Meant to Mentor: Ten Timely Takeaways

By Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director

As individuals take on new roles as school building leaders, how can they be supported in order to sustain and become great leaders? The answer sounds simple but requires a well thought out process: mentors.

Recent data show that 18 percent of new principals are likely to resign after their first year. It is higher if they are the leader of a high poverty school with 22 percent of new school leaders resigning in their first year. In addition, 75 percent of principals surveyed say the job is getting too complex (Goldring & Taie, 2018). Having been a practicing principal for 13 years, I understand these statements all too well.

When I had the opportunity this year to participate in the NAESP National Mentoring Training and Certification Program™, I knew it would be wonderful information to bring back to our principals in Oklahoma. The program provides for two days of the Leadership Immersion Institute training followed by a nine-month mentoring internship. I know firsthand having a strong mentor can make the difference in the career of a school leader.

There were several takeaways I gained as I have progressed through the mentoring internship. In addition, I have read through several empirical research studies on the importance of a mentor relationship. Here is the top ten list of takeaways:

1. Set a schedule with your protégé. Having a set time each week to meet virtually with your protégé is important. As we all know, it is so easy to get busy with our full schedules. Having a set appointment on the schedule will ensure that you touch base with your protégé weekly.

2. Keep each other accountable. Having a set appointment on each other’s calendar keeps both parties accountable. Whether you are a new administrator or an experienced one, we all get tied up with running the day-to-day operations of a school.

3 Guide them, don’t tell them. This was an important reminder for me. As experienced administrators, it is so easy to just tell someone how to solve an issue. The real learning takes place when the mentor can guide the protégé to determine his or her own solutions.

4 Set norms. Having a set of norms that both parties will follow will help to build a trusting relationship. Some norms could include keeping an open mind, confidentiality, keeping each other accountable, listening to understand and developing action plans together. These are just examples – you and your protégé should sit down together to discuss some norms that you both mutually agree on.

5. Be an active listener. It is easy to get distracted by our phones, emails, text messages, phone calls and many other things. It is important for both the mentor and the protégé to listen actively and to listen for understanding. One key point is to rephrase what the other person said. For example, “From what you said, I heard…”

6. Ask clarifying and probing questions to dig deeper. Having a set of questions to help probe deeper was a huge help to me. The LII training provided a great list of thought-provoking questions or you can reference The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier.

7 Build trust. In relationship building, trust is at the top. You and your protégé need to build trust with one another. Each person needs to be able to share openly and know that the mentor is there to help.

8 Be an encourager. We all need encouragement in this very difficult job as a building leader. Both the mentor and the protégé have the responsibility to encourage each other. As an experienced administrator, you will find joy in sharing your experiences and expertise with your protégé.

9 Self-discovery. Helping to lead your protégé to his or her own answers will lead to self-discovery. This is where true professional learning and growth take place.

10 Networking. This is a great opportunity to develop some networking outside of your own district. The protégé and the mentor can introduce each other to people to continue to grow that professional learning network (PLN).

“Mentoring plays a key role in the development and growth of first-time practitioners, forms a trusting relationship where one individual shares his or her knowledge and expertise to inform or support the professional learning of another, and subsequently promotes better practice.”

— Albury & Hackmann, 2006; Bloom et. al., 2005, Parylo et al., 2012; Reyes, 2003; Rhodes & Fletcher, 2013

I had the opportunity to mentor a second year principal at Fort Gibson (OK) Intermediate Elementary School. Andrea Sifers had this to say about her experience:

“Working with my mentor through this process has been beneficial to many facets in my professional growth. He has provided guidance on a multitude of difficult situations I have faced as a head principal over the last year and has become someone I have grown to count on for sagacious and judgment free advice. He has freely shared his ‘tricks of the trade’ and wisdom gleaned from his tenure as principal. During the last year while facing unprecedented challenges during a global pandemic, our weekly mentor meetings became something to look forward to as they provided a sense of normalcy and positivity. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with him and look forward to sharing what I have learned from him with my staff into the future.”

If you are looking to grow professionally, I encourage you to take advantage of your state association conferences and trainings. CCOSA has also developed a new mentor training titled “Coaching: Supporting and Sustaining Leaders.” This new offering by CCOSA has been tested with a small group of district administrators and has received great reviews. This new opportunity is ideal for district administrators or principals who want to grow in their leadership development. If interested, reach out to Glen Abshere or Will Parker at abshere@ccosa.org or parker@ccosa.org.