DeAnn Campbell

When learning to drive we are taught to keep our eyes on the road ahead, because the car will head where we look. This is amplified in leading a business, or a team. Keeping your eyes on the goal at all times is imperative, even while reviewing, assessing, mentoring, guiding and pushing the business ever forward. To allow yourself to get distracted by the shiny object on the side of the road is to risk failure for all.

The biggest challenge during any transformation is the change to existing work dynamics, and this change is further amplified when that transformation is digital in nature. Employees who felt confident in their capabilities and envisioned a clear path to promotion can suddenly find the ground shifting under their feet with changes that involve digital option they are not familiar with. Providing clear information on planned changes, how they will impact day to day work, and a healthy investment in employee training will do much to alleviate disruption to work or employee retention.

This is the fun part. Their success is, in part, your success and you should be celebrating their wins with pride and happiness. It's also a clear signal that you're both on the right track.

This is what separates the good from the bad. Being able to share an observation with someone in a way that is truly helpful and not hurtful is harder these days with social media eroding self confidence almost universally. But learning to both give and receive feedback is a skill that should be a part of the mentoring process as it will serve the mentee well in their future career.

It's important to match up the right personalities for a mentoring relationship, with the onus on both parties to judge whether there is a fit. It will also take some trial and error to find the right mix of direct guidance vs showing by example. Touching base regularly to suss out how it's working for both of you is an essential part of the mentoring process

This is a tough one because you sometimes have to watch someone deal with poor choices. But at the same time I've learned that what worked for me isn't necessarily right for everyone and that anyone can learn something new -- including me. I've mentored people who taught me as much as I taught them on new ways to reach a goal, new approaches or new points of view. That's why mentoring is such a rewarding experience.