Issue No. 437 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting recommends you focus on the narrow mentoring window—before it’s too late. Here are nine books to help you. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here for my review of Non-Obvious Megatrends.
Hall of Fame-level Blunders
I’m guessing the Library of Congress will need another building by the end of the COVID-19 era. Much has been written by experts and non-experts! But unless I missed it, I’ve not seen anything about the emerging managers, new CEOs, and just-appointed senior team members, who may be forgotten or ignored due to—yes—more challenging, but perhaps, misplaced priorities.
In their thoughtful article on March 20, “Leading Beyond the Blizzard: Why Every Organization Is Now a Startup,” Praxis leaders Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard, note that COVID-19 may disrupt organizations for 18 months or more. They write:
“But 18 months is not a season—it is, for many purposes, more like an age or an era. Just to choose one example, the Tufts scholar Maryanne Wolf has theorized that there is a roughly three-year window, from ages 7 to 9, when children can transition from ‘novice’ reading to ‘fluent’ reading. Children who miss this window, for any number of reasons, seem never to acquire genuinely fluent reading skills no matter how much additional instruction they receive later in life.” (Click here to read their April 23 follow-up.)
With crises everywhere—and it’s very, very tough—let me encourage you to think about the mentoring window. If your new team members (those who arrived just before lockdown) are neglected, they may never catch up—never unlearning inappropriate leadership and management bad habits from their early months or years. But—if somehow—you can invest time in this formative window in their careers, the results can be transformational.
Letters to My Younger Self!
Now in her sixth decade, Michelle Hoverson has just published a brilliant coaching tool, Mentoring Moments with Myself. She writes to her “younger self,” reflecting on life lessons learned. Whew—talk about transparency! Must read: “Chapter 2 or Chapter 22?” She reflects on her early CEO years:
“Comparison will be an ever-present trap.”
After 23 years in ministry (compassion pastor in a large church) and several corporate communication positions ranging from a law firm to the White House, Hoverson became the executive director of an international missions ministry. But, she had never been the fundraiser. Her aha moment: “This will take you swimming in the deep end of the pool.”
So this new CEO connects with a friend who led “a massive international ministry,” and his response unleashed “a downward spiral of self-doubt.” She didn’t have the experience, the staff, the network, or the volunteers.
The conversation haunted her for 24 hours—then she prayed. So today, she writes to her younger self. “You will realize that your friend’s nonprofit is experiencing chapter 22 in its development. You, however, are just writing chapter 2. Nothing will steal the hope and joy from your heart more quickly than comparison.”
That’s from page 11 and she’s just warming up. What a brilliant idea (did I mention that?). Write letters to your younger self: counsel, thoughts, reflections. Hold nothing back. And thus inspire other leaders to write “Dear Younger Me” letters. (There are blank pages at the end of every short chapter.) Her insights abound:
• “In an effort to avoid mistakes, you will want to retreat from making daring and bold moves. When you find yourself deliberating too long or waiting for one more sign from God, you will risk missing the miraculous if you choose safety and don’t go up the mountain.”
• “As you age, you will see culture slowly releasing its grip on the importance of faithfulness.” (Read Psalm 31:23, Proverbs 3:3-4, and Luke 16:10-12. Question: “Why does God place a high value on faithfulness?”)
• On grumbling and complaining: “Don’t do it. Ungratefulness is socially unbecoming and spiritually limiting. No one is inspired by a grouch. You will do well to remember that the Israelite’s 11-day journey through the wilderness took 40 years because of their ungratefulness.” (Attn: COVID-19 pilgrims!)
The one-liners are convicting:
• “Listen instead of lecture.”
• “Let failure influence you, not define you.”
• “Stay in your own lane and not run the race someone else is winning.”
• “Take it one step at a time and not try to skip the steps.”
• “Oh my gosh, you are going to make so many mistakes! Some will be minor, and others will be real doozies—Hall of Fame-level blunders.”
• “People will pressure you to conform. Choose to be a prototype, not a stereotype.”
Who are you mentoring (or should be mentoring) that needs this book? Hoverson’s chapter, “The Aging Advantage,” is wisdom-filled. “The more you age, the more you realize…the value of the pause.”
“When in doubt—pause.
When making a big decision—pause.
When angry—pause before responding.
When tired—pause before reacting.
And when you pause—pray.”
The author’s humility is arresting. She’s says she’s not really a writer, but her wise words are colorful and memorable. After a defining moment: “In a parking lot, you will wage a spiritual battle in prayer. Like never before, you’ll turn into a scriptural machine gun, firing relentlessly at the adversary of your soul and declaring the promises of God for your life.”
This is a keeper!
To order from Amazon, click on the title for Mentoring Moments with Myself: Letters to My Younger Self about Life, Faith, Love and Leadership, by Michelle Hoverson.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) List the emerging leaders on your team that are currently in the “mentoring window.” What’s your coaching plan for them?
2) Michelle Hoverson writes, “When Jesus encountered future disciples and said, ‘Follow me,’ imagine what they would have missed if one replied, ‘Thanks, but I’m comfortable catching fish. I think I’ll just stay close to my boat.’” In this COVID-19 marathon, what does it mean to follow Jesus outside your comfort zone?
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Resources for the “Mentoring Window”
Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook
One of the big ideas in the Culture Bucket is to assess your team members through the filter of “The Ultimate Values Test” (page 94 in the workbook). This quadrant identifies four groups based on values and performance. Group 2, for example, includes people who live the values, but have unsatisfactory performance—so give them another chance. But here’s the big question: As you mentor your people on the importance of living your values—are you willing to “cut the cord” for people in Group 4?
These coaching books will help you address your culture—and your values. Share the books below and inspire every team member to have a coach/mentor—or be a coach/mentor:
[ ] Legacy: 60 Life Reflections for the Next Generation
Steve Macchia wrote 60 life lessons upon turning 60. (John Maxwell postponed writing Leadership Gold until he was 60. Catch the theme here?) I asked my son, Jason (not yet 60!), for his review of Macchia’s mentoring book:
Review by Jason Pearson: This book is a must-buy for any parent or grandparent who is intentional about their family’s spiritual growth [and their team’s growth]. Each two-page chapter gives practical, inspiring, and even some very powerful “soul care” lessons to reflect on with your own family [or team]. It isn't just a book—it’s an interactive journal that can be used around the dinner table.
If you were gone tomorrow—what are the key things you would want to pass on to your kids? Yes, we do think about those things, but Legacy provides an easy way to actually start doing them. Use the blank pages to share your own life experiences. Your family will keep and treasure your thoughts, we hope!
Warning! Legacy is not for the faint of heart. You may be asked to be vulnerable and bare your soul. Chapter 3, “Mistakes Regretted,” is perfect for sharing with teenagers and helping them to avoid a few of life's pitfalls!
What would you invest if you knew that your kids would have a consistent walk with Jesus? Certainly more than the price of this book! This book should be on every spouse’s wish list—and it’s a great resource for every team member.
GRANDPA JOHN’S NOTE: And while you’re in your bunker this month, it’s the perfect time to invest in your family (children and grandchildren) by completing the fun and meaningful journal by Jason Pearson and Doug Fields, This. Customizable Journal: 52 Ways to Share Your World With Those You Love. Click here to read my review.
MORE COACHING/MENTORING TOP PICKS:
[ ] 20 MENTORING SESSIONS: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: Discover the 20 Workplace Habits You Need to Break, by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter (2013 Book-of-the-Year). This world class coach says that a “minor” workplace foible can become a major crisis. Why? “More often than not, it’s because people’s inner compass of correct behavior has gone out of whack—and they become clueless about their position among their coworkers.” (Listen to an abridged audio edition of the book at Libro.fm—just 6 hours.)
[ ] 11 MENTORING SESSIONS: The Softer Side of Leadership: Essential Soft Skills That Transform Leaders and the People They Lead, by Eugene B. Habecker. The author quotes Henri Nouwen about blind spots: "The interruption…forced me to enter the basement of my soul and look directly at what was hidden there.”
[ ] 8 MENTORING SESSIONS: Monday Morning Leadership: 8 Mentoring Sessions You Can’t Afford to Miss, by David Cottrell. What if every person on your team had a Monday Morning management mentor for the next eight Mondays? Cottrell writes, “As a leader your job is to keep everyone’s bucket filled. You are the Chief Bucket-Filler, and the best way to fill buckets is with excellent communication.”
[ ] 10 MENTORING SESSIONS: The Top 10 Leadership Conversations in the Bible: Practical Insights From Extensive Research on Over 1,000 Biblical Leaders, by Steve Moore. PowerPoint worthy insights throughout!
• “Pride hides from the consciousness of leaders behind a mask of overconfidence. Overconfidence isn’t just annoying to followers. It is dangerous for leaders.”
• Did you ever read this parenthetical note in Numbers 12:3? “(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone on the face of the earth.)”
• “I find it easier to admit my lack of patience than my lack of humility.”
[ ] 14 MINUTES! The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier. View the author's 14-minute TEDx Talk (March 13, 2020), “How to Tame Your Advice Monster.” It’s meaty, funny, and might be your best use of 14 minutes this week!
[ ] STOP WORKING SO HARD! The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier. Follow his three memorable points on coaching:
• BE LAZY: Stop working so hard.
• BE CURIOUS: Stop giving so much advice.
• BE OFTEN: Stop waiting to coach.
For more resources and books lists, visit the Book Bucket.
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JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Who is mentoring and coaching the creatives on your team? Need help? Check out the innovative work from Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video).
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