Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring – Lean Forward, Learn, Leverage
This first comprehensive guide to helping mentors and mentees bridge gaps between and among cultures--a growing issue in today's diverse workplace--is coauthored by the founder and CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence.
As the workplace has become more diverse, mentoring has become more challenging. Mentors and mentees may come from very different backgrounds and have limited understanding of each other's cultures and outlooks. But mentoring remains the most powerful tool for creating meaningful relationships, furthering professional development, and increasing engagement and retention. Younger workers and emerging leaders in particular are demanding it.
Lisa Z. Fain and Lois J. Zachary offer a timely, evidence-based, practical guide for helping mentors develop the level of cultural competency needed to bridge differences. Firmly rooted in Zachary's well-known four-part mentoring model, the book uses three fictional scenarios featuring three pairs of diverse mentors and mentees to illustrate how key concepts can play out in real life. It offers an array of accessible tools and strategies designed to help you increase your self-awareness and prepare you to embrace and leverage differences in your mentoring relationships. But beyond tips and techniques, Fain and Zachary emphasize that authenticity is the key--the ultimate purpose of this book is to help the mentor and mentee make a genuine connection and learn from each other. That's when the magic really happens.
About Lisa Fain (Seattle, Washington Author)
Lisa Fain is the CEO of Center for Mentoring Excellence, and an expert in the intersection of cultural competency and mentoring. Her passion for diversity and inclusion work fuels her strong conviction that leveraging differences creates a better workplace and drives better business results. Lisa brings her energy, enthusiasm and engagement to any group, facilitating lively workshops and training and delivering interactive speeches with practical steps that can be implemented right away.
As Senior Director of the Diversity and Inclusion function at Outerwall, Inc., Lisa spearheaded the development, establishment and implementation of its diversity initiative. Prior to assuming that position, she worked as Outerwall’s in-house counsel, coaching leaders and partnering with Human Resources to establish fair and effective policies and practices that would sustain the organization as it grew in size, revenue and renown.
For almost a decade, Lisa practiced law in the Chicago office of a major multinational, where she counselled employers on creating inclusive policies and practices. While in that role she served a Master Trainer, training thousands of employees at a variety of companies, large and small, on how to create a better workplace.
Lisa also founded Vista Coaching, a division of Center for Mentoring Excellence, which provides group coaching for professional women looking to design and live their best lives. She is a certified mediator. She graduated with a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University and holds a JD from Northwestern University School of Law.
A move to Seattle, WA is providing Lisa a welcome opportunity to hike and explore the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters.
About Lois J. Zachary (Co-Author)
Lois Zachary is an internationally renown expert on mentoring. You've likely seen mention of Dr. Zachary's books, or read her quotes, in The New York Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Inc. magazine, T&D, Leadership Excellence, The Chronicle of Higher Education, or other business and leadership news outlets.
Her first book on mentoring, The Mentor's Guide, was published in 2000 and has since has become the primary resource for organizations interested in promoting mentoring for leadership and learning and for mentors seeking to deepen their mentoring practice. With her best-selling books Creating a Mentoring Culture (2005), The Mentee's Guide (2009), and the 2012 revision of The Mentor's Guide, Starting Strong (with Lory Fischler) (2014), five Mentoring Excellence Pocket Toolkits, and over 100 published articles, Dr. Zachary has created a comprehensive set of resources for promoting mentoring excellence for individuals and organizations.
Her newest book, Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring coauthored with Lisa Z. Fain, will launch in February 2020. In addition to her mentoring and leadership publications, Lois has published My Mother Has the Finest Eyes, is a collection of poetry and reflection.
Dr. Zachary is the founder of Leadership Development Services, LLC and its Center for Mentoring Excellence. Her innovative mentoring approaches and expertise in coaching leaders and their organizations in designing, implementing, and evaluating learner-centered mentoring programs have been used globally by a wide array of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, government organizations, educational, and other institutions − profit and nonprofit.
Dr. Zachary received her doctorate in adult and continuing education from Columbia University, Teachers College. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University and a Master of Science degree in education from Southern Illinois University.
She is a member of Charter 100, an organization that recognizes outstanding women of achievement and has held leadership positions on many community and national boards -- including the Mentor National Team of the Chicago Public Schools, and the Advisory Council of Arizona State's University School of Global Management and Leadership.