Customer Reviews

The Art of Mentoring: Lead, Follow, and Get Out of the Way

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Reading Shirley Peddy's book has truly been an engaging learning experience. By practicing the art of story telling, Shirley is able to captivate her audience and naturally become a mentor to all who read her book. Before I knew it I was deeply engrossed in the book and identifying with each character at various levels. Rachel (the Mentor in the story) focuses heavily on the importance of environment in relationship to performance among employees. After working within the same work space for a number of years and having experienced challenging times within our group, I can recognize the absolute importance of environment in relationship to performance. I wish I had been able to read her book in the beginning of my career. While reading about and experiencing what the characters were going through in my mind, I also learned important tools for starting mentoring relationships, identifying a mentoring spirit, understanding the role of a mentor, and working through problems.

The story had a happy ending for each of the characters. Although this may not always be the case in real life scenarios, I completely appreciate the focus on how effective, positive, mentoring relationships can turn about happy endings to otherwise difficult or impossible situations. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in dealing effectively with other people as well as those who play key roles in helping others succeed.

Shirley Peddy addresses key mentoring skills, not in a sterile antiseptic way, but in real-life, 'it could happen', situations. In fact I found myself associating each mentoring challenge with a situation in my own environment. When skills are outlined and discussed, often it is the 'nitty gritty' of how would you really go about saying that to someone, that is not addressed. Not true here. You experience not only the dialogue, but also the toss and turn nights and the talks that don't end with the desired outcomes. I found this book entertaining as well as a keeper for referring back to for various mentoring issues. Peddy's work and family parallel story lines added to the picture of what mentoring is and isn't.

The title itself is very telling and helpful as a masterplan. I would recommend this book to anyone who's goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Susie =>

In her preface, Peddy states, "the purpose of The Art of Mentoring: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way is to show those interested how to foster a mentoring culture in which people are respected and rewarded for helping each other succeed." This goal is achieved through storytelling.

Storytelling is a powerful teaching tool based on the need to communicate experiences, thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. Mentoring takes this art form one step further in an effort to share wisdom. In The Art of Mentoring: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way Peddy shares a story about a mentor's journey into the land of lost motivation, misdirected communication, confusion, mistrust, and anger. It is a tale of nurturing mentor leadership expressed in benevolence. In sharing of the self, leading by example, this mentor teaches how to gain new perspective, allowing for new ways to think about the work place in order to achieve a much more positive outcome. As this story of learning and discovering unfolded , I found myself experiencing a similar type of growth in my attitudes and thinking about my own work and the relationships I am responsible for.

There are many lessons to be learned in The Art of Mentoring: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way. Peddy teaches both the how-to, while illustrating the reasons why the style of mentoring she advocates is effective in bringing about a working atmosphere filled with respect and cooperation. The title itself describes the mentor's process.

The book also addresses how a reader might find the information to be the most useful. It is divided into stories and other sections called, "Notes to Mentoring File" which summarize the stories and lessons learned. I especially like the notes sections, I've marked them (yes I'm one of those people who writes in their books) and use them as a reference guide.

I found this book to be extremely mind expanding. Having planted the seeds of how to become a better coworker, I am making very good use of Peddy's described mentor mentality. Not knowing very much about mentoring, I discovered that mentoring is not procedural skill teaching and that working with mentees requires a holistic approach, i.e., home life has to be taken into account because it can be tremendously influential on work place performance. Also, the true mentoring spirit is one of service motivated by a desire to uncover what is right for that particular mentee and, of course, no two mentees are alike.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy the narrative style. For me, The Art Of Mentoring: Lead, Follow and Get Out of the Way was a rewarding experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to have kept company with Ms. Peddy and in her I found an author and a teacher capable of expressing herself with kindness, grace, style and wisdom. What more could one ask of a Mentor?

Kathleen O'Reilly,

January 23, 2000

This book is subtitled "Lead, Follow and Get out of the Way". Ms Peddy describes an optimal process in business (and in mentoring) as follows: Lead - knowledge and skills are passed down through stories, and learned by working closely with those who have proved themselves in the arena. Follow - advice and counsel become the links between doing something under the tutelage of someone who has been successful and actually doing it alone. Get out of the Way - a mentoring relationship ends, in recognition that an individual has gained the maturity and judgment to make it on his or her own.

So what happens when the system breaks down - when there are no "elders" in the business to pass their knowledge on: "The business is created by training groups of people; it is saved by working with the individual". The book is primarily aimed at those employers who have recognised this fact, and have perceived the need the introduce a substitute system - mentoring - to get people working to their potential, and in the appropriate place in the business. "The Art of Mentoring" (quote) "is to show those interested how to foster a mentoring culture in which people are respected and rewarded for helping each other to succeed".

So does the book succeed? Does the author illustrate the art of being friend and role model and adviser and supporter to one pursuing specific goals? I quote widely from the book, to show that she does. Although she uses a narrative style to illustrate the problems a mentor faces and how she (in this case) works through the problems, there are a multitude of chapters on the theory and practice of mentoring, such as: "What is a mentor?" "Why mentoring is an art" "How mentors do it" "Can you mentor your own children?" "Mentoring requires objectivity and distance" "What do mentors do?" "Developing relationships" "Building trust" "role modelling" "The challenge of cynicism" "The mentor as honest and empathic listener" "Responding rather than reacting in conflict situations" - and plenty more.

This book is required reading for anyone interested in this field at all. "One of the things mentors do is to pass down their wisdom - through story telling!"

MN.

Dr. Peddy has done it again! The Art of Mentoring demonstrates the true purpose of a mentor and reminds the reader that a mentor can make a real difference in a life. Her characters are multi-dimensional and it is easy to understand and relate to their stories. Their situations are engrossing and the advice given to them is insightful and wise. Dr. Peddy should write more books on this type of subject...fast!

While browsing descriptions at Amazon for a book on mentoring, I was easily drawn to Peddy's advertised storytelling approach. There were other books that looked intelligent and useful, but I'm a firm believer in narrative structures as conduits of knowledge and wisdom; my choice was clear.

The book arrived a few days later, snug in its hardcover binding, along with my all-too-usual-box-full of texts and heart-stopping invoice. The other books I moved quickly into neat stacks on the table. Peddy's I took immediately to my favorite reading spot - with one small detour for a hot cup of green tea.

Settled into my plush, well-worn recliner, I opened the cover and began. Peddy's setup was simple enough: she situates herself between two companies, the parent (PWE, her employer) and the downward spiraling new acquisition (TYH, her new assignment). She has the unenviable task of relocating and stepping in temporarily at TYH to manage and evaluate personnel.

But Peddy's approach to the situation is anything but typical "management" style. She sees herself concurrently as a potential partner and/or mentor to folks at TYH and as the mentee of her boss at PWE. Additionally, Peddy overlays a home situation: her teenage son is at a crossroad, not wanting to attend college and having some conflict with his father. Thus are the interwoven plots and subplots drawn.

I was soon put off by Peddy's writing. She seemed to be congratulating herself a little too much through the mouths of other characters, all of whom spoke and acted in predictable, one dimensional ways. Things started feeling smarmy. And I was out of tea.

I started a fresh kettle on the stove and pondered my plight. There was no getting around it; I had to read the book and the book, so help me. I had a review to write.

Pushing on, all the while plotting myself how I might space out the reading so I'd only have to be bored for short bursts, a pair of events began to creep on me from behind: suspension of disbelief and sympathy with the book's inhabitants. I began to care about people and what happened to them. I began to marvel at the elegant, humane solutions that emerged from within predicaments.

The beauty of the book is its ability to make relevant all of the characters and situations for the "scripts" that the book was conceived to deliver (the end of each chapter presents an executive summary of the lessons to be learned). I entered Peddy's world with vague ideas about mentoring, what it is and how it impacts people; I left with a fully crystallized vision. In the couple of weeks that have passed since reading it, I have drawn quite naturally upon its lessons on several occasions, all to good effect.

Sure, there are parts of the book that seem contrived (like the connecting "letter" device that reveals Stuart's "surprising" turnaround), but I was in there rooting for Shirley and Stuart anyway - Peddy's empathy for these people and her desire for genuine transformations are sincere. That is what's important about her story, as it is what's important about mentoring. It doesn't matter in the end how much of Peddy's tale is factually "true" - truth runs through its narrative and that narrative did in fact help me transform the book's ideas into personal knowledge.

I am a storyteller when I am trying to convey an idea to someone. This book conveys very important ideas about mentoring in a very readable story. The characters in this story are people we can relate to on a personal level, either as ourselves or as people we know. Shirley Peddy focuses on mentorship, using a common sense approach to the subject of mentoring, and giving excellent real-life examples to illustrate her main points. This book gives practical advice on everything from familial interactions to asking for a raise. Each chapter has a summation of the relevant points in that chapter, so you do not have to pause to pull them out of the story and write them down. Peddy includes the ten things every mentee should know or learn and the ten things every mentor should do, as well as potential pitfalls for each. The book is very readable; the writing is fluid, and, if you have an afternoon or so, you can read this entire book. You can also put this book down and easily pick up the story at a later reading. I look forward to reading more books by Shirley Peddy.

I learned so much from this book. The three most important things I learned about being a successful mentor were I need to do a lot more listening and a lot less speaking, I need to remember that the commitments that we make to ourselves are our most important commitments and serve as examples to others, and I need to adhere to the steps of lead, follow, and get out of the way.

Listening more and speaking less. This ties into the author's message of "Lead, Follow, and Get Out Of The Way." In order to lead, I need to know what information would be most beneficial to my mentee. Listening is a primary skill by which to gather this information. This is done best by asking open-ending questions and giving space for the person to fully answer and for me to fully listen.

Commitments to self. The best way to mentor is to lead by example. I need to be firmly grounded in my self-commitments in order to be in a place to establish interpersonal boundaries, to listen to the needs of others, and to model successful ways of dealing with situations.

Adhere to the steps. These instructional guidelines give a simple, but not an easy, way to monitor the health of my mentor-mentee relationship. The hardest part about this process is getting out of the way. Mentoring has a life cycle and it will not always have the same level of need. I must learn how to release the relationship when it is time to do so.

This book is a journey through the processes of mentoring. Peddy weaves mentoring principles with inspiring story. The storyline is a realistic and frequent one in business; small company bought out by a big company. The small company is in a downward spiral and the employees are angry, fearful and not motivated to perform their best. The previous management took the important factors away; their ability to be rewarded for work performed (via salary incentives), a warm working environment (no pictures on the walls) and the security of their positions. Add this all together and then add a new manager from the "big" company and you have a classic case of mistrust, anger and fear. The dysfunction of the workforce is yet another factor the "new" manager has to fix.

The story is a fascinating and eye opening account of how mentoring in its truest sense can make a real difference. As she takes you through her professional struggles in mentoring, the author also weaves her personal struggles with her teenage son and husband.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in mentoring or just interested in reading a great book. It is one of those stories that you savor as you read. I would recommend this to anyone.

I am a storyteller when I am trying to convey an idea to someone. This book conveys very important ideas about mentoring in a very readable story. The characters in this story are people we can relate to on a personal level, either as ourselves or as people we know. Shirley Peddy focuses on mentorship, using a common sense approach to the subject of mentoring, and giving excellent real-life examples to illustrate her main points. This book gives practical advice on everything from familial interactions to asking for a raise. Each chapter has a summation of the relevant points in that chapter, so you do not have to pause to pull them out of the story and write them down. The book is very readable; the writing is fluid, and, if you have an afternoon or so, you can read this entire book. You can also put this book down and easily pick up the story at a later reading. I look forward to reading more books by Shirley Peddy.

Peddy brings to us the wisdom of her successful corporate background and her mentoring relationships through a story. The foreground story is that of mentoring individuals within a company department to effect organizational change. The background story is a personal one about parental responsibilities contrasting the differences between mentoring and supervisory relationships. Although an "easy" read because of her story-telling style, Peddy provides her readers with hard-won insights into the culture of organizations and the role of mentoring relationships in this age of "disposable" employees.

Much of what she says applies to life as well as work. She reminds us that we bring our whole self to work each day. Personal success is tied to our values and what we feel we have to contribute to the world. Mentoring relationships may begin within a professional context but will naturally touch upon the personal aspects of our lives. Her story is touching and inspiring. She leaves us with the wisdom she has followed on her own success journey.