Mentors Must Manage Time
When I was a school district human resources administrator, I had the great opportunity of mentoring assistant principals. We had a professional development program to assist with this mentoring program, which prepared assistant principals to be principals.
A topic that always occurred in the assistant principal aspiring principals program was managing time. Participants agreed that the effective use of time was critical to their current job and a future career as a school leader. However, they were unclear about finding any time during their hectic days to focus on strategic plans and essential goals.
An unexpected disruption to a planned day, like the results of a “ransacking raccoon,” can change the outcome of your day. We did not use the example of a ransacking raccoon during professional development. However, each assistant principal had examples of interruptions that were concerning. Unexpected interruptions upended the day for administrators. They lamented that interruptions scrambled into the day by telephone, email, unplanned meetings or visits, delegated deadlines, emergencies, and more. One thing was for sure: ransacking raccoons can create a lot of stress.
Speaking to friends in the private sector, not much is different from my friends in education. Interruptions are universal. People are driven away from essential activities by constant waves of interruptions.
Do the most effective people know how to limit interruptions and stay focused on planned activities? I believe that they do have better control over interruptions. They meet the interruptions, ransacking raccoons, at the door.
With so many people dealing with chronic interruptions, it might be challenging for mentors to explain to youth how to manage time. We must lead by example and practice control over interruptions. Practice proactive strategies. We need to be effective in the various parts of our lives that depend on getting things done.
If we do not demonstrate proficiency in managing our time, our mentees will not believe us. Also, we will not be able to provide examples of good practice. This should not be a surprise. People look for experts. When learning from others, we want teachers who have demonstrated that they understand what they are teaching. An additional bonus, I always appreciate learning from people who have real-world experience. We can all learn from teachers who have book knowledge. However, I still enjoy learning from teachers who have been on the frontline - they have lived the experiences giving them additional expertise.
I have a hobby of taking photographs. At one point in my life, I considered becoming a professional photographer.
To become skilled at photography, I took classes. My instructors were experts, which accelerated my exuberant enthusiasm for artistic opportunities. I was not alone in trusting the teachers. Other students were just as excited about learning from them. We saw their work and listened intently to their stories about successes and failures in the photography business. I was completely comfortable with what I was learning because I knew that my teachers were more than teachers. They were practitioners.
As we mentor youth, it is beneficial to have practical skills in what we are teaching. You may need to refocus your ability to control your time and accomplish those activities, which link to our specific goals found in the planning process. For the best results as a mentor, you need self-discipline to teach self-discipline.
It would help if you secured time for your most important activities. Interruptions and disruptions are going to happen. However, guarding against the ongoing disruptions will significantly improve your effectiveness.
The photograph in this post is an image from Glorify, Inc. We have a Glorify license agreement to use images and design tools from the Glorify site.
