30-5-1 Plan for Mentoring

Let’s talk about mentoring for a moment. Have you had a mentor? And how do you promote mentoring among your team members as well as organization wide, perhaps?

Absolutely. That professor I mentioned earlier who taught principles of economics back in, I don’t know, 2004-5 when I was in his course? We’re still in touch. We had lunch maybe four or five months ago because you asked.
You know, what was an experience that, you know, really put you on this business path? And I really think my experience learning from him was transformational to the point where I’m going to force him to be my mentor for as long as I can. And he’s so gracious with his time.

What was his name again? And does he still teach?

Yes. His name is Sunil Gulati. He’s a professor at Columbia University, and he still teaches principles of economics.

Well, great.

So, I would say you may find mentors in unobvious places, an academic, someone in the social sector, somebody in a completely different industry. But if you find that person that you have a mind meld with or some connection, there’s something about them that’s just so inspirational to you.
It doesn’t matter that they’re not, in my example, an executive working at a real estate firm. It doesn’t matter at all. It matters what that connection is. And am I able to give him value? Is he able to give me value?
But in terms of fostering mentorship within Compass, I always say I have this little rule that every week I try to do 30, 5 and 1. What does that mean? Spend 30 minutes a week mentoring someone who’s not a direct report of yours. Maybe someone new to the organization. It may be somebody who reports to one of my direct reports, but carve out 30 minutes in-person or virtually, and just talk about whatever it is that person wants to talk about and lead with: how can I be helpful? What’s on your mind?
By the way, there’s value for me as well, because ask you, if you were in my shoes, what would you want to know? There’s so much that you can learn on the mentor side from people who you don’t have daily interaction with.
30 minutes a week mentoring somebody who you don’t regularly spend time with.
Five, spend five minutes a week giving someone quick feedback. You walk out of a meeting and someone just nailed it. They were so prepared, they ran the meeting so well, they articulated their points so effectively. Just grab them in the hallway or give them a call. Be specific with the feedback so that’s the five minutes.
And then one, spend one minute a week sending a quick email to someone’s manager. It could be that same person that you just spent five minutes with just to say something great that you observe them doing. Because mentorship doesn’t directly have to come from you, right? You can plant those seeds with others in the organization as well. And I’ll say, observe that, and then they’ll look out for it.
And then maybe they’ll get feedback and coaching and positivity or constructive feedback to that person as well. So, I think that’s really important. And that’s such an easy framework? Pick one piece of it. Pick all three pieces, invent a framework that works for yourself, but keep it consistent.