by Lisa Z. Fain | May 30, 2024 | Advice for Leaders, Facilitating Learning, Goal Setting Conversation, Growth and Development, Making Mentoring Work For You, Mentoring Communication, Mentoring Questions, Mentoring Relationships, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
The best mentor-mentee relationships thrive on curiosity and powerful questions. Mentors should resist the urge to “fix” problems and avoid prescribing specific actions. Mentees should focus less on being who they think their mentor wants and more on approaching interactions with a willingness to learn, grow, and discover how to think.
I am always seeking great questions to facilitate these interactions. Recently, I discovered three excellent questions while listening to the audiobook Clear Thinking* by Shane Parrish. Parrish suggests that when seeking advice, your goal should be to understand how the other person thinks, not just what they think. Although his book is not specifically about mentoring, the questions he proposes can be highly beneficial for both mentees and mentors.
Questions Mentees can ask their Mentors
Mentees might ask….
1. What variables would you consider if you were in my shoes?
How do these variables relate to one another?
2. What do you know about this problem that I don’t?
What can you see based on your experience that someone without it cannot?
What do you know that most people don’t?
3. What would your process be for making this decision if you were in my shoes?
Questions Mentors can ask their Mentees
These questions are also valuable for mentors. Instead of offering solutions or suggestions, mentors can prompt their mentees to reflect by asking:
1. What variables in this decision are important to you?
Who else or what else does this decision impact?
2. What are you most worried about in making this decision?
What possibility excites you the most?
3. What have you tried so far?
What do you think is the best process for this decision?
These questions encourage reflection and empower mentees to solve both the current problem they are facing and future problems. They also enable mentees to develop authentic solutions that fit their unique needs, values, and learning styles.
What questions have you used to encourage clear thinking in your mentoring relationships?
*Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish: (Farnam Street, 2023, ISBN: 0593086112)
by Center for Mentoring Excellence | Dec 19, 2017 | Growth and Development, Mentoring Relationships, Mentoring Training, News and Updates, Supporting Mentors and Mentees
Leadership Development Services’ Vice President assumes key leadership role starting January 2018.
Phoenix, AZ; Seattle, WA — December 19, 2017
Lisa Z. Fain, Leadership Development Services Vice President and new CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence
The Center for Mentoring Excellence, a division of Leadership Development Services LLC, is proud to announce that Lisa Z. Fain will become its Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2018. She will lead its practice of creating learning, growth, community, and inclusion for organizations and leaders seeking to achieve business results through mentoring excellence.
According to Dr. Lois Zachary, the current Chief Executive Officer:
“We are thrilled to have Lisa leading the Center for Mentoring Excellence. She is highly regarded for her combination of knowledge, expertise, humor, and no-nonsense practical approach to enhancing mentoring performance. Her passion for diversity and inclusion work has enabled her to assist mentors and mentees to understand, bridge, and leverage their differences to achieve better business results.”
Ms. Fain has conducted mentoring training programs in corporate, government, and educational institutions. A skilled facilitator and experienced coach, she offers clients solutions that come from her diverse experience and utilize her ability to listen and understand clients’ needs. She gives practical, actionable guidance to help organizations maximize the return on their investments in mentoring. Speaking about the transition, Lisa Fain said:
“I am very excited and honored to lead the Center for Mentoring Excellence. I look forward to continuing Dr. Zachary’s work to bring the very best in mentoring practices to organizations committed to their employees’ development and growth. Dr. Zachary will continue her association with Leadership Development Services and the Center, and we plan to offer new services from time to time, such as Mentoring Excellence Masterminds, which provides monthly online support for mentors, mentees, and program administrators to achieve sustained accountability and excellence.”
Lisa Z. Fain and Dr. Lois J. Zachary
Since October 2015, Fain has been Leadership Development Services’ Vice President and lead in Diversity Strategy and Cultural Competency, as well as CEO and Founder of Vista Coaching. Prior to those roles, Fain served as Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Outerwall, Inc. (the parent company to automated retail giants Redbox and Coinstar). Lisa spearheaded the development and implementation of its diversity initiative, including launching the company’s first mentoring program for its Women’s Business Resource Group. Prior to that position, she worked as Outerwall’s in-house counsel, where she coached leaders and partnered with Human Resources to establish fair and effective policies and practices to sustain the organization as it grew in size, revenue, and renown.
Previously, Lisa practiced law with the Chicago office of a major multinational law firm and counseled employers on creating inclusive policies and practices. In addition, she served as a Master Trainer, training thousands of employees at a variety of companies on how to create a better workplace. Certified as a mediator through Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution, Lisa applied her counseling skills to help clients understand and prevent conflict.
Lisa holds a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University and a JD degree from its School of Law. She is also a certified Life Coach, with certification from the International Coach Academy.
About the Center for Mentoring Excellence®
Center for Mentoring Excellence is a rapidly growing consulting, training, and coaching firm that offers training, consultation, and coaching to promote, elevate, and enhance the practice of mentoring excellence. Based on the work of its founder, author Dr. Lois Zachary, and its talented mentoring experts, the Center is able to provide customized solutions and services to its clients.
Its latest program, Mentoring Excellence Masterminds™, offers ongoing and just-in-time support to maximize the effectiveness and ROI of mentoring.
For more information about the Center for Mentoring Excellence and its unique mentoring services, visit www.centerformentoring.com.
