Mentoring has been an essential part of my 30-year career in the environmental\/climate movement. I have been mentored by well-seasoned campaigners, taught new skills by bright young activists not burdened with practices of the past, and forced to wrestle with hard questions and different world views by indigenous leaders and people of colour. I am grateful for all who have helped me on my journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have tried to return the favour by mentoring, formally or informally, many emerging leaders.\u00a0For the past 6 years, I have coordinated an ENGO collaborative working to secure ambitious federal climate policy. As new people joined the collaborative, I have provided mentoring whenever possible, specifically on issues such as strategic planning and federal climate policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this background, I was intrigued by Edward Clapp’s (2010) work on Omni-directional mentoring and, more specifically, lateral mentoring. This approach goes beyond the traditional hierarchical nature of mentoring and focuses on the benefits of information and skills exchanged between individuals at the same “level of practice” (p 4). Lateral mentoring leads to cognitive distribution, where effective systems and practices emerge from people working together in a way that encourages the exchange of worldviews and perspectives.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charles Dihigg, in his article in New York Times Magazine (2016), writes about research done at Google that found the depth and strength of the relationships between team members was the most significant contributor to a team’s effectiveness. These findings resonated with me because strong relationships create a safe space for Omni-directional, specifically lateral, mentoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The success of the ENGO collaborative I have been involved with has been the relationships between the individuals, which allowed for honest conversations about different approaches to government inaction. Had I known about the research done on Omni-directional mentoring, however, I think we could have been more intentional in how we used mentoring to develop the skills of each individual and improve the overall performance of the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recently left my job, and I am taking six months or more to continue working on my Master’s and ponder my next career move. One of my reasons for taking this break is that, in my effort to mentor the many amazing campaigners I worked with, I forgot to pay attention to myself – my skills development, my quest for knowledge, and self-care. Starting my Master’s at Royal Roads was the first step to addressing this situation. My leadership development plan is designed to help me hone my skills and find my voice. Through this journey, I will seek mentors to guide me – mentors with experience, mentors with new perspectives, and mentors with different worldviews who are also trying to find ways to secure climate policy and governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And one day, I will return to the workforce better equipped to lead by walking with others on this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Duhigg, C. (2016, Feb 28). Group Study. New York Times Magazine, <\/em>, 20-24,26,72,75,14. https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/magazines\/group-study\/docview\/1768846315\/se-2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n