is key. Make yourself available to your team.
Another question you need to consider is, “What are my team members’ personal goals, apart from the business? And can the two marry?” Unfortunately, sometimes they do not align. Always be clear and transparent with your team about the needs of the organization and where they align with those goals.
Your value as a leader is not based on the size of your team. The best leaders have widespread influence. You can mentor members of your direct structure, but also those outside of your individual team. Ask questions, be a voice that influences decisions, and find ways to support the goals of your organization, even if it’s outside of your direct team.
As a mentor, there must be a goal-setting process where you work with your mentee so that you have a shared alignment on what it is that you are trying to achieve. While you will mentor members of your team, you likely will not mentor every member of your team. To mentor someone, the mentee must be drawn to their mentor and the mentor must see something in the mentee that pulls them in and makes them want to spend the extra time to mentor, because mentorship takes time.
A mentee needs to understand their goals, be able to articulate them succinctly and determine where they need help or assistance. Having clearly defined goals is vital to the success of a mentor/mentee relationship. When mentoring your team, engage in discussions and strategy meetings where you outline your clearly defined goals and assess if they are achievable.
It is also important for you to understand your leadership type. When mentoring, you need to be able to communicate how and where you can provide guidance and where you do not have expertise to help. You need to know your own strengths and weaknesses and how you best lead, then be able to communicate that. Emotional intelligence cannot be understated here. For me, I believe that my leaders should lead. So, it is important for me, from a leadership perspective, to say “This is who I am. This is how I lead. This is where there is collaboration, and this is where there is not.” Clearly define those parameters and ensure that your team has the tools to lead on their own. Also, because each mentor has their own strengths and style, mentees should have more than one mentor who can help them reach their desired goal.
Another area that it is important to continually analyze is your team structure. Do you have the right structure in place that will lead you to the end goal? Once again, this is where it’s vital that you can clearly communicate your goals and ensure that your team lines up in the best way to meet them.
Doing all of these things while mentoring will help you achieve better, cooperative results with your team.
A woman who is looking to advance her career and become a true leader should always seek out three things: a mentor, a coach, and a sponsor.
A mentor will help them achieve the goals that they set for themselves by assisting them through the process, pointing them to the right people to speak with, and helping them set goals to achieve their desired results. A coach, just like in sports, will give them the plays that they need and show them how to execute them to achieve an end result. Whereas a sponsor will put their credibility on the line for them and speak about them in rooms where they are not present, creating paths for them in new places.
With a mentor, a coach and a sponsor, they will have access to the tools and connections to help propel them into a leadership role.
For those already leading, you can play a pivotal role serving as a mentor, coach, or sponsor for members of your team, ultimately helping them to achieve positive, cooperative results. With more than 20 years of experience leading servicer relationship and performance management efforts, overseeing teams large and small, I learned the best ways to guide your team to greatness.
In honor of January serving as National Mentorship Month, here are some of the hallmarks that I have developed to help you be an effective leader for your team through mentorship:
Always take into account the needs of your team. What type of leader do they need right now? Be that. Looking back on my career, the most stressful 2.5 years of my working life came during the credit crisis, when the company I was with was wiped out. People lost huge amounts of wealth, and, in some cases, people who had retired needed to re-enter the workforce. It even got so bad that we had to ask our employees not to have the name of the company on their luggage tags, because they were being accosted in airports. Not only was my team under a great deal of pressure, but, in some cases, they themselves had lost everything. At that time, I looked closely at what my team needed from me. What type of leader did they need me to be in that moment? They needed me to buffer the criticism, deliver the news no one wanted to hear, but also have empathy and listen to their individual stories. As a leader of leaders, I looked at my team and provided them with the resources they needed to lead.
Depending on the situation and the individuals on your team, your leadership will be different. If you’re overseeing a large team where your direct contact is mostly with a smaller leadership team, your role will be to help them. You might focus on having leadership lunches so that the employees can see the senior most leaders up close and have access to ask the questions. If you lead a smaller team, you will have more direct access to mentor on a one-on-one basis. To be an effective leader, you must be flexible. Leadership is malleable and must shift based on what your team needs at that time.
If you don’t know what your team needs, ask. Never assume. You need to be able to ask, “What is it that you need from me?” and be able to unpack what that is and how you can best work with your team to get them where they need to be. This isn’t always easy. But having these direct discussions with members of your team and helping them to focus on what their goals are and align them with the team goals is key. Make yourself available to your team.
Another question you need to consider is, “What are my team members’ personal goals, apart from the business? And can the two marry?” Unfortunately, sometimes they do not align. Always be clear and transparent with your team about the needs of the organization and where they align with those goals.
Your value as a leader is not based on the size of your team. The best leaders have widespread influence. You can mentor members of your direct structure, but also those outside of your individual team. Ask questions, be a voice that influences decisions, and find ways to support the goals of your organization, even if it’s outside of your direct team.
As a mentor, there must be a goal-setting process where you work with your mentee so that you have a shared alignment on what it is that you are trying to achieve. While you will mentor members of your team, you likely will not mentor every member of your team. To mentor someone, the mentee must be drawn to their mentor and the mentor must see something in the mentee that pulls them in and makes them want to spend the extra time to mentor, because mentorship takes time.
A mentee needs to understand their goals, be able to articulate them succinctly and determine where they need help or assistance. Having clearly defined goals is vital to the success of a mentor/mentee relationship. When mentoring your team, engage in discussions and strategy meetings where you outline your clearly defined goals and assess if they are achievable.
It is also important for you to understand your leadership type. When mentoring, you need to be able to communicate how and where you can provide guidance and where you do not have expertise to help. You need to know your own strengths and weaknesses and how you best lead, then be able to communicate that. Emotional intelligence cannot be understated here. For me, I believe that my leaders should lead. So, it is important for me, from a leadership perspective, to say “This is who I am. This is how I lead. This is where there is collaboration, and this is where there is not.” Clearly define those parameters and ensure that your team has the tools to lead on their own. Also, because each mentor has their own strengths and style, mentees should have more than one mentor who can help them reach their desired goal.
Another area that it is important to continually analyze is your team structure. Do you have the right structure in place that will lead you to the end goal? Once again, this is where it’s vital that you can clearly communicate your goals and ensure that your team lines up in the best way to meet them.
Doing all of these things while mentoring will help you achieve better, cooperative results with your team.
A woman who is looking to advance her career and become a true leader should always seek out three things: a mentor, a coach, and a sponsor.
A mentor will help them achieve the goals that they set for themselves by assisting them through the process, pointing them to the right people to speak with, and helping them set goals to achieve their desired results. A coach, just like in sports, will give them the plays that they need and show them how to execute them to achieve an end result. Whereas a sponsor will put their credibility on the line for them and speak about them in rooms where they are not present, creating paths for them in new places.
With a mentor, a coach and a sponsor, they will have access to the tools and connections to help propel them into a leadership role.
For those already leading, you can play a pivotal role serving as a mentor, coach, or sponsor for members of your team, ultimately helping them to achieve positive, cooperative results. With more than 20 years of experience leading servicer relationship and performance management efforts, overseeing teams large and small, I learned the best ways to guide your team to greatness.
In honor of January serving as National Mentorship Month, here are some of the hallmarks that I have developed to help you be an effective leader for your team through mentorship:
Always take into account the needs of your team. What type of leader do they need right now? Be that. Looking back on my career, the most stressful 2.5 years of my working life came during the credit crisis, when the company I was with was wiped out. People lost huge amounts of wealth, and, in some cases, people who had retired needed to re-enter the workforce. It even got so bad that we had to ask our employees not to have the name of the company on their luggage tags, because they were being accosted in airports. Not only was my team under a great deal of pressure, but, in some cases, they themselves had lost everything. At that time, I looked closely at what my team needed from me. What type of leader did they need me to be in that moment? They needed me to buffer the criticism, deliver the news no one wanted to hear, but also have empathy and listen to their individual stories. As a leader of leaders, I looked at my team and provided them with the resources they needed to lead.
Depending on the situation and the individuals on your team, your leadership will be different. If you’re overseeing a large team where your direct contact is mostly with a smaller leadership team, your role will be to help them. You might focus on having leadership lunches so that the employees can see the senior most leaders up close and have access to ask the questions. If you lead a smaller team, you will have more direct access to mentor on a one-on-one basis. To be an effective leader, you must be flexible. Leadership is malleable and must shift based on what your team needs at that time.
If you don’t know what your team needs, ask. Never assume. You need to be able to ask, “What is it that you need from me?” and be able to unpack what that is and how you can best work with your team to get them where they need to be. This isn’t always easy. But having these direct discussions with members of your team and helping them to focus on what their goals are and align them with the team goals is key. Make yourself available to your team.
Another question you need to consider is, “What are my team members’ personal goals, apart from the business? And can the two marry?” Unfortunately, sometimes they do not align. Always be clear and transparent with your team about the needs of the organization and where they align with those goals.
Your value as a leader is not based on the size of your team. The best leaders have widespread influence. You can mentor members of your direct structure, but also those outside of your individual team. Ask questions, be a voice that influences decisions, and find ways to support the goals of your organization, even if it’s outside of your direct team.
As a mentor, there must be a goal-setting process where you work with your mentee so that you have a shared alignment on what it is that you are trying to achieve. While you will mentor members of your team, you likely will not mentor every member of your team. To mentor someone, the mentee must be drawn to their mentor and the mentor must see something in the mentee that pulls them in and makes them want to spend the extra time to mentor, because mentorship takes time.
A mentee needs to understand their goals, be able to articulate them succinctly and determine where they need help or assistance. Having clearly defined goals is vital to the success of a mentor/mentee relationship. When mentoring your team, engage in discussions and strategy meetings where you outline your clearly defined goals and assess if they are achievable.
It is also important for you to understand your leadership type. When mentoring, you need to be able to communicate how and where you can provide guidance and where you do not have expertise to help. You need to know your own strengths and weaknesses and how you best lead, then be able to communicate that. Emotional intelligence cannot be understated here. For me, I believe that my leaders should lead. So, it is important for me, from a leadership perspective, to say “This is who I am. This is how I lead. This is where there is collaboration, and this is where there is not.” Clearly define those parameters and ensure that your team has the tools to lead on their own. Also, because each mentor has their own strengths and style, mentees should have more than one mentor who can help them reach their desired goal.
Another area that it is important to continually analyze is your team structure. Do you have the right structure in place that will lead you to the end goal? Once again, this is where it’s vital that you can clearly communicate your goals and ensure that your team lines up in the best way to meet them.
Doing all of these things while mentoring will help you achieve better, cooperative results with your team.
A woman who is looking to advance her career and become a true leader should always seek out three things: a mentor, a coach, and a sponsor.
A mentor will help them achieve the goals that they set for themselves by assisting them through the process, pointing them to the right people to speak with, and helping them set goals to achieve their desired results. A coach, just like in sports, will give them the plays that they need and show them how to execute them to achieve an end result. Whereas a sponsor will put their credibility on the line for them and speak about them in rooms where they are not present, creating paths for them in new places.
With a mentor, a coach and a sponsor, they will have access to the tools and connections to help propel them into a leadership role.
For those already leading, you can play a pivotal role serving as a mentor, coach, or sponsor for members of your team, ultimately helping them to achieve positive, cooperative results. With more than 20 years of experience leading servicer relationship and performance management efforts, overseeing teams large and small, I learned the best ways to guide your team to greatness.
In honor of January serving as National Mentorship Month, here are some of the hallmarks that I have developed to help you be an effective leader for your team through mentorship:
Always take into account the needs of your team. What type of leader do they need right now? Be that. Looking back on my career, the most stressful 2.5 years of my working life came during the credit crisis, when the company I was with was wiped out. People lost huge amounts of wealth, and, in some cases, people who had retired needed to re-enter the workforce. It even got so bad that we had to ask our employees not to have the name of the company on their luggage tags, because they were being accosted in airports. Not only was my team under a great deal of pressure, but, in some cases, they themselves had lost everything. At that time, I looked closely at what my team needed from me. What type of leader did they need me to be in that moment? They needed me to buffer the criticism, deliver the news no one wanted to hear, but also have empathy and listen to their individual stories. As a leader of leaders, I looked at my team and provided them with the resources they needed to lead.
Depending on the situation and the individuals on your team, your leadership will be different. If you’re overseeing a large team where your direct contact is mostly with a smaller leadership team, your role will be to help them. You might focus on having leadership lunches so that the employees can see the senior most leaders up close and have access to ask the questions. If you lead a smaller team, you will have more direct access to mentor on a one-on-one basis. To be an effective leader, you must be flexible. Leadership is malleable and must shift based on what your team needs at that time.
If you don’t know what your team needs, ask. Never assume. You need to be able to ask, “What is it that you need from me?” and be able to unpack what that is and how you can best work with your team to get them where they need to be. This isn’t always easy. But having these direct discussions with members of your team and helping them to focus on what their goals are and align them with the team goals is key. Make yourself available to your team.
Another question you need to consider is, “What are my team members’ personal goals, apart from the business? And can the two marry?” Unfortunately, sometimes they do not align. Always be clear and transparent with your team about the needs of the organization and where they align with those goals.
Your value as a leader is not based on the size of your team. The best leaders have widespread influence. You can mentor members of your direct structure, but also those outside of your individual team. Ask questions, be a voice that influences decisions, and find ways to support the goals of your organization, even if it’s outside of your direct team.
As a mentor, there must be a goal-setting process where you work with your mentee so that you have a shared alignment on what it is that you are trying to achieve. While you will mentor members of your team, you likely will not mentor every member of your team. To mentor someone, the mentee must be drawn to their mentor and the mentor must see something in the mentee that pulls them in and makes them want to spend the extra time to mentor, because mentorship takes time.
A mentee needs to understand their goals, be able to articulate them succinctly and determine where they need help or assistance. Having clearly defined goals is vital to the success of a mentor/mentee relationship. When mentoring your team, engage in discussions and strategy meetings where you outline your clearly defined goals and assess if they are achievable.
It is also important for you to understand your leadership type. When mentoring, you need to be able to communicate how and where you can provide guidance and where you do not have expertise to help. You need to know your own strengths and weaknesses and how you best lead, then be able to communicate that. Emotional intelligence cannot be understated here. For me, I believe that my leaders should lead. So, it is important for me, from a leadership perspective, to say “This is who I am. This is how I lead. This is where there is collaboration, and this is where there is not.” Clearly define those parameters and ensure that your team has the tools to lead on their own. Also, because each mentor has their own strengths and style, mentees should have more than one mentor who can help them reach their desired goal.
Another area that it is important to continually analyze is your team structure. Do you have the right structure in place that will lead you to the end goal? Once again, this is where it’s vital that you can clearly communicate your goals and ensure that your team lines up in the best way to meet them.
Doing all of these things while mentoring will help you achieve better, cooperative results with your team.
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education when you use our code WOMENWIN.
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education. Become a member for our unique code.
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MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education when you use our code WOMENWIN.
MaxClass is a woman-owned company, and we're offering MWLC members 65% off your continuing education. Become a member for our unique code.
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