Self-mentoring is a process which requires one to assemble a realistic, accurate assessment of yourself (strengths and weaknesses) with the goal of crafting one's ‘ideal self’ to heighten job performance, career progression, or personal ambitions. This practice is a four-stage framework which includes: self-awareness, self-development, self-reflection, and self-monitoring.
While self-mentoring moves to the forefront as a useful self-improvement practice, it has established a noteworthy presence. This has been shown in isolation or in combination with mentoring and/or coaching methods. It may not serve everyone, but it does serve the majority of individuals who are motivated to take control and lead using a common sense approach to self-leadership. Self-mentoring draws on organizational skills that we all recognize yet often forget we possess until needed. Self-mentoring builds confidence in one's ability to lead. After all, it is one's life; one should lead!
Self-Mentoring Steps
There are ten major steps aligned to each of the four levels of self-mentoring. Here is a chart listing the steps involved. At times, these steps may overlap among the four levels.
Here is a description to accompany each step in the process of self-mentoring.
Level 1: Self-Awareness
STEP 1: Talents and Challenges
Recognize and identify talents and challenges in one's environment, the people in one's environment, and YOURSELF.
STEP 2: Expectations
Identify an expectation after compiling a list of potential options. Write down the expectation, so others can understand it if they read it.
Level 2: Self-Development
STEP 3: Strategy
Once one have one's expectation, develop a measurable strategy(s). A strategy is an activity that can be used to gather data.
STEP 4: Measuring
The strategy must be measurable either quantitatively, qualitatively or through a mixture of both. One may count for frequency or observe for behaviors.
STEP 5: Timing is Everything
Establish a timeline to collect data. Include a starting and ending date. Plan each day or week as one implement the strategy. Collect data until one reach the end of one's timeline.
STEP 6: Collecting
Collect data from one's activities. It may be one watching a video and taking notes, or a comparison of one's notes with one's colleagues’ feedback of the same video.
Level 3: Self-Reflection
STEP 7: Reaching Out
Consider an internal and external networking team. Reach out to experts in the field for advice, and/or just a few trusting peers for feedback and reflection time.
STEP 8: Making Sense of Everything
Once data is collected and feedback is available, reflect on what the data is saying. What does it mean?
Level 4: Self-Monitoring
STEP 9: Reflection Time
Reflect upon what one have learned and apply it to the situation to test one's solutions. Did it work? Why or why not?
STEP 10: Keep Your Eye on the Ball
Monitor one's accomplishment. Develop a periodic status check. Consider starting a new expectation and repeating the process.
Self-Mentoring: An Individual Process
In self-mentoring, one initiate responsibility for self-development by allocating time and commitment navigating one's surroundings and organizing an environment where one lead personal and professional growth. Self-mentors identify and develop individual skills that align with internal and external resources to meet expectations using social and professional networks when needed. Leadership is a process, not an innate or taught set of skills. Lambert, a scholar in leadership development, reveals supervision to include problem solving, broad-based and skillful participation, co-worker collaboration, and on-task performance. Those who aspire leadership positions need a structured approach to reach their full leadership potential.
Assimilating employees into an organization is a critical role for leaders. Commitment from the employees as well as the supervisor is equally important. In 1999, Oakes, Quartz, Ryan, and Lipton stated, and it still holds true today, that unless there is commitment by those involved in change and growth, reigning behaviors will return. Self-mentors are devoted and passionate in sustaining their success. A sense of accomplishment is motivational enough for them to continue their endeavor and maintain personal empowerment and self-efficacy. Beckford (2012) agrees with the influence of self-mentoring to one’s position of personal power and ownership.