Supervisor/HR Supplement Newsletter July 2012 Page 1
Helpful Resources From Your Employee Assistance Program
Deer Oaks EAP Services, your Employee Assistance Program, is always available to you and your dependents. If you are struggling with children, finances, or just want some practical advice on health or the mind-body connection, contact Deer Oaks at:
1 (866) 327-2400 [email protected] www.deeroaks.com
Accountability is a buzz word popularized after the debacle at Enron in 2001. In many,
if not most mentoring relationships, accountability rarely comes into play, causing an
ineffectual, stagnate relationship that eventually ceases prematurely. Triple Creeks
Associates, Inc. in their April 2006 newsletter, Masterful Mentoring, wrote
“Accountability in a mentoring relationship directly affects the amount of learning that
can take place within the relationship.” As learning is the primary purpose of mentoring,
accountability must be a major part of the relationship. Building this accountability into
the mentoring relationship takes some time, but is certainly worth the payoff.
Accountability is a way of living and doing business that recognizes that we perform
our best when held to high standards. In a mentoring relationship, both parties should
not only be held accountable, but should have a complete buy-in to the concept of accountability, recognizing that it brings with it
high performance and effectiveness in the relationship. In the accountable mentoring relationship, each party plays an important
role by focusing on four primary areas; goals and expectations, progress monitoring, and measurement and feedback. By working
on each of these areas, both mentor and mentee will maximize the effectiveness of the relationship, providing each with a high
level of satisfaction.
Goals and Expectations
In a mentoring relationship, it is important to clearly establish the goals and expectations as well as a specific timeline. In doing so,
both the mentor and the mentee understand what is expected from the relationship. A few ideas for setting goals and expectations
are:
1. Concentrate on learning as the primary goal of the relationship. The mentor should realize that his goals may be more specific,
however, given his life experiences. While the mentor drives this part of the process, he should make sure the mentee both
understands and agrees with the goals.
2. Be clear with one another about what each is trying to accomplish. Lack of clarity at this stage will cause expectations to be
unclear and most likely not met.
3. Don’t worry about covering everything at this point. Goals and expectations will be readdressed at every stage of the
relationship as each discovers what does and does not work.
Progress Monitoring
Progress monitoring is crucial to the effective accountable mentoring relationship. As the business of life takes up much of your
daily routine, it is important that both parties monitor progress and predetermined times. Some ways to make sure progress is being
properly monitored is to:
1. Have specific outcomes to accomplish by specific dates. This takes some thought up front, but is worth the investment. Be
specific, but don’t be hard on yourself when you fail to meet these deadlines. These deadlines need to be fluid and should only
be used to guide you. This does not mean, however, that the timeline should not be taken seriously. These dates are for your
benefit and sticking as close to them as possible will help you get the most, and give the most, from your mentoring
relationship.
2. Have a pre-determined time to meet. This can be weekly, monthly etc, but should be consistent. Make sure it is a time that
works for all concerned and is unlikely to be cancelled because of schedule conflicts. Have a backup time set for those
inevitable conflicts.
Accountability and Mentoring: The Perfect Partnership
Continued on page 2
Supervisor/HR Supplement Newsletter Helpful Resources From Your Employee Assistance Program July 2012
Page 2
3. Always be honest with one another about how things are going. Remember, this is a relationship that requires time, dedication
and a certain amount of work.
Measurement
There is an old adage; you can’t manage what you can’t measure. In the accountable
mentoring relationship, this is certainly the case. To insure you are able to measure (and
therefore manage) the outcomes of your relationship you should:
1. Using the goals and timelines established earlier, measure where you are compared to
where you thought you would be. Don’t get discouraged if things are moving more
slowly than anticipated. Keep your focus on the end goal. This relationship should be
organic and move at a pace that works for everyone.
2. Keep a journal of progress. This will keep you motivated when things seem as though
they are not going as well as you hoped.
3. Revisit your timelines and measured outcomes to reflect where you are. Keep things fluid
enough to be flexible, but not so fluid as to allow poor performance to go
unchecked.
Feedback
Communication is key to a successful relationship, whether it is marriage or mentoring, so don’t be afraid to share what things are
not working. Nobody has 20/20 foresight, so don’t be surprised when your goals need some tweaking. Remember, the end goal is for
you to teach (mentor) or learn (mentee) or possibly both. If you find your specific short-term goals are not meeting that end goal,
then make the change and make it quickly. If you fail to make changes, you will find yourself dreading meetings and ultimately
falling away from the relationship.
Communication and feedback also include sharing what things are working well. Positive reinforcement is healthy for both mentor
and mentee and gives energy to the relationship. Below are some ways to reinforce the relationship in this feedback period:
1. Show appreciation for one another by sharing recent successes. This works on both sides of the relationship. The mentee should
share how he is learning from the mentor and vice versa. These shared experiences strengthen the trust between the parties and
make for a much more effective relationship.
2. Keep a journal of your daily challenges and successes. Sharing your daily thoughts is a great way for the mentor to see how you
are doing emotionally.
3. Keep in touch by telephone, e-mail, texting etc. Frequent communication builds familiarity and in turn builds trust. One caution,
however, is to not let the relationship get too informal too quickly. Mentoring relationships require mutual respect with the
mentee looking-up to the mentor. Being overly casual, which can sometimes happen in e-mails and texting, may lead to more of
a friendship than a mentor relationship. This is not to say that this is always bad, but you should act with caution. Remember, the
end goal is your learning.
4. Bounce ideas off one another. An idea session is a great way for both to learn how you are progressing as well as learn about
your growth. Make sure these don’t get unproductive, however, as idea sessions can get out of hand very quickly. The concept
that there are no stupid ideas is flawed. Given enough time in a session, ideas can get silly and will no longer be an asset to your
growth.
Whether you are an experienced mentor or an inexperienced mentee, putting accountability into your mentoring relationship will
make it effective and produce an end product that is worthwhile for all parties. As you set goals and expectations, measure your
progress and get feedback—you are investing in a mentoring relationship that will pay great dividends. The partnership of
mentoring with accountability will maximize learning, providing a positive experience for all concerned.
1 Triple Creek Associates, Inc. Masterful Mentoring. April 2006.
Article Source: http://www.leadershiparticles.net
Continued: Accountability and Mentoring
Information contained in this newsletter is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be specific guidance for any particular supervisor or human resource management concern. Some of it might not apply to your particular company policies and available programs. This information is proprietary and intended only for eligible EAP members. For specific guidance on handling individual employee problems, consult with Deer Oaks at: 1.866.327.2400 or at www.deeroaks.com
July 2012 Page 3
Supervisor/HR Supplement Newsletter Helpful Resources From Your Employee Assistance Program
Q. My employee went to the EAP but was unable to stick with the treatment program for alcoholism. Unfortunately, the
employee’s job was lost due to the relapse. Why do some employees recover while others do not? I can’t help but think
the relapse was somehow partly my fault.
A. As with the treatment of any chronic condition, the burden of following instructions and managing a program of recovery from
alcoholism rests with the alcoholic (patient). A frustrating part of alcoholism is relapse. Your feeling upset and wondering if
you could have prevented it is a natural response. However, the relapse is not your fault. A universal tenet in all effective
treatment models is that patients are responsible for their own recovery. There can be many reasons for a relapse, including
inadequate treatment, inefficient or inadequate follow-up, concurrent mental health or physical problems, provocative and
non-supportive living environments, failure to follow instructions, poor education about the illness, and relationships with
co-dependent persons who undermine recovery. A failure to change one’s lifestyle is often another cause of relapse. The best
way you can help your employees is by better understanding the disease with help from the EAP, referring employees to the
EAP when performance issues appear, and holding them accountable for their own conduct or performance.
Ask Your EAP!
Copyright ©2012 by The Frontline Supervisor.
The following are answers to common questions supervisors have regarding employee issues and making EAP
referrals. As always, if you have specific questions about referring an employee or managing a workgroup issue, feel
free to make a confidential call to the EAP for a management consultation.
Q. I have an excellent worker with a serious absenteeism issue. I hesitate to initiate a confrontation or take disciplinary
action because these options could damage my relationship with this employee. Pushing a formal EAP referral might
also be problematic. What should I do?
A. A supervisor with an outstanding worker who has an absenteeism problem is a classic example of why employee assistance
programming melds so efficiently with management practices. Most supervisors with the problem you describe hope for the
pattern of absenteeism to spontaneously resolve itself, but unfortunately this rarely happens. Talk to your supervisor and the
EAP first. Bring and share information you’ve documented about the absenteeism pattern. This will help the EA professional
determine how you can better monitor and properly confront your employee. Eventually, you will need to face the crisis that
will appear if this problem continues. Will your job be jeopardized? Will other employees’ health suffer from working
overtime? Will direct and indirect costs associated with the absenteeism climb? Currently, your procrastination feels
preferable over taking action, but working with the EAP may help you feel comfortable about moving closer to intervening in
this situation (rather than losing control of it and experiencing undesirable consequences).
Q. How can I encourage my employees to use my expertise as a supervisor or manager? I think some employees are unsure
about how to use a supervisor as a resource. I don’t want to be just a boss, but a teacher, mentor, and career adviser as
well.
A. Many employees approach their jobs with the idea that the supervisor plays only a punitive role. Younger employees may be
more susceptible to this pattern of thinking. This misconception can make employees quiet and “avoidant.” To intervene,
offer guidance on how you can benefit them, especially their careers. Share how you can help employees develop their goals,
identify and point out strengths and areas for growth, deliver knowledge and experience, delegate valuable assignments to
encourage skill building, offer brainstorming collaboration, problem-solve workload and manageability issues, and invite
suggestions for changes in the office or workflow. Always explain that you seek loyalty from employees, but this does not
mean agreeing with everything you say. Don’t hesitate to put these and other issues into writing if it will help your employees
make more constructive use of your role.