McCarthy Mentoring
Newsletter: May 2007
Welcome to our new name and the first online newsletter for McCarthy Mentoring. In response to many requests we are producing this quarterly newsletter to connect our dynamic mentoring community and provide some resources and discussion.
In this edition we present some Feedback from last year's consultation with mentees and mentors. It is truly inspiring to read these comments.
Our In Conversation section provides a more personal profile on two of our most experienced mentors, Tony Williams and Barbara Cail AM. Both have been mentors with the business since its early days a decade ago and their contribution has been most valuable.
The Client’s perspective is our Feature in this edition. Nicole McKenna, Director, Partner Development with Allens Arthur Robinson (AAR) talks about why Allens introduced a mentoring program for women.
I encourage you to check Suggested Reading for some of the latest books and research on mentoring. David Clutterbuck’s books are particularly insightful.
My daughter Sophie McCarthy has joined McCarthy Mentoring and will bring a Generation X perspective to the business. She has a background in communications, project management and research and has worked in the corporate, government and not-for-profit areas. During the past three years she has worked with the State Government agency, NSW Office for Science and Medical Research.
We look forward to bringing you our new McCarthy Mentoring website in coming months.
I hope this newsletter can bring our mentoring community closer together at least online ... please send us any articles, comments, issues that you would like to see in future editions.
On 5 March Wendy was one of four panellists on ABC TV's Difference of Opinion program hosted by Jeff McMullen.
The panel and live audience discussed the social, political and economic implications of the way Australians balance life and work.
Click the image to view one of the video grabs
Australian Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission, released 7 March 2007.
This is the final paper in a project examining the relationship between family responsibilities and paid work. One of the key findings is the issue of time. People claim that they still don’t have enough time to balance paid work with family and carer responsibilities. It's About Time draws on material provided through 181 submissions from individuals and groups and 44 consultations and focus groups held around Australia throughout 2005 and 2006.
"Despite a decade or more of economic growth and prosperity, many Australians say they are not living the lives they want. They feel pressured, stressed and constrained in the choices they can make, particularly at key points in their lives." Download the report.
Tony Williams has enjoyed a career of more than 30 years in the international pharmaceutical and health care fields and is currently the Chief Executive of CEO Circle Pty Ltd in NSW and Qld.
Why did you agree to become a mentor?
Following my introduction in 1998 to the concept by Wendy McCarthy, I felt my then 30 years of executive experience might continue to be useful/helpful to younger execs.
What are the key issues your mentees seek your advice and support on?
Career development/progress; reporting relationships both up and down and working relationships laterally and through the matrix; we frequently discuss work/life (im)balance and discuss the competing priorities of job/travel and family.
Have these changed in the past decade?
Hard to say, but some meetings have been intensive and mentees have expressed gratitude for time and attention given, whilst at other times the role of mentor and sounding-board has been disdained ... read more
Barbara is Chief Executive and major shareholder of Rala Information Services Pty Ltd, a Business to Business Magazine Publishing company with an international audience.
Why did you agree to become a mentor?
I had reached an age and stage in my career where I was seeking ongoing mental stimulation after having been the creator and MD of a Business Press publishing company for the past thirty years. My son had taken over the day-to-day operations of my business and while I still mentor and coach him on a small scale, the mentoring role offered by Wendy McCarthy seemed to be a perfect fit.
I also knew that I was quite over sitting around board room tables wrestling with egos.
And so I felt my long and wide experience in business and government roles would provide a substantial frame of reference I could share with a younger generation ... read more
- Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Luce, Extreme Jobs. The Dangerous Allure of the 70-hour Workweek
- Howard Gardner, The Ethical Mind
- Sharman Esarey and Arno Haslberger, Off-Ramp – or Dead End?
What was the impetus for initiating the program in 2003 and what were its objectives?
The Mentoring Program was one of the major initiatives implemented by the firm as a result of our Women@AAR Project, which looked critically at career progression for women.
The aim of the program is to support our women to develop strong relationships with existing partners, to provide them with high level support for their career development and to facilitate and support effective goal setting and career planning by them to enhance their development and promotion within the Firm.
How do you select people for the program?
The process for selecting women to participate in the program has evolved over time. We have a number of threshold criteria that women must satisfy in terms of experience and support within the firm before they are eligible to apply. We then ask them to submit an application setting out why they would like to participate and what they hope to get from the program. The introduction of a formal application process has been a significant improvement in that it ensures all eligible women have an opportunity to be considered for inclusion in the program ... read more
At the close of 2006 we asked our mentees and mentors for some general feedback on their mentoring experience. Here are some of the responses. We hope you will enjoy sharing the experiences of others in the program.
"I have found it to be amongst the most rewarding work I have done because it requires me to integrate all the professional skills I have developed and to bring the best of myself to the service of a single other person. I have learned to be a secular godmother. "
"That we can make a significant difference in the lives of mentees and that our advice and listening is a tremendous comfort and fallback when they have doubts. It has saved employees from being too hasty to accept another offer from a competitor."
"The greatest learning experience has been first hand exposure to how this generation of young women are trying to balance their professional and family lives."
"Our business has gone through a major transformation and growth in the past two years. The list of challenges has been very long and it has been very valuable to be able to talk them through with an independent party."
"I have found the program of great value and am very grateful to be part of the program and to have been provided with such a wonderful mentor."
"An excellent program. "
"In terms of personal and professional development, this has been the best for me in my 19 year financial services career."
Mentor Workshops were held in Melbourne and Sydney during April. We will report on this next edition.
Hatches, matches, dispatches ... - please send us your news for the next edition