Thinking outside to support newcomers: young administrators benefit from confidential mentoring by an external protege.

It's lonely at the top.

As trite as that old aphorism is, it embodies a truth that we too often fail to recognize. New leaders in our educational systems sometimes fail to live up to their potential, despite obvious talent, ability and enthusiasm. In part, this may be because they have no one with whom to discuss troublesome issues or to turn to with problems--or at least no one in whom they're comfortable confiding.

Some school districts have mentor programs for new administrators and principals. These programs usually involve pairing the "rising star" with a peer--an experienced, knowledgeable colleague certainly yet nevertheless a co-worker who may not be trusted as a true confidant.

Still other districts expect supervisors to act as mentors. These experienced individuals can provide helpful guidance and support, but people who are new in leadership positions often aren't willing to confide problems or issues to their peers or supervisors for fear they will be perceived as weak or incompetent. They may pretend everything is fine even while some serious issue, either professional or personal, is undermining their capability for growing into their new responsibilities.

Protege Mentoring

When I retired in 2003 as superintendent of Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, Ill., we had established a four-year track record with an innovative Protege Mentoring Program that bypassed such problems. This program enhanced the leadership abilities in high potential employees by giving them an extremely valuable resource--confidential access to an external mentor 24 hours a day on a completely confidential basis.

The Protege Mentoring Program takes mentoring completely out of the realm of peer or supervisor relationships. What's more, it adds another critical dimension by acknowledging that mentoring an individual to professional success requires supporting the whole person, not just enhancing his or her job skills. It's a rare type of built-in support system, and it works.

Protege group members can include principals new to a district or those who have been promoted from within, associate and assistant principals, building assistants and even key administrators.

Just being new in one of these jobs doesn't automatically mean an individual is identified as a protege. Each school leader should be considered for the program by the superintendent in consultation with the school district's senior leaders.

Each protege meets one-on-one with the mentor at four- to six-week intervals for at least two years. In these sessions, the mentor uses reflective thinking and visioning strategies to initiate discussion and help the individuals reflect on their personal growth, their goals and objectives--and any roadblocks that may be inhibiting their progress.

Often the focus is on creative problem-solving. The mentor may suggest alternatives or brainstorm ideas with the proteges. "He is good at setting the table for you, laying out the options," one assistant principal said of our mentor. "Talking things out with him tends to lead you to what you knew all along was the right choice. He's helped me look at how I come to my decisions, to see the meaning behind them and to know whether I went about it in a positive way."

Another new principal agreed. She was identified as a protege as an assistant principal and spent two years working with our mentor. She said: "If I wanted feedback on an idea I had, he'd offer me several alternatives, ask me questions and lead me to the right answer. We'd usually come up with an answer I knew, but his support affirmed my decision."

Respectful Relations

An essential aspect of the program is its guaranteed confidentiality. It's part of the ground rules: No information is ever disclosed, even to the superintendent, without the permission of the protege. The only exception would be if the mentor became aware of a safety risk to students, staff or the protege. In this situation, District 15 stipulated that that information should be shared only with an Employee Assistance Program counselor.

Research shows that mentor-protege relationships can succeed and be productive only when the proteges respect the mentor. District 15 was fortunate to work with Jerome Shapiro, who brought to his assignment a high degree of credibility.

Shapiro was an experienced administrator in the public and private sectors before moving into the field of employee assistance, where he worked for several top corporations. I became aware of his work assisting schools and school districts on leadership and quality issues and asked him to work with District 15's proteges.

Shapiro describes himself as an advocate for the individuals with whom he works. "I strive to earn their trust and confidence," he said. "I deal with each person separately because they all have different personalities and different needs. Each one is at a different point in his or her life and career."

One of the program's graduates noted: "The first couple of times I met with the mentor, I felt him out, and I was aware he was trying to see where I was. He gained my respect and trust, and I felt comfortable with him ... I really feel he helped me prepare to take over a building as a principal."

Ongoing Support

Proteges especially appreciate the self-reflective component of the discussion sessions. "Knowing that was assigned to stop whatever else I was doing to spend some time just talking and reflecting on my own performance was the most valuable thing for me," says a principal after spending a year in the mentor-protege relationship. Another says he also has appreciated the opportunity to pause in his day-to-day routine to really think deeply about what he was doing. "Sometimes you're so busy you don't have time to be reflective," he points out.

In addition to regularly scheduled face-to-face sessions, proteges can contact the mentor at any time by phone or e-mail. The mentor also contacts individual members of the group, often sending them copies of articles from professional journals and other publications that he thinks pertain to their situation or that may engender some valuable reflection or introspection. It's a positive habit that some proteges have adopted as part of their leadership practice.

For example, teachers at one principal's school often get copies of articles she believes may have some relevance to their personal or professional lives.

"I only contacted him once or twice outside our regular sessions, but it was nice to know he was there if I needed him," says one principal. "It's very helpful to talk to someone with a caring way about him. It's just good to know you have that support."

Softening Bad News

Terminating an employee is one of the most difficult things superintendents must do, but sometimes it's necessary for the good of the district and the individual. It's especially difficult when the employee is one of your district's designated leaders--a principal or assistant principal.

In one instance, we asked our mentor to be part of the difficult separation process. Having an experienced, compassionate outside resource accessible to all parties at this critical time was extremely valuable.

We asked our mentor to be on hand during the termination conference and available to the individual separately as well. Our mentor's presence and counseling helped assure the individual that this was not the end of a career but rather an opportunity to start over, having learned from mistakes made. He also helped ensure that any anger the individual was experiencing could be redirected in positive and healthy ways.

It was in no way a pleasant experience for any of us, but involving our mentor helped us to feel as though we had handled this necessary action in the best way possible for all concerned.

Positive Outcomes

The program we developed reinforces the importance of supporting school leaders' professional growth and addressing their personal concerns as well. People bring to the workplace problems with their families or other personal issues. They bring their own brand of morality, and they bring their personal spirituality and religion. These all have potential impact on their decision making and their ability to perform effectively.

I also realize that not everyone needs the same degree of mentoring--and not everyone is well-suited to benefit from it. But administrators who have been proteges of the program have demonstrated more success in anticipating problems and taking positive, pro-active actions without becoming defensive or reactive.

By providing personal support to new leaders, the Protege Mentoring Program reduced the attrition of these valuable--and valued--employees, thus saving the district money. It significantly improved morale and reduced stress among participants. And it reinforced the concept that the school system culture is one of caring, which strengthens new administrators' commitment to the organization.

For the overwhelming majority of participating proteges, this program helped improve the likelihood of their success, and they believe in it. Feedback from those in the program was extremely positive. They say things like:

* "It's been a great journey. I can't imagine what the last three years would have been like without his help."

* "It was a privilege to meet with [the mentor]. He was there for me when I made the transition from assistant principal to principal in mid-year. I needed that."

* "The mentor brought a wealth of knowledge to our conversations. His background is so eclectic--he gave me a different perspective that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise."

RELATED ARTICLE: Mentoring vs. coaching.

A mentor is defined in Merriam Webster's dictionary as "a trusted counselor or guide."

Roget's Thesaurus offers these synonyms, among others: teacher, guide, counselor, guru, advisor, sponsor, tutor.

The verb "mentor" comes from Homer's classic. The Odyssey. Mentor was a friend of Odysseus whom he trusted with the education of his own son. Telemachus. Mentor was a trusted guardian and guide to the young prince during his father's 20-year absence in Troy.

Some sources offer "coach" as a synonym, but at District 15, we differentiate between coaching and mentoring, To us, mentoring defines a long-term relationship between protege and mentor that includes ongoing, continuous feedback. Coaching, we feel, entails short-term, issue-specific advice or guidance. The mentor approach is for the long haul, and the problems addressed are broader and not as hands-on.

John G. Conyers

John Conyers is an organizational consultant and co-author of Charting Your Course: Lessons Learned During the Journey Toward Performance Excellence. He retired in 2003 as superintendent of Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, Ill., which received the 2003 National Malcolm Baldrige Award for Excellence. He can be reached at 1935 S. Plum Grove Road #221 Palatine, IL 60067. E-mail: [e-mail]