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Volume 23, Number 24 Copyright 2006 Business Book Review, LLC All Rights Reserved
Power Mentoring
How Successful Mentors and Protgs Get
the Most Out of Their Relationships
Introduction
Today, few employees spend their entire career at one company. Some people move from company to company in
search of raises and promotions; while some move from project to project. Most people will switch careers at some point.
This means that there is no longer one clear pathway to success, much less a clearly defined career pathway. That is why
mentors are more important today than ever before, and why Power Mentoring, by Ellen Ensher and Susan Murphy is
such an important book. It contains advice and a how-to plan for those looking to be protgs or mentors and for those
who already are.
Business Book Review Vol. 23, No. 24 Copyright 2006 Business Book Review, LLC All Rights Reserved
Power Mentoring
Key Concepts
Power Mentoring relationships can benefit
both the protg and mentor and can take on
several forms:
Boss Mentor Supervisors, providing emotional
and career support.
Reverse Mentoring Senior executives, paired
with the next generation of leaders.
E-Mentoring Using computer-mediated
communications to mentor protgs throughout the
organization.
Group Mentoring Senior-level mentors provides
ongoing coaching to teams or groups of junior-level
employees.
Barrier-Busting Mentoring Relationships that
are formed across traditional barriers such as
corporate divisions or competitive.
Peer-Mentoring Between individuals of equal
status.
Situational-Mentoring Project-based or some
other context that is bound by time or task.
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Business Book Review Vol. 23, No. 24 Copyright 2006 Business Book Review, LLC All Rights Reserved
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Power Mentoring
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Power Mentoring
now mentors others at IBM, and her protgs are all over
the globe. This form of mentoring removes the time and
geographical constraints.
Employees often work in teams or groups and so can
mentoring. Group mentoring is another form of power
mentoring, and it involves a senior-level mentor who
provides ongoing coaching to small groups of junior-level
employees. Sometimes the number of protgs can exceed
that of mentors. It is also a way to foster camaraderie, and
can be a rich source of peer mentoring.
Mentoring is traditionally seen as an ongoing
relationship, but sometimes advice is needed for a specific
situation. The mentor-for-hire relationship might fit the bill
in this instance. It is a short term relationship geared toward
achieving a finite goal or goals. Often times, the mentor is
a consultant hired by the employee.
Inspirational mentors provide a model of excellence
for a protg and there may not even be a real relationship
between the two. For example, former California
Congressional Representative Ron Dellums credits Martin
Luther King with providing him clarity and a sense of
purpose for his career and public service.
Sometimes family-member mentors provide support.
This form of mentoring usually begins early in life and
provides an important and ongoing perspective. This form
of mentoring can be a disadvantage, because of family
issues and charges of nepotism.
Another form of mentoring is that of barrier-busting
mentors. These are mentor-protg relationships that are
formed across traditional barriers such as competitive or
political parties. This form carries the risk of social censure,
but it also a way to gain perspective and empathy.
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Power Mentoring
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Power Mentoring
Business Book Review Vol. 23, No. 24 Copyright 2006 Business Book Review, LLC All Rights Reserved
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Power Mentoring
Remarks
Power Mentoring by Ellen Ensher and Susan Murphy
is the perfect book for a potential protg or mentor, as
well as for any company that is contemplating a mentoring
program. It is also the ideal book for anyone who is currently
in a mentoring relationship. It provides great advice on how
to take the relationship further, and how to personally gain
from it.
The book redefines mentoring and provides valuable
comparisons and insights into how mentoring differs
from power mentoring. The illustrations from the authors
interviews help to make the explanations come to life. Some
readers may be frustrated by the fact that these mentors and
protgs featured are movie directors, politicians and heads
of industry, and their positions seem out of reach. But, that
should not stop anyone from reading the book. The mentors
and protgs profiled have the most dramatic examples of
power mentoring and how it works, but they are lessons
that can be applied by anyone in any profession.
The authors provide specific advice and information
from questions that mentors and protgs should ask of each
other and of themselves to the tests and challenges they may
both face. Plus, the step by step Relationship Development
Business Book Review Vol. 23, No. 24 Copyright 2006 Business Book Review, LLC All Rights Reserved
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Power Mentoring
Reading Suggestions
Reading Time 12-15 hours, 339 Pages in Book
Readers should not be put off by the size of the book.
The information contained is valuable, and the first 273
pages are the heart of the book. Because of the depth of
the information contained in each chapter, it is best to read
a chapter or two at a time, and then to take some time to
reflect on the information. There are exercises for both
mentors and protgs to complete. These are probably best
done during a second reading of the book. It would be very
easy to get caught up completing an exercise and miss the
information on how to apply the lessons learned.
Use the final chapters of the book as a how-to manual.
Photocopy the exercises and quizzes, so that they can be
used more than once. These are great exercises for both
mentor and protg to engage in together and to discuss.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction to Peer Mentoring
Chapter 2: The Many Faces of Power Mentoring
Chapter 3: Mentoring as a Two-Way Street
Chapter 4: The Mind of the Mentor
Chapter 5: The Protgs Perspective
Chapter 6: Unlocking the Secrets of Great Power
Mentoring Relationships
Chapter 7: Power Mentoring and You
Chapter 8: Conclusion: What We Have Learned About
Mentoring in Todays Work Environment
Business Book Review Vol. 23, No. 24 Copyright 2006 Business Book Review, LLC All Rights Reserved
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Power Mentoring
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