1 Introduction to Power Mentoring 1

Who Are Our Power Mentors and Protégés? 3

The Changing Career Landscape 13

Overview of the Book 21

2 The Many Faces of Power Mentoring 26

Classic Versus Contemporary Approaches to Mentoring 28

The Many Types of Power Mentoring 45

Conclusion 64

3 Mentoring as a Two-Way Street: 67

Benefits of Giving and Receiving

Give-and-Take in Power Mentoring Relationships 68

Road Map to This Chapter 70

Meet the Power Mentors and Protégés: 71

Stories of Give-and-Take Summary of Benefits for Protégés and Mentors 96

Conclusion 100

4 The Mind of the Mentor 102

Mental Models: The Philosophies of Mentoring 105

The Mentor’s Attraction to the Protégé 116

The Perfect Protégé 121

Tests and Challenges 125

Conclusion 136

5 The Protégé’s Perspective: 138

How to Get and Keep a Power Mentor

Initiation and Attraction 140

Developing Trust in the Mentoring Relationship 142

Identifying a Power Mentor 152

Cultivating the Art of Impression Management 155

Developing a Goal-Oriented Attitude 157

Forming Connection Strategies 161

Conclusion 173

6 Unlocking the Secrets of 175

Great Power Mentoring Relationships

Building Blocks of Effective Relationships 177

Defining Moments 190

Deepening the Mentoring Relationship 196

Conclusion 208

7 Power Mentoring and You 209

The Relationship Development Plan 210

Conclusion 253

8 Conclusion: What We Have Learned About Mentoring in Today’s Work Environment  255

Turning Everyday Mentoring into Power Mentoring 256

What We Know About Effective Mentoring Relationships 256

What We Are Still Learning About Mentoring Relationships 260

The Lessons of Power Mentoring for Formal Mentoring Programs 262

Getting a Formal Mentoring Program Off the Ground 268

Conclusion 271

Appendix A: The Interviewees 273

Appendix B: Studying Power Mentoring Relationships 303

Notes 313

Acknowledgments 333

The Authors 339

Index 343

Many of the world’s most notable people, including Bill Gates and Bill Clinton, have credited mentoring as a major factor in their success. Despite the obvious benefits of mentoring, the traditional models have failed to keep up with trends in today’s business world. Mentoring programs based on career longevity with one organization no longer reflect what’s really happening.

Written to reflect the realities of today’s business environment, Power Mentoring is a nuts-and-bolts guide for anyone who wants to create a connection with a protégé or mentor, or to improve a current mentoring relationship. Filled with illustrative examples and candid insights from fifty of America’s most successful mentors and protégés, Power Mentoring unlocks the secrets of great mentoring relationships and shows how anyone (including those who are well established in their careers, or those who are just starting out) can become a successful mentor or protégé. Based on compelling interviews from Ellen Ensher and Susan Murphy’s own research, this important resource explains what it takes to develop a “power mentoring” network consisting of a variety of mentors across a range of organizations and industries. The authors provide strategies for establishing such power mentoring relationships, outline the best practices, and offer insights from mentors and protégés in a variety of fields, including technology, politics, and the media. Included is advice from notables such as

• Bob Wright, vice chairman and executive officer of General Electric and chairman and chief executive officer of NBC Universal
• General Lee Butler, former commander of U.S. nuclear forces
• Rosario Marin, 41st treasurer of the United States
• Leeza Gibbons, executive producer and Emmy Award–winning television personality
• Larry Carter, senior vice president, office of the president, and former chief financial officer, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Power Mentoring includes practical suggestions and advice for applying the lessons learned from successful mentoring relationships and shows how to create an individualized Relationship Development Plan.

"A wonderfully useful and readable book about the underacknowledged significance of mentoring."
--Warren Bennis, author, On Becoming a Leader, and coauthor, Geeks and Geezers

"There are few career relationships as pivotal as the one with a mentor. This wonderful book takes readers deep into the chemistry of the best of these. Full of compelling stories to illustrate its lessons, it is a treasure trove of insights.
--Jay A. Conger, Kravis Professor of Leadership, Claremont McKenna College, and author, Building Leaders

"All successful people have someone in their life who helps them at various stages in their development. In Power Mentoring, one finds close-up examples of how mentoring has played an important part leading to individual success. This is one of the most important books on the subject of mentoring to be written in years."
--Henry R. Kravis, founding partner of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

"Power Mentoring adeptly bridges the academic-practitioner divide by providing practical advice that is firmly grounded in academic research and the authors’ own interviews with an amazing array of power mentors and their protégés. The result is a compelling, accessible, and engaging account of how to create, nourish, and flourish effective mentoring relationships. The book brings mentoring to life, and the reader quickly becomes captivated by the stories, accounts, and narratives of Power Mentoring. From Oprah to Spielberg to Welch--who can resist reading this book?"
--Belle Rose Ragins, professor of management, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and coauthor, Mentoring and Diversity: An International Perspective

"Mentoring is so important for any leader, small business owner or entrepreneur—this book is a must-read!"
--Charles Segars, head, Fine Living Cable Network, and executive producer of the movie National Treasure

1 Introduction to Power Mentoring. Who Are Our Power Mentors and Protégés? The Changing Career Landscape. Overview of the Book. 2 The Many Faces of Power Mentoring. Classic Versus Contemporary Approaches to Mentoring. The Many Types of Power Mentoring. Conclusion. 3 Mentoring as a Two-Way Street: Benefits of Giving and Receiving. Give-and-Take in Power Mentoring Relationships. Road Map to This Chapter. Meet the Power Mentors and Protégés: Stories of Give-and-Take. Summary of Benefits for Protégés and Mentors. Conclusion. 4 The Mind of the Mentor. Mental Models: The Philosophies of Mentoring. The Mentor?s Attraction to the Protégé. The Perfect Protégé. Tests and Challenges. Conclusion. 5 The Protégé?s Perspective: How to Get and Keep a Power Mentor. Initiation and Attraction. Developing Trust in the Mentoring Relationship. Identifying a Power Mentor. Cultivating the Art of Impression Management. Developing a Goal-Oriented Attitude. Forming Connection Strategies. Conclusion. 6 Unlocking the Secrets of Great Power Mentoring Relationships. Building Blocks of Effective Relationships. Defining Moments. Deepening the Mentoring Relationship. Conclusion. 7 Power Mentoring and You. The Relationship Development Plan. Conclusion. 8 Conclusion: What We Have Learned About Mentoring in Today?s Work Environment. Turning Everyday Mentoring into Power Mentoring. What We Know About Effective Mentoring Relationships. What We Are Still Learning About Mentoring Relationships. The Lessons of Power Mentoring for Formal Mentoring Programs. Getting a Formal Mentoring Program Off the Ground. Conclusion. Appendix A: The Interviewees. Appendix B: Studying Power Mentoring Relationships. Notes. Acknowledgments. The Authors. Index.