Starting Strong: A Mentoring Fable

Praise for Starting Strong

Whether seeking to strengthen your own mentoring practice, administer a mentoring program within your organization, or develop your ability to tune in to others and navigate candid conversations Starting Strong provides a unique avenue to help mentors and mentees become more reflective, observant, and introspective to allow them to grow into the type of professionals they wish to become.
Peg MCCue Guillon, chairperson, MetLife Legal Affairs Mentoring Program

In this strikingly engaging book, Zachary and Fischler focus on one of the most important dynamics in mentoring: how trust is established at the beginning of the relationship. Through a series of conversations that show the ways listening and questioning work to deepen communication, Starting Strong takes us to the heart of what it means to be a mentor.
Stephen Brookfield, John Ireland Endowed Chair, University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis–St. Paul

Congratulations, you have a mentor (or mentee)! Now what? Instead of winging it, hoping for the best, you can now structure the relationship right from the beginning to make it a satisfying experience for both of you. Part fable, part guidebook, part manual, the authors have highlighted the keys to success for a rich mentor–mentee partnership. Starting Strong is not to be missed by anyone open to this life–changing partnership.
Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times and global bestseller What Got You Here Won t Get You There

Lois Zachary and Lory Fischler provide insight into the distinction, yet interdependence, of a mentoring and coaching culture. Highlighting the keys to fostering successful and sustainable mentoring relationships, their easy–to–read storytelling style and practical working guides make this an invaluable resource to any individual or group mentoring or coaching program looking to adopt successful techniques.
Joanne Robinson, director of professional development, Ontario Principals Council

Starting Strong is a very readable, real–world how–to reference for understanding just how mentoring works. Once you read the fable and use the playbook, you will have all the tools you will need to deepen and enrich your mentoring practice.
Michele D. Klein, senior engineering manager, Fortune 100 Aerospace Corporation

Starting Strong is an engaging story that contains all of the most important elements of successful mentoring relationships. This incredible format will make the tools of mentoring accessible to many people. I look forward to using the book in our program.
Joanne Goldberg, Medtronic Women s Network

Foreword vii

Introduction ix

Part One: The Fable

The Week Before: Questions Before We Start 3

The First Meeting: Powering Up 11

The Second Meeting: Taking Care of Business 35

The Third Meeting: Let s Get Real 55

The Fourth Meeting: Sorting It Out 77

The Fifth Meeting: Straight Talk 107

The Sixth Meeting: Holding Up a Mirror 127

Epilogue: Five Years Later 151

Cynthia s and Rafa s Advice for Mentors and Mentees 159

Part Two: The Mentoring Conversation Playbook

Moving the Conversation from Monologue to Dialogue 165

Strategies for Good Conversation 171

Six Essential Mentoring Conversations 179

Afterword: Starting Strong, Moving Forward 193

Suggested Reading 195

Acknowledgments 197

About the Authors 199

Index 201

LOIS J. ZACHARY is president of Leadership Development Services and director of its Center for Mentoring Excellence. Her innovative mentoring approaches and expertise in coaching leaders and their organizations in designing, implementing, and evaluating learner–centered mentoring programs have been used globally by a wide array of clients, including Fortune 100 companies, government organizations, and educational institutions, both for–profit and nonprofit. She is the author of The Mentor s Guide, The Mentee s Guide, and Creating a Mentoring Culture, all from Jossey–Bass.

LORY A. FISCHLER is a senior associate with Leadership Development Services and the associate director of its Center for Mentoring Excellence. She has over twenty–five years experience in consulting, training, and coaching clients from a diverse array of organizations, including the healthcare, manufacturing, government, and nonprofit sectors. She is the coauthor of The Mentee s Guide: Making Mentoring Work for You.