Mentoring has a complex recipe.
I’m learning this more and more as I ask businesspeople about their mentoring relationships.
From the best I can tell, it’s one cup experience, two ounces of listening and a pinch of humility. But like most recipe books, recommended ingredients and quantities vary from one kitchen to the next. It’s all about the desired flavor.
From office to office, it’s all about the desired outcome.
As I work on a mentors project for the Sept. 19 edition that introduces Springfield Business Journal’s design refresh, I see mentorships in our community from grooming a company successor to peer-to-peer women meetings and from showing the ropes on a nonprofit board to mending a broken marriage.
These are real stories by real people we do business with on a regular basis. But they often go unnoticed. And that’s OK.
But SBJ wants to take a minute, maybe longer, to shine light on the significance of mentoring in business and, through examples, provide tools for those interested in getting in the game.
All it takes is asking someone. “Hey, would you consider mentoring me? I’ve got some giant goals and I need some help getting there.” Or “I’ve noticed you’re really gifted. What do you think about me mentoring you to maximize that potential?”
It’s risky, I know. It makes us vulnerable, and people fear rejection.
But it’s already happening for the betterment of many people and the business community as a whole. We invite you to get in line.
And we invite you to tell us your story. Though the clock is ticking, there’s still time to get your mentor experiences in to me for the project. Just fill out the short form at
SBJ.net/mentors.
If you’re one of the many to already submit, thanks for sharing your mentoring story.
We’re retelling it in a brief format but definitely want to connect businesspeople in our community through the mentors project. We hope you join and enjoy reading about them in the special, new look edition Sept. 19.
Branding for president
You know, there are lessons to be learned in watching and listening to this presidential race.
It’d probably do us well not to run our businesses like the presidential candidates have run their political campaigns.
A tweet last week by The Atlantic writer Vann Newkirk II summed up one aspect for me: “Trump reads his speeches like he’s looking at a draft for the first time and also giving comments on it.” Newkirk followed it with, “Wait that’s totally what’s happening.”
So, that’s obvious. Don’t do that when presenting, etc.
There is one thing both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have done well, and it has to do with voice branding.
According to an audio branding specialist, Trump’s unpolished voice is accentuated to build upon his appeal to the working class, and Clinton has deliberately been neutral in tone to connect across typical geographical and class boundaries.
This is where businesses can listen in. These candidates have done a much better job of voice branding than most enterprises, according to PHMG executive Dan Lafferty, whose firm has analyzed the candidates’ speeches to assess their voice branding qualities.
Here’s the analysis:
Clinton downplays the femininity of her voice as an authority play, and little variances in pitch put aside perceptions of swinging emotions. The outcome is a deeper, steady tone to convey assurance and expertise.
Trump’s distinctive voice says straight-talking New Yorker in order to reinforce a populist image and as a man for the people. The result is the appearance of a tough-talker who is raw with passion.
Now, critics say Clinton’s voice is irritating and Trump’s voice is gravelly.
But it’s worked for these two candidates so far, and that’s the point, regardless of what side of the political aisle you’re on.
Now, businesses don’t have a voice as clearly as politicians at that stage. But companies surely say something, and how it sounds means something to the listener.
Just a thought to take a closer look at the sound of your brand. “Can you hear me now” has new meaning to me.
Springfield Business Journal Editor Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.
