Mentor Stats: The Path to Real-Time Growth and Communication
“Four score and seven years ago.”
“Fobs a plenty means Sven backs a load.”
What do these two phrases have in common? Absolutely nothing. Welcome to the wonderful world of “whisper down the lane.” They represent how we typically think about performance reviews. We start with grand organization ideas - usually gleaned from serious-minded workshops and studiously captured in a fancy binder. Each department Director speaks in impassioned tones about how her department will contribute. Managers get excited about how they will contribute. And then… nothing. We can think all we want. But they fall by the wayside without a way to actionize all of these lofty ideas.
Okay, so what about personal self-interest? Surely, every employee wants the brownie points that come from delivering on company goals, right? Remember that “whisper down the lane” example I gave? Now imagine it piped through speakers at the bottom of a pool. It’s hard for managers to get day-to-day insights into how their Direct Reports (DRs) actually work, and it’s hard for DRs to communicate all their outstanding accomplishments (large or small) to their managers.
Like the proverbial tree falling in the woods, if a DR does something awesome and no one hears it, did they actually do something awesome?
In the world of management, aligning the overarching goals of a company and the needs of an individual can be complicated, similar to navigating a complex maze. But if we can figure this out how to get from Point A to Point B we can begin to unleash the power of your entire organization.
The Challenge of Aligning Goals
Picture this: At the top, you have your company's overarching goals, the guiding stars that set your organization's direction. These goals filter down to each team manager, where they are interpreted and transformed into team-specific objectives. But it doesn't stop there. The real challenge lies in translating these objectives into individual goals, aligning them with what each team member needs to accomplish. And, of course, this information has to make its way back up the chain to leadership. It's a complex web of alignment that often goes unnoticed, and that's kind of my point: often, we don't realize that it's a web of interconnecting goals, tasks, and aspirations. And if we don't realize it, it falls through the cracks.
Feedback: A Vital Element of Growth
Traditional feedback methods, such as quarterly or yearly reviews, have shortcomings. They often fail to address the day-to-day aspects of an individual's work. It's in these everyday activities where most of us need feedback the most. Yet, providing ongoing feedback beyond addressing significant achievements or blunders is challenging.
This is where Mentor Stats© come into play (note: my agency uses a catchier name, but I didn't come up with that and wouldn't want to take credit). Mentor Stats are designed to bridge the gap between company goals and individual progress while providing a clear path to career improvement and fostering open communication between managers and direct reports.
The Anatomy of Mentor Stats
Before I go into how Mentor Stats work, an important note: they are NOT “grades”. By themselves, they are not meant to be punitive. Think of these more like logs than "grades". If you want to gain strength, you start by using an exercise log: you decide what muscle you want to work and what exercises would help. You log what your starting weight pounds are and how many reps. The goal is that over time, you see improvement. That’s what the Mentor Stat's numbers are meant to be. And they do this by scratching a few important itches:
1. Charting Progress on Company Goals
Internal projects can be tricky. They often fall into one of two extremes: either so flexible that they're overshadowed by more immediate, billable needs or so rigid that they lead to navel-gazing. Mentor Stats strike a balance by breaking down company goals into manageable components. First, directors determine how their teams can contribute to these goals. Then, individuals within those teams take on specific tasks to propel those goals forward. This approach ensures that every component remains top-of-mind, ready to be tackled when the time is right.
Mentor Stats utilize a "bucket" system based on what is important to your agency. You determine these, but generally, they are aspects of your culture, mission, and yearly/quarterly goals. Later in this article, I will share what ours are.
2. Providing a Clear Path to Career Improvement
One of the key benefits of the bucket system used in Mentor Stats is its transparency. By aligning with what's important to your company, you eliminate ambiguity. Team members can clearly see the company's values and align them with their strengths or areas that need improvement. Best of all, this feedback isn't confined to quarterly or annual reviews; it's a continuous process.
3. Fostering Open Communication
Mentor Stats are based on what's essential to your company, but which buckets to focus on depends on communication between a direct report and their manager. It's not necessary to show improvement in all buckets at once. These buckets serve as starting points for dialogue. You and your direct report discuss what's important to the company, what aligns with their strengths, and what they need to work on to reach their career goals. This feedback should be a two-way street. Direct reports can dispute it and provide their perspective. In fact, encourage them to do so! The goal isn't to show that you are a managerial smarty-pants. The goal is to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding expectations.
4. Encouraging Bragging
Communication isn't just about providing feedback but also recognizing achievements. Encourage your direct reports to share their wins with you. In a remote or hybrid work environment, you can't be everywhere at once. If a direct report accomplishes something fantastic, give them the space (and encouragement) to brag about it! Otherwise, they’re like the tree falling in the woods with no one around to hear it.
Putting M&Ms into Practice
How can you get started implementing M&Ms within your organization?
Define Your Buckets: Start by deciding what buckets are essential for your organization. These buckets should align with your company's values, culture, mission, and goals.
Our buckets are QC, Innovation, Project Maintenance, Client Services, and Information Sharing.
Create a Tracker: Develop a tracking system, whether a spreadsheet or specialized software. Ensure it's secure and includes a comments section. Also, being able to see progress over time is important. You want to, at a glance, be able to see month-to-month progress. It helps detect patterns more quickly.
Roll It Out: Introduce the system to your team, but don't drop it through an email or Slack. Clarify that this isn't about grades or punishment but communication and growth. Address any apprehensions and emphasize the importance of feedback and dialogue.
Mentor Stats offer a dynamic and effective way to align individual progress with company goals. They provide a clear path to career improvement, foster open communication, and encourage continuous feedback. The most important aspect of managing is to "be seen seeing.” Once you drop the ball, it’s game over. In the day-to-day, company goals (once seen as “lofty goals” now spoken of disparagingly as "internal projects”) get pushed aside. But by implementing Mentor Stats, you can bridge the gap between individual and company goals, ensuring everyone is on the same path to success. So, why wait for quarterly or yearly reviews? Start using Mentor Stats today to facilitate real-time growth and communication in your organization.