Managing vs. Leading. I’ve heard many things and read many articles about being a manager versus being a leader. At the same time there have been many articles and seminars on what I’ll call the components of a manager and the components of a leader.

Being a leader. Is it the same as being a manager? Is being a good manager the same as being a good leader?  What does coaching and the ability to coach mean when it comes to being a good manager? When it comes to being a good leader? What does guiding have to do with leadership? With managing With directing? A manager has to know how to plan, organize, direct and control but a leader may not know how to plan, organize,  direct and control. Yet they are still a leader!

Managing vs. Leading vs. Directing vs. Guiding vs. Coaching vs. Supervising

What are some of the differences in the above? The meanings for many of them have some overlap, but they are still words with distinct meaning. Here are some definitions for each (according to WordNet):

Directing — showing the way by conducting or leading; imposing direction on. “felt his mother’s directing arm around him”; “the directional role of science on industrial progress”

Guiding —  direct the course; determine the direction of travelling; exerting control or influence; “a guiding principle”

Coaching — to teach and supervise (someone). The first use of the term coaching to mean an instructor or trainer arose around 1830 in Oxford University slang for a tutor who “carries” a student through an exam.

Supervising — managing by overseeing the performance or operation of a person or group; under observation or under the direction of a superintendent or overseer; “supervised play”.

Managing — (in management) the act of getting people together in order to accomplish desired goals and objectives.

Leading — (in management) the  process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

It’s easy to see from above that all the words really have a part in working successfully with a group. Sooner or later, every member of the group will personally be involved in performing one of the above. (In the scope of this post, I’m keeping a distinct separation between “Management” and “Managing”. Why? Because, leadership / leading is an intricate part of management. But it is not the same as managing.)

One saying  I often hear is:

“Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing.”

This saying may be a little too blatant for my tastes, but it does shed a little light on the views of each type of position. It means that managers do things by the book and follow company policy, while leaders follow their own intuition, which may be more advantageous to the company. Managers use authoritarian and transactional style, which means subordinates have to follow a manager’s  orders while leaders use charismatic and transformational style, which means followers are inspired to follow their leader’s wishes.

Unlike with managers, people follow a leader on their own choice but people have to obey a manager.  In a way, a leader’s authority is derived from effectively balancing the task of being a genuinely accepted member of a group, while having adequate detachment to constantly adjust the course the group is heading. Groups are also usually more loyal to a leader than a manager because the leader is responsible in taking the blame when things go wrong. When things go right, the leader is often last person to accept any recognition for it. He/she often will recognize and thank the group for the success.

In the motivation department, a leader will often use passions and incite emotions to motivate people.  A manager on the other hand will not often use the language of emotions or passions but more often use logical and official methods to motivate people to complete a task. This is why leaders can be seen to be more emotional than a manager.

Risk

“Leaders stand out by being different. They question assumption and are suspicious of tradition. They seek out the truth and make decisions based on fact, not prejudice. They have a preference for innovation.” — John Fenton

Leaders will often appear to be risk-seeking while managers may often appear to be more risk-averse. Therefore, managers look for comfort and seek to avoid conflict where possible while leaders are comfortable with risk by finding ways others avoid and willing to break rules (within reason) in order to get things done.

Leadership. It’s really about coaching, guiding, and inspiring others to reach a goal. Sometimes a leader will stand in front, sometimes to the side, sometimes even behind the people he or she is trying to help reach a goal.

Even if we don’t formally have anyone reporting to us within an organization, we are still leaders because everyone in one form or another has the ability to influence others. So Where Do You Fit In? Manager or Leader? How do you see yourself? The decision one makes about that will determine where they go in an organization (and most likely the way they are seen as well).

Here are Some Great Books that I Highly Recommend on the Above!

If you have any comments on any of the above, or if you have additional thoughts to add, please feel free to share them with us in the comment section below.

Thanks and Take Care!

Gil

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Keeping busy can definitely lead to a sharper and quicker mind. But what if being consistently busy is not getting you the results you want? What if you find that you can’t get everything you set out to do accomplished? Even if you do accomplish it, is it up the caliber you wish it to be? It’s really great to be involved in many great activities and organizations. But if you aren’t satisfied with the quality of the things you are delivering, it may be time to re-evaluate.

 Doing too many things at once can sometimes mean nothing gets done very well, and, all too often, it means nothing gets completed either.

We all have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. In that time, we need to find time to eat, sleep, and do the basic everyday chores we need to take care of. On top of that, most of us either have a job, go to school, or run a business. Now try to add socializing, volunteering at events, volunteering for a non-profit organization or two (or three or four). That’s when you realize that the 168 hours in a week is not always enough time to do what you want to do. Especially if you’re someone who, like me, likes to give good work. Whether we accept it or not, what a person does will be associated as part of that person’s brand. The same, unfortunately, can be said about what a person does not do. If a person doesn’t perform or deliver on what they say they are going to do, it leaves a negative impact on the brand of that person.

You will only be remembered in life for two things: The problems you solve or the ones you create.

How do you want to be remembered when you are no longer at an organization? No longer living in the town you live in now? When you are no longer socializing with the same people you socialize with now? Or when you simply moved on from this life? Do you want to be remembered as a person who helped to solve  a lot of problems or as a person who said they would but didn’t deliver and thus caused more problems than what existed prior to you getting involved?

There are many people, me included, who want to accomplish a great many things in life. In the process of doing that we may find ourselves getting involved in too many things. I say it may be too many things because if you’re getting involved in more things than you can handle, then you are guaranteeing that you won’t be giving the things you’re involved with your all. With that said, your inability to give it your all will undoubtedly lead to mental fatigue, and increased irritability. It’s also a key factor in many people being disorganized.

Signs that you may be taking on too many things:

1. You start missing required meetings because you did not have time to be at them.

2. You find it harder and harder to find time to spend with your spouse, or your children.

3. The list of things you commit to taking care of is growing faster than the list of things accomplished.

4. You begin to get tired easily each and every day.

5. You feel like nothing you do is appreciated or makes a difference.

6. A large part of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.

7. Every day seems to be a bad day.

Do you find that many of the above items, describes you perfectly? If so, it may be time to re-evaluate all the things you’re doing, all the items you’re committing to and determine what needs to change. As one of my mentors told me a while ago, “Taking a step backwards from time to time may take you a few steps forward.”

What are some of your thoughts on over committing?

Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

If so, what did you do to change it? 

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Every so often I hear business teachers and coaches mention that there is no “I” in the word team. I understand that what is meant by many of them is that one shouldn’t place one’s own needs above that of the team. But all too often some individuals take it to the extreme and basically neglect their own needs in order (as they perceive it) to allow the team to perform at it’s best. This is where the line really needs to be drawn because if one neglects their own needs, then one’s potential contribution to the team can and will be lacking to say the least.

Sometimes a person is part of a team because they’re told by a superior to be part of it, others because they’re asked. Still many others go out and search for a team they can be part of whether it be as part of a job search or a volunteer group. Regardless of which team a person belongs to, that team will never benefit to it’s fullest by you being a part of it, without you receiving back something from the team in return for being a part of it.

Being Part of the Team

We are all to one extent or another a part of a team, whether it be a professional organization, a sports team after work, a group of friends who like to hang out or as a family member. Why do I say that? Because as a member of a team, the way we act (or fail to act) will always in some way shape or form effect other members of the team. We may not always be able to change which team we belong to (e.g. being born into a family), but in cases of teams we choose to be part of due to love for a particular cause (a volunteer organization) or due to necessity (a job in order to pay your bills) we must always be cognizant of the fact that each person has their own particular needs.

I’ve joined various teams throughout my life and in some cases, it was truly a joy to be involved . In other cases, I remember feeling like my life energy was slowly being drained out of me when I met or talked with a team causing me to be almost emotionally and psychologically drained afterwards (I’m sure no one has ever felt that feeling before…:-)  ).

Looking back, the times I felt good being a member of a team was when I was able to align the purpose of the team with my own personal needs. Whether it be work or a volunteer organization, aligning the team’s goals with my own personal goals was key to the entire experience of being a team member. In turn, the team got the best from me with regards to enthusiasm, work ethic and ideas. The times when my personal goals did not align with the goals or purpose of the team were the times when I would feel less enthusiastic about being a team member. My work ethic would still be there but the team would not get the best out of me with regards to enthusiasm or ideas. Why? At first I couldn’t understand the reason but later on I realized it was due to the goals of the team not aligning with my own personal goals in some form.

Over time, my enthusiasm would become affected and I’d find myself not enjoying being a member of the team or worse, feeling that the team was doing nothing more than taking up precious time. Time I could be dedicating towards some other cause or endeavor. Whenever that occurs, you start becoming a liability to the team rather than a valuable asset.

Being True to Yourself

Regardless of what team a person is part of, it’s really important to keep one’s personal goals in line with the goals of the team to some extent. Doing so will allow the relationship between you and the team you’re involved with to be mutually beneficial.

In the short term, the time spent with the team will definitely be more enjoyable. In the long term, team members or others outside of the team will more likely see you as a valuable asset to have on other teams.

So why am I saying all this? Because, if you find yourself not enjoying your involvement with a team, then it may be time to look in the mirror and determine whether you should be a part of the team or if you need to move on.

Recommended Reading

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Today I went to an annual ritual enjoyed by many in the corporate world.  Today was my company’s annual holiday party. Complete with raffles, cash bar and plenty of food, the atmosphere was ripe for mingling between colleagues.  What I personally never fail to notice is how many people come to such parties and then basically sit by themselves with maybe one other colleague. At a similar company party many years ago, I asked one of my then colleagues, who told me he preferred sitting by himself most of the time, why come to the event then?  His answer was, “To be seen.” He wanted others, especially upper management, to see that he was a team player and that he goes out of his way to be at the company party. I couldn’t help but be a little surprised and puzzled by his rational!

That answer stuck with me for a while because here was someone who I respected as a colleague. He was smart in his work and always got the job he was responsible for done. But at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder really as to why even come to the company party if you’re not going to, at the very least, mingle.

One of the biggest benefits of going to company holiday parties is that it gives people the great opportunity to have face to face time with company personnel at all levels. There is no other place that a person can have such an opportunity within the company all at one location. Today I was able to find people who I used to work with a couple of years ago and quickly catch up. It was also nice to run into people I usually converse with via email or phone call and have a face to face conversation. But one of my favorite things to do at company parties (in addition to what I just mentioned) is introduce people I know to other people that I know. I’ve been asked why do this if they don’t necessarily work with each other? The reason is to help place a name with a face.  This has provided the people I’ve introduced with information they can use at a later time if it turns out that one of them actually needs something from the department the other person works in. There have been plenty of times when I’ve needed to find out something or get something done where a person I was introduced to earlier was able to help me out. If I hadn’t met that person earlier, via an introduction from someone else, I may not have been able to get some things done in as timely a manner as they were done. Another, big advantage of attending company parties, such as the annual holiday party, is that you get the opportunity to meet your boss’s, boss’s , boss. Believe it or not, the executive a couple of tables over from where you’re sitting is there so that she can meet the people who are on her team and get to know them.

So if you do in fact go to your company’s holiday party this year, or any other company get together that would occur after work, don’t just be seen!  Get out there and enjoy the opportunity to meet face to face with your colleagues of all levels. Chances are they’ll appreciate you coming over and having a conversation with them. If you’re looking to move up in the company, the ability to talk with others at a company party will give a better impression than if you simply sat at a table and spoke only to the same person for the entire time!

What do you do at company holiday parties?

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At the request of many who wrote to me about my “Re-Branding Yourself” post I’ve written a continuation on the subject of “Branding/Re-Branding”. Thanks for all the emails and comments received!

Radio City Music Hall was packed to capacity with many of the entertainment industry’s elite and television crews were ensuring that 27 million people were able to watch live. The show was not even an hour old when WOW, what a shock! The people in attendance and watching on TV the 2009 Video Music Awards (VMAs) witnessed Kanye West interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video to basically say that another artist nominated for the same award should have won. Do you think Kanye West’s brand was affected by what he did? You better believe that it was.

The branding process for a person, including myself, is a never ending, ongoing process that a person needs to be aware of. Why? Because everything we do and say, and everything we don’t do and say, affects our personal brand. (Author’s Note: There’s no need to be paranoid, just be aware of it.  )

Taking a look at what a brand is, here are some definitions for “brand” that I found online:

According to Bizzia.com:

• Intangible asset similar to your reputation:
• Generated through a consistent message of that reputation communicated through advertising, customer service , community relations, consumer experience/word-of-mouth, etc.,
• And thereby creating awareness of that reputation among consumers

According to BusinessDictionary.com:

• Entire process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product (good or service) in the consumers’ mind, through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.

What is Your Brand?

Brands enable companies to differentiate themselves:  How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

A personal brand needs an outlet in order to showcase a product or service: What are you doing to showcase who you are and why someone should work with or be associated with you?

A brand shows the vision of the enterprise: What is your vision and your long term plan to achieve it?

“Every human being is a brand, the way you socialize, who you know, what you say.”

– Jerry Seinfeld

I recently wrote a brief article called “Re-Branding Yourself”. I’ve received many great comments on the article, both from people visiting my blog as well as from friends and colleagues on social networking and professional association sites and I am truly grateful. One group of comments that had valuable insights to the topics of Branding and Re-Branding came from the LinkedIn group “Harvard Business Review”. With permission, I’m sharing some of these comments below.

“We are all part of a business community of some sort, just as products are part of an industry. One must renew and update their brand or lose market share (branding). When I was a child — now I am really dating myself — we referred to athletic shoes as KEDs, copiers as Xerox machines and hot tubs as Jacuzzis. These products were branded. They lost market share. Why? Did they think that once they reached the top, they would stay there?

LOL One needs to stay current, educated in their field and become an adventurous and innovative leader. I had a company motto that assisted in my branding, “Do it first. Do it right. Do it now.” The phrase that followed me in my community was, “She gets things done.”

Is there a phrase that is used in describing you in your workplace? Is it the same as the vision that you have for yourself?”

- Jacalyn Smith, Executive Vice Chairman / President of BCI

“Branding is a perception. For brand to last long, it must have something inside that lifts it up just like air inside the balloon and something that draws your attention just like the colour on the outside of the balloon. You must maintain the air level (generic value) within and adjust your colors outside as viewers like (brand renovation).”

-Prakash Dudhat, Experienced Administrator in Education Consultancy.

“There are many reasons executives take a hard look at their personal brands. I am working with an exec out of California who is (truly) a leader in his field. His name and picture have been plastered across notable business publications. Now he wants to shift his focus.

How can he do this so that it is credible and genuine, without seeming fleeting? This is personal branding, too. As long as the motivation and marketing is based in authenticity, it can be done effectively. Another example: One of my clients on the East Coast has built a very visible reputation as the CEO of a leader in their sector. However, if you ask people what he stands for, few can articulate his values, his passions, his mission. They all know him as “a great guy” who leads a successful company. This also indicates the need to grow his personal brand.

Personal Branding is the practice of developing and marketing your reputation. Since perception is formed on behavior, we have to start with actions. Then, we look at all the ways your brand comes to life — through your brand character, personality, posturing, relationships, etc.

Feedback is critical as we can often think we’re perceived differently than others see us. This isn’t always bad! Often times, when I work with clients on the feedback portion of our process, we uncover brand gems that reveal opportunity we couldn’t have foreseen. Feedback is always a gift — it reveals opportunity to make progress towards our desired brand.”

-Lida Citroen, Owner and Principal of LIDA360, LLC

“For famous brands like Mercedes or McDonalds, it is easy to make surveys to know what the customers think of your products and services.

How do you test your personal brand if you are a small business owner?

If you ask only people who know you in your network you miss the general impression you give by responding to conversations, by making bogs and websites. There is one tool, www.onlineidcalculator.com that gives an idea of your presence on the web but it is not qualitative.

I would like to emphasis that building your personal brand is not only for small business owners or people who have been laid off and looking for a job. Start building now before you need it.

How do you influence the way people perceive you on the internet?

1 — What you do and say on the web will stay forever, so make professional comments. Be aware of your language, and jokes: ask yourself if it is compatible with the image you want to project?

2 — Start to use tools in LinkedIn: participate in groups, ask and answer questions that position you as an expert. Build your reputation in your field. Use Slideshare, polls and blogs on your home page. Use the social media that reflects your potential client or employer interests.

3 — Make a professional blog, with Blogger it is very easy. You can also join a Yahoo group or create one. Put links on your web site from expert blogs and websites to gain credibility.

4 — Volunteer to make events such as presentations and trainings to your local industry chapters or your potential clients association. This will be mentioned by others than you. It is always better to be referred by word of mouth.”

-Anne Egros, Owner, International Business Coach at Zest & Zen International LLC

Some Great Articles and Online Resources

“The Return of the Personal Brand” by Gill Corkindale

“11 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand” by Gill Corkinda

“Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create Your Brand” by Dan Schawbel

“Personal Branding Becomes a Necessity in Digital Age” by Mark Glaser

“4 Steps to Personal Branding Success” by Dan Schawbel

“The Brand Called You” by Tom Peters

“Building your Personal Brand” by Kevin Liebl

“Me Incorporated, Your Own Magnetic Brand” by Randall Frost

The Personal Branding Blog

A Branding Glossary

Personal Branding & Career Self-Marketing Tools for Job-Seekers and Career Activists

Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool

10 Best of Personal Branding Strategies, Lessons, and News

What is personal branding and why is it so important?

You Brand, Inc.

Some Online Tools That Can Be Used for Monitoring a Personal Brand

Google Alerts

BackType

Blogpulse

Socialmention

Boardreader

BoardTracker

YackTrack

FriendFeed

What are some of your favorite online tools, books and articles on personal branding?

How do you see yourself?

How do you want others to see you?

How do you want others to think of you or the unique services your provide?

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I was recently at a great networking and professional development event in downtown Hartford, CT. Nope, not the “getMotivated tour” with Colin Powell, Steve Forbes and others (even though I heard that was a great event in itself), but another one a day later organized by a few local professional organizations.  The main keynote speaker gave a presentation about “Re-Branding Yourself: How Do You Rebrand Yourself in this Current Business Environment?” and it made me think about how many people today don’t realize the importance of how their brand is seen.

If you don’t know or aren’t aware of what I’m talking about, a brand is how another person or organization sees you and the services you provide (or don’t provide). Your “personal brand” is key to the success of whatever you wish to do with your life. How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you don’t have a brand ‘cause we all have one!

According to William Aruda, author of an excellent book on personal branding called Career Distinction, a brand is a “unique promise of value”.

Recently, I witnessed a person introducing someone else at a business function by saying, “John, this is Lisa Smith. She’s our marketing analyst.” What was interesting is that later at the same function I had a chance to have a conversation with Lisa and what I realized is that she didn’t think of herself simply as a marketing analyst and she shouldn’t. During the course of our conversation, I discovered that she was a lot more than a marketing analyst. In fact, she had experience running her own marketing company as well as organizing and running marketing campaigns for multiple clients. That’s more than a marketing analyst usually does.

The reason I share the above story is that Lisa allowed someone else to create her brand. Whether we’d like to admit it or not, first impressions are important. So regardless of how Lisa perceives herself, she has been branded as a marketing analyst in the minds of the person who introduced her and those she was introduced to. The good news is that although Lisa was branded by someone else, she has the option to re-brand herself! Have you ever found yourself in a similar scenario where someone introduces you with a title you did not necessarily expect or want?

If you don’t purposefully create your own brand, others will create your brand for you.

Here are some questions to ask yourself in order to gauge how your brand is being perceived:

• How do people see you when they think about you?
• What is the first thing that comes into a person’s mind when they see your picture?
• What is the first thing that comes into a person’s mind when they meet you?
• What image do people perceive when they hear your name mentioned? Is it negative or positive?

For myself, the above questions help me gauge how my personal brand is seen by others. I’m always looking for ways to improve my own personal brand so I actually pose the above questions to people I know and trust. If you want to know how your brand is seen, ask someone that you trust to tell you what is the first thing that comes to mind when they see you (this doesn’t have to be only someone in your network. For this exercise, someone you trust to give you a sincere and honest opinion may be someone you do not even know. You want sincere feedback about how your brand is seen). If it’s something you did not expect or did not want to hear, then it may be time to start re-branding yourself.

Some Great Examples of Branding

Successful individuals formulate a strategic intent and execute to that intent for market success. Whether your business is in providing a product or service or whether it’s being seen as an expert in a particular nitch.

What comes to mind when you see the pictures below?

For each of the individuals above, what ever comes to mind, you can be sure that the same thing comes to the mind for a large portion of the population in the North America. Why? Because these people have purposefully created their own personal brand and regardless of what your opinion is of them, there image automatically brings their product or service to mind.  That’s the power of a strong personal brand!

What does your personal brand tell others about what you do?

What does your personal brand tell others about what you can provide? What do you want your personal brand to say?

Any ideas on how someone can improve or change their personal brand? What are your thoughts?

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If you think you don’t need one and want to “Get Ahead” in your career or business endeavor, you may want to think again. Mentors are probably one of the most important people you’ll have in your life. They are people who have either already navigated the landscape that you are currently working your way through or can simply give you sincere constructive criticism to help make the most of a given scenario. Mentorship refers to a developmental relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person develop in a specified capacity. The less experienced person in a mentoring relationship is sometimes referred to as a protégé or a mentoree.

So what is the big deal about having a mentor vs. doing it on your own with the help of your network? According to Katharine Hansen, Ph.D in her article The Value of a Mentor:

“Where a typical network contact might be associated with quick introductions, exchanges of business cards, and phone calls, your relationship with a mentor likely involves long lunches and time spent in the mentor’s office. A mentor is often in a position you’d like to be in and has the clout and connections to guide you to a similar position. He or she is someone you probably have unusually good chemistry with who will share stories with you of his or her own climb to success. An effective mentor isn’t afraid to criticize constructively. ”

The value of a mentor in your life for work, business, or even family reveals itself through time. More importantly the time saved by putting to use the input received from a mentor.

A Difficult Situation to Be In
A while back, in a position previous to the one I have now, I was having difficultly with my new supervisor. The issue of him trusting me was apparent within a couple of months after he became my boss. For the life of me I could not understand why he mistrusted me so much. In my eyes, there was no reason why he needed to.

Action items and deliverables assigned to me where always completed on time and in apparent good order. Whenever there was a question of getting the task accomplished, I would always have a contingency plan in place to help ensure the completion of the goal. Even though I did everything he asked of me and then some, there was always tension with my supervisor thinking that I was attempting to usurp his authority and take his position.

Regardless of what some of you may think, taking my supervisor’s place that was not my intention at the time.

A Mentor to the Rescue
One of my mentors, Steve, was a Senior Director within the HR department of a large corporation and we would meet periodically over lunch. I took the next time Steve and I met for lunch to go over the situation I was facing with my supervisor. After discussing it for a bit, Steve pointed out something to me that I was not aware of at the time. I am the type of person who when asked to get something accomplished goes out of their way to get it done. This would include reaching out to people in other departments at all different levels.

What I wasn’t aware of was that by doing so my name was getting around the company as a point of contact for my department. This would lead to people in other departments contacting me directly when they had a quick question instead of my supervisor. At the time I didn’t think anything of it, but Steve pointed out to me that my supervisor may be the type of person who needed to be the focal point for his organization. To add to the issue, whenever I reached out to people in other organizations, I would not always tell my supervisor every single person I spoke with (showing how green I was at the time).

Steve proceeded to give me some ideas that I could try in order to remedy the situation with my supervisor. He advised me of how important it was to let my supervisor know who I’ve contacted outside of the organization in order to accomplish the tasks he assigned me to do. Even if the contact appears minor to me, my supervisor may not believe so and by keeping him in the loop he would be able to feel more in control of his organization. After all, being his organization, he is ultimately accountable for what goes on within it.

Another item that Steve pointed out to me was the possibility of there being a personality conflict. My personality is to be open and relaxed around people. Not talking up a storm, but by nature I prefer to avoid long moments of awkward silence. If such an awkward moment of silence occurs, I am most likely to be one of the people who breaks the silence by asking a question or bringing up a point that people may find interesting. My boss on the other hand was much more reserved and would not interrupt a long awkward moments of silence. Steve suggested using a mirroring technique to help bridge the possible gap the different personalities my supervisor and I had.

After applying the advice Steve suggested, I noticed the level of mistrust begin to diminish. What was most surprising for me was how quickly my supervisor’s mistrust of me dissipated. Within a couple of weeks my supervisor was appearing more comfortable around the things I was doing. I kept him more ‘informed’ by letting him know everyone I spoke with in order to get the tasks he assigned me done. After a while, he became comfortable enough with me reaching out to so many people in different departments (and them contacting me directly) that he eventually told me he didn’t need to know everyone I spoke with. As long as the job got done, he was fine with the way I did it.

Looking back on the whole scenario, I realized that I was very fortunate to have Steve mentor me at this time. Had he not given me his advice based upon his own past experience, the situation would have most likely resulted in a different ending. One where the mistrust my supervisor had for me could have turned into a reason for him to push me out of his organization. The input from Steve allowed me to have a successful track record with that company that eventually led to me receiving a promotion.

If you Decide to Choose a Mentor
There is no limit to the number of mentors you have in your life. Some people have one, others many more. Some mentoring relationship last for less than a year, others last a lifetime. The number of mentors you decide to have is ultimately up to you. Just like with all mutually beneficial relationships, mentorships require time and need to be nurtured.

If you choose to find a mentor, and a mentor decides to choose you, it may be one of the most valuable and profitable relationships you ever have.

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