Ken Atha is a grower.
Not of flowers, crops or gardens. He is a grower of people. And he does it in a very unique way.
Ken is a senior executive for a major United States federal agency. He is young, aggressive, mission focused and an all-around great leader. But what stands out about Ken is his passion for mentoring and growing his team.
The easy part to document and write is that he devotes serious time with several subordinate level team members in mentoring their growth. This part is very traditional and not new ground. He coaches them, shares information for their career progress and most importantly listens to them. Ken is a great listener. Mentoring is not so much about sharing as it is listening and responding when needed.
One differentiating part of Ken’s approach is that he does not limit his mentoring to immediate direct reports that represent the traditional succession map. He looks for emerging talent at all organizational levels and initiates the mentoring discussions. There are some risks in this but the rewards far outweigh any potential consequences.
Another huge difference in Ken’s mentoring is that he provides universal opportunities for growth in his entire organization. He has encouraged using four hours per month for just such activities for ALL team members. He wants them to grow, seek knowledge, innovate, critically think and share information. This alone has had a stunning impact on the engagement, creativity and overall performance of his organization.
Do all leaders have an opportunity to mentor? Absolutely but unfortunately very few do. Mentoring takes some commitment, a more global view of the organization, a future perspective of legacy and the ability to subordinate daily operational stuff.
If you want to incorporate some growing and mentoring into your leadership arsenal, look at:
- Making yourself available. Many leaders are so buried in their office, behind a computer with phone in hand that no one dare to approach them; let alone ask for some mentoring time.
- Examine what your true organizational legacy is about. It is not the projects or performance but the people you leave when you are gone (retirement not in a fatal sense).
- Seek out those high performing and high potential team members for mentoring. Many will want it but not ask for the opportunity.