The ABC’s of Goal Setting for Mentors
“When mission is clear abundance will appear”
- Fred Shadian
In helping people set effective goals we need to be to answer yes to the following questions:
• Is the goal S.M.A.R.T?
• Does the goal inspire them?
• Have you connected or aligned it with their values?
S.M.A.R.T Goals
The S.M.A.R.T acronym for goal setting has been used for decades and it’s still one of the best formulas I have seen. S.M.A.R.T goals are as follows:
Specific – the goal is focused
Measurable – there are benchmarks and metrics in place to measure progress and confirm success
Achievable – based upon the individual’s assets, skills, attitudes and behviours the goal is achievable
Realistic – Considering all of the factors influencing the goal is it plausible it will be achieved or are we setting this person up for failure?
Timely – set a specific time for completion (there are no unrealistic goals only unrealistictimelines)
Inspiring
“Have a goal so big that it scares your neighbours”
When helping people set goals try not to make them too safe. We don’t want goals that far outpace someones self-concept but we also want goals that make them stretch and keep them up at night (or more importantly out of bed early and excited).
The word inspiring actually comes from the Latin word Inspiro which means to breath upon. to breath into… to put the spirit within. As mentors if we are to inspire others and pit the spirit within them we must first be inspired ourselves. Be passionate and excited when helping people set goals.
Values Alignment
When developing goals it is important to put them through the “values test” to make sure that the goals were are helping them set will help them feel on purpose while striving toward them.
One approach to doing this is to simply list all of the core activities, people, and daily disciplines associated with the goal and then compare them with the mentee’s values. If 70% or more of the activities and disciplines fulfill their core values then chances are the goal will be an energizing, pleasurable thing for them to work toward. If it is less than 70% it is suggested you help them build a new path to the goal or find a new goal that satiate their core values and drivers.
This is blogathon entry number 20 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause. Also if you live in Vancouver please check out the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Leaders of Tomorrow Mentorship Program.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Leadership, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Management Blog, Sales Training |
Why Your Corporation Needs a Mentorship Program
“35% of employees who do not receive regular mentoring look for another job within 12 months”
- Emerging Workforce study by Spherion
Too many organizations invest heavily in recruitment yet fail to retain star performers because they lack a thorough plan and process for starting their people right and continuing to develop them. Winners want to win quickly; hire a winner and you have to have the tools and mentorship program in place to help them win.
Furthermore winners leave when there’s no more challenge or personal or professional growth opportunities. When recruiting University Graduates one interesting statistic to note is that “More than 60% of college and graduate students listed mentoring as a criterion for selecting an employer after graduation” (MMHA)
In a recent study of 3000 companies done by Accenture Analytics and 18 other organizations globally found that the top 25% of companies in multiple industries as compared to the bottom 25% were those organizations that had significantly more mature and effective human resource development plans with strong leadership and mentorship development components in those plans. The bottom-line is mentorship and people development makes a difference to your bottom line.
The need for mentorship is particularily true for the millenial generation or generation Y. This demographic tends not be of the live to work mentality. They don’t just talk about “balanced lifestyle” like their boomer parents did, they put lifestlye first and see work as a tool to support that lifestyle. Recent studies also show that without mentorship Generation Y is not equipped with the contrast between their sheltered (and good for them by the way!) upbringing and the realities of the work-force and the demand of society financially, socially, and otherwise.
Having a solid mentoring process along with training, personal development and a good dose of entertainment can help retain the up and coming star players of tomorrow.
This is blogathon entry number 19 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause. Also if you live in Vancouver please check out the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Leaders of Tomorrow Mentorship Program.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Leadership, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Management Blog, Sales Training |
The Importance of Mentorship Part 1
“To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world.”
- unknown
The Role of Mentorship provides an important role in the development of global socio-economic infrastructures. It provides critical capacity building support and opportunity for entrepreneurs, corporate executives and government officials and leaders in creating long term stability and competitiveness for nations and their economies. Mentorship in the areas such as fine arts, sciences, and the not for profit sector is paramount to improving and sustaining the quality of our lives as a whole. Building capacity is means strengthening and increasing insight, ability and talents, as well as visioning and implementation and execution skills in a specific discipline or disciplines. For instance Vancouver’s economy boasts a strong, growing high tech sector but still has only begun to tap its global potential.
This is largely attributed to capacity gaps in marketing technologies and distributing them on a broader platform. In order to increase the capacity to grow and export Vancouver’s technology base and applications, building the sector’s mentorship capacity and resources can help the key entrepreneurs, executives and innovators within the local technology sectors meet their full global market potential. Mentorship can provide a prospective road map from someone else who has walked the path before - like an entrepreneur who taken a tech company from 12 employees in a basement apartment to 500 employees and a listing on the TSE with global distribution.
Typically, however, the steps, pitfalls, and challenges aren’t well documented traditionally; they’re taught, and modeled by mentors and leaders and passed on to their protégées and partners. Its a proven fact that the higher mentorship capacity levels you have and the higher the quality of mentorship in your community the higher capacity economically, environmentally, and socially you will have. Unlike traditional education environments, corporate training programs and courses, mentorship is a very personalized form of support and transferring knowledge. It is primarily based on a specific relationship between two people and at times between an individual or group of individuals or advisors. [This is the first post of a two post series on this topic Click Here to Read Part 2]
This is blogathon entry number 17 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Leadership, Managing Complex Selling Relationships Blog, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Management Blog |
Sales Podcast - Sales Blog Entry - The 12 Steps to Making the World Your Networking Function
In sales networking is the much coveted strategy to generate leads and help us close deals while reducing the amount of cold calling or hard selling we do. With that said, many people misunderstand what real networking is all about. Today’s sales podcast is about the 12 Steps to Making the World Your Networking Function:
1. Be referable don’t gather contacts or push for referrals
2. Be interested not interesting
3. You can’t have 200 best friends – prioritize
4. Add value with your network
5. Bank your equity (with the right people)
6. It’s a small town
7. Map and seek out the players
8. The more you give the more you get
9. Do your due diligence before you refer
10. Keep Promises, Follow-through
11. Be seen
12. Step it up every year
You can subcribe to this sales podcast series by using one of the many options on right hand navigation bar or you can download the MP3 file here:
Shane Gibson is the author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. a leading sales performance and leadership development organization. Shane divides his time between his entrepreneurial projects, speaking at major conferences and mentoring salespeople and entrepreneurs.
Quick Links:
Sales Training Canada
Sales
Training South Africa
Sales Training Boot Camps Vancouver
Complete Sales Action System
Managing Complex Business
Relationships System
Subscribe in iTunes to this Sales Podcast
April 26, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, Sales Blog, iPhone Podcasts |
Sales Podcast – Avoiding one of the top big deal killers the “dead-air trap” – Sales Blog Entry
One of the challenges in selling, especially in closing big deals is avoiding the “dead-air trap.” Keeping the momentum rolling in the sales process and the relationship is absolutely critical.
Today’s sales Podcast is focused on helping you to always be closing. That doesn’t mean you’re always closing the deal, but it does mean that you need to be always closing on the next step in the process.
Download the closing bigger sales Podcast here: [Download the Closing Bigger MP3] or subscribe to the feed using one of the options on the navigation bar.
Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and High Impact Mentorship - The Transformational Mentor’s Field Guide. e-mail shane@kbitraining.com or call 604-331-4471. For more information on in depth mentorship and personality style assessments visit http://www.kbitraining.com/mentorshipguide.html
February 26, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |
Sales Podcast – Mentoring and developing high performance sales people – Sales Blog Entry
Today’s sales Podcast is focused on prioritizing our efforts as leaders and mentors when we are developing our sales people to big deal closer status. Many of us spread ourselves too thin with too many people and often invest too much time in the weaker members of our sales team.
If you truly have 3 hours a week to for your mentorship program you need to invest that time and your knowledge and insight with the right people. Many mentorship and development programs get abandoned by the leadership in an organization because they get disenchanted with the results.
This Podcast will focus on mentoring the team members who will give your organization the biggest return on investment.
You can download this Podcast here: [Download Sales Podcast MP3] or subscribe via one on of the many options provided on this site.
Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and High Impact Mentorship - The Transformational Mentor’s Field Guide. e-mail shane@kbitraining.com or call 604-331-4471. For more information on in depth mentorship and personality style assessments visit http://www.kbitraining.com/mentorshipguide.html
February 25, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |
Sales Podcast - Closing Bigger Sales Blog Entry - Lawyers
In closing big deals a lot of us tend to be big thinkers, yet it is in the details that the deal is sometimes made or lost. As we chase the dream sometimes we forget to assemble a support team to help us get the deal done.
One of these people that we need on our side is a good lawyer. Today’s sales podcast for the Closing Bigger Sales Blog is a brief excerpt from our book Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals. It is focused on the importance of having a good lawyer on your team (early on).
[Download the Closing Bigger Sales Podcast here] or subscribe on the right navigation bar using one the many options provided.
Think Big and Closing Bigger!
Shane Gibson
Author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals
Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and High Impact Mentorship - The Transformational Mentor’s Field Guide. e-mail shane@kbitraining.com or call 604-331-4471. For more information on in depth mentorship and personality style assessments visit http://www.kbitraining.com/mentorshipguide.html
February 14, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |
Sales Podcast - Summary of the Leaders of Tomorrow Seminar
This weekend I did a seminar for the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Leadership Forum for their Leaders of Tomorrow program. LOT is a mentorship program designed to build capacity in new graduates from Post Secondary Institutions like Sauder Business School and BCIT. Also for those who wanted to know about my weekend sales bootcamps this month and next month you can visit the Professional Sales Academy.
I was asked to address the topic of entrepreneurial leadership, particularly for young entrepreneurs. I focused on the following:
- Vision
- The five levels of leadership
- Influence and engagement
- Your personal entrepreneurial network
Upon the request of the attendees from the session I have provided a Podcast (MP3 Audio) summary of the seminar and the hand-outs in PDF format. The summary has more of a sales focus in the Podcast in an attempt to maintain relevancy for my regular visitors.
Following are the files:
entrepreneurial_leadership PDF Download
[Download the Sales Podcast here]
Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and High Impact Mentorship - The Transformational Mentor’s Field Guide. e-mail shane@kbitraining.com or call 604-331-4471. For more information on in depth mentorship and personality style assessments visit http://www.kbitraining.com/mentorshipguide.html
February 6, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |
Sales Podcast - Mentoring and Sales Styles - Blog Entry
[Download Today's Sales Podcast Here]
Shifting your mentorship style as a sales manager will maximize your effectiveness in developing great salespeople and eventually big deal closers. Each person has unique way of learning and getting motivated. As foundational step understanding the personality styles of the people you manage, lead, and mentor is imperative.
In today’s sales podcast Shane Gibson will address the four major personality styles and how we can more effectively mentor and lead them to the level of rain maker or big deal closer.
Shane Gibson is President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. and author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and High Impact Mentorship - The Transformational Mentor’s Field Guide. e-mail shane@kbitraining.com or call 604-331-4471. For more information on in depth mentorship and personality style assessments visit http://www.kbitraining.com/mentorshipguide.html
February 1, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |
Sales Podcast - Closing Bigger Sales Blog Entry
Today’s sales podcast by Shane Gibson is focused on the importance of value added frequency in closing big or complex sales. You can download the file directly [Dowload MP3 File] or subscribe to the podcast by choosing one of the many options on right hand navigation bar of this blog.
Shane Gibson is the author of Closing Bigger the Field Guide to Closing Bigger Deals and President of Knowledge Brokers International Systems Ltd. a leading sales performance and leadership development organization. Shane divides his time between his entrepreneurial projects, speaking at major conferences and mentoring salespeople and entrepreneurs.
January 31, 2006 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, iPhone Podcasts |
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