Mentoring is the latest buzzword in corporate circles.  What is personal mentoring and how does it help the organizational head in the long run?

A mentor typically helps in achieving personal change in the attitude of the top level of management.  That’s because change has to happen at the Top (level of management).  Otherwise it will only remain a slogan.  Personal mentoring is with an idea to attain potential leadership, which is all about coping with change. 

Today, change, whether we like it or not, is happening at a large scale.  Therefore, leadership is survival.  Imperative leadership in companies is lacking.  Personal mentoring provides CEOs with inputs to become Leaders.  This way you attain your own as well as the company’s potential. 

Herein lies the connection.  Personal change drives organizational change, which leads to organizational profitability.  Also, it is important to redevelop the ability to listen.  This personal skill has a vital bearing on organizational ability to survive.

Please note that mentoring is not a training programme, where we organize workshops for a few days.  It is an on going process. 

Do all empowerment training programmes, where the bosses are not involved, end up as non-starters? 

Training of bosses is essential.  Otherwise, organizations do not benefit.  Even after going through a training programme the staff is de-motivated and cynical because the boss has not changed since he has not gone through a similar training.  I recognized this, and said to myself that there is no point in this kind of training.  People at board levels need to change first – mentoring addresses that.  But who’s to bell the cat?  And that is where we step in. 

Why is it that human resource development in most companies deal only with personnel matters?

That’s because it is easy.  But it is not sufficient.  Herb Kelleher, Chairman of the SouthWest Airlines says, “put employees first and customer second.”  Servant Leadership – That’s the latest concept in management.  And look at their results!  SouthWest Airline has had uninterrupted profits over the last 25 years!

Training programmes are designed for a short span of time.  But do they bring about a drastic change in the individual’s behaviour after the workshop is over?

Recently I conducted a Concept Workshop.  It involved learning continuously as a vital programme.  In this programme groups of people came together and learnt in unstructured way.  There was no hierarchy of age, sex, income, qualification etc.  learning was the only objective.  Also, it was entirely optional for a person to attend this workshop.  There was no coercion.  The result were fantastic.  Because very subtly it created an open environment.  This is the basis for strong relationships.

Do you suggest to companies to build a mutual intimacy among their employees before they organize training workshops?

I feel companies should have a mentoring programme over a period of time.  And through concept workshops this could be achieved.  Without relationships you cannot achieve anything.

Have you ever felt during your programme that companies have done out of way nomination of employees for the training?

I take it as a challenge.  And I deliver the best results.  Later, I give the feedback to companies saying that the attitude of a particular employee was not conducive to learning.  In the training programme however, I am focused  to attain the objectives set for the programme.

How important is mental health in your training programme?

Mentoring addresses stress related problems.  Redefining roles, getting the balance right.

Do MBA courses develop appropriate attitude, which are considered essential to become successful managers?

MBA courses are very good with concepts and techniques.  But they are weak in team-building and ability to form relationships.  Very few B – school graduates have this (quality).  Those who possess these qualitites have been able to obtain it through their involvement.  So it is important for B-Schools to include attitude building.  Some institutes are beginning to do that but it has to happen at much larger level.  The spiritual approach is very important.  This is why we have got to take recourse to Indian spiritual leadership.  There is a whole body of literature available on that.  It teaches about managing business, countries and time management.  There is a whole lot of example in Vedanta, which according to me is the ultimate (source) in Human Resource.

The very first mentor according to me was Krishna.  I call him the Cosmic Mentor.  He mentored Arjun right in the middle of the battlefield when he told him to do his duty.  That also takes care of your question on ethical dilemma.  We have to get back to our roots.