Think of the classic mentor/protege relationship. Your mind may conjure up images of the benevolent, caring tutor and the eager, receptive student in a perfect give and take. A friendly, healthy exchange of ideas and wisdom. Sounds idyllic…

But the truth is, this scenario might not be ideal for your professional development. Having a mentor is a privilege that most people, unfortunately, don’t get to enjoy. But given the opportunity, is the best choice a mentor who validates your current assumptions and reinforces the way you already work?

We all know that things that “just feel right” or make us comfortable are often the worst things for us. So don’t settle. Move between mentors if needed. If you’re not challenged, it’s time to move on.

This isn’t to suggest that you should only pursue a mentor who doesn’t feel right or makes you feel uncomfortable. But take a moment and look outside of your comfort zone. Identify someone who can provide cold, hard advice, or steer you toward a path you might not have taken otherwise. You want to sharpen and diversify your skill set.

Consider seeking out someone at work who challenges your sensibilities, upends your idea of how things are supposed to be done—maybe even someone who flat-out frightens you.

Look for a mentor who’ll make you step up your game, who sets you back on your heels—someone who exhibits behaviors that you find professionally admirable, but difficult to imagine in yourself: shrewdness, unflappability, assertiveness. Does anyone in particular come to mind? Float the idea by them and see how they respond. People who scare others away often make the best mentors.

The question for many is “Who do I choose?” or “Where do I turn?” For those who work in mid- to large-sized companies, there are most likely opportunities within for mentoring partnerships. For telecommuters or people who work remotely, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding a mentor who’s willing to pair up remotely. It’s more common practice than you’d think.

In fact, many large international companies, such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, have distance mentoring programs built into their learning and development systems. With hundreds of thousands of employees dispersed across the globe, sharing knowledge resources and leveraging in-house expertise across the company network makes perfect sense. It improves company culture and increases retention and engagement.

For the self-employed or small business owner with few connections, you’ll find no shortage of resources online. The reason mentorships are so desirable is that they aren’t just a winning proposition for the mentee. It’s a two-way street; the mentor has everything to gain as well. Teaching can be incredibly rewarding and there is as much to be gained by the mentor.

The ideal mentor/mentee relationship is one that balances harmony with tension, forces us to be creative, and helps us grow to become something greater than what we’d be otherwise.

Think of the classic mentor/protege relationship. Your mind may conjure up images of the benevolent, caring tutor and the eager, receptive student in a perfect give and take. A friendly, healthy exchange of ideas and wisdom. Sounds idyllic…

But if you’re looking for a mentor who can provide cold, hard advice and sharpen and diversify your skillset, you might be best served by going outside your comfort zone.
Consider seeking out someone at work who challenges your sensibilities, upends your idea of how things are supposed to be done—maybe even someone who flat-out frightens you.

Look for someone who’ll make you step up your game, who sets you back on your heels—someone who exhibits behaviors that you find professionally admirable, but difficult to imagine in yourself: Shrewdness, unflappability, assertiveness. Does anyone in particular come to mind? Float the idea by them and see how they respond. People who scare others away often make the best mentors.

“People are more motivated than ever before, which has unquestionably led to improved delivery of the missions’ mandate.”

Staffing Field Missions Around the World
The United Nations Department of Field Support (UNDFS) manages personnel, finance, logistics, information and communication technology for United Nations’ field-based peace operations around the world.

There are currently 464 DFS staff at UN Headquarters in support of 33 field operations involving over 100,000 military, police and civilian personnel. Among other things, the UNDFS is charged with providing human resources training and certification for 600 United Nations HR personnel, particularly in developing and strengthening HR practitioners’ core capabilities so that performance is consistent with UN objectives.

Solving a Global HR Training Challenge
However, the UN had discovered core-skills competency gaps in a large contingent of global HR practitioners. There were also specific deficiencies in leadership and strategic management skills among higher-level supervisors and managers. Because HR practitioners and supervisors face all manner of social, political and physical challenges in the field, establishing UN-standardized practices and protocols for human resources is particularly vital. Ensuring a global standard, however, was proving difficult within the UN framework for HR training.

Read the full case study here.

eCornell is excited to announce a realignment of our Human Resources Certificate Programs. Working HR professionals can earn an advanced credential from Cornell University’s prestigious School of Industrial & Labor Relations—100% online.

Depending upon your career goals and experience, eCornell now offers three distinct certificate programs:

Executive Certificate in HR Leadership for the executive or aspiring executive (SVPs, VPs & directors)
Master Certificate in Human Resources for the operational leader (specialists & generalists)
Advanced Certificate in Strategic HR Management for the strategic leader or aspiring leader (directors, managers & supervisors)

• Earn an Ivy League credential that sets you apart from your peers with the advanced HR skills needed to drive organizational strategy and change.
• Get up-to-date, in-depth instruction in several focused areas of study, depending on your expertise and career goals.
• Earn PHR/SPHR certification or choose an elective track for focused study.
• Enjoy the flexibility & convenience of 100% interactive online learning.
• Take advantage of multiple payment and tuition reimbursement plans.

Raymond McGuire, head of Global Banking at Citi, recently offered sage career advice to students at Cornell’s Johnson School of Business. Several juicy takeaways:

• “Make sure the standards you have for yourself are higher than anyone else’s standards for you.”
• “You must invest in technical skills—they must be unassailable. If you don’t, and you get assignments wrong early in your career, you’ll pay a great penalty. In fact, you may never get out of the penalty box.”
• “Make sure your skill set can withstand the harshest critic.”
• “Don’t think because you have a certain fluidity in your field that you are always prepared. Your weaknesses will be exposed. You have to have the strength in your constitution to withstand that.”
• “In order to develop mentors, you have to perform, number one. Two: you need people who recognize that. You have to go to them with your successes. Their commitment will come when you show how committed you are through your performance.”
• “Make the most of opportunities to form solid relationships with your peers”

Expand and fine-tune your strengths, eliminate weaknesses and network.

Human resources as a profession is currently enjoying a bit of a renaissance. Traditional roles and job functions of HR managers and directors are being upended, as HR people are now increasingly playing leadership and strategic roles within their companies. Gone are the days where interpreting dry employment laws, covering benefits and managing workplace conflict was nearly all that was expected.

The modern HR director plays a clear leadership role, influences company strategy, and effectively structures the organization for optimal performance. With an expanded role, of course, comes greater responsibility, more recognition and higher salaries and benefits.

Jobs, Jobs and More Jobs
Human Resources professionals are enjoying a period of job growth within their industry. That’s partially due to the expanded role that HR is playing in the workplace. Job listings are increasing, and HR job availability is projected to grow at an impressive rate over the next several years, despite discouraging economic trends. And salaries continue to rise steadily.

It’s an ideal time to get your human resources certificate or human resources certification, or both. You’ll certainly be more marketable, and you can set yourself apart as a candidate who is serious about their career and dedicated to their profession. Those fancy letters after your name are as attractive to hiring managers as they are to you!

This infographic points to a few notable trends in HR. Industry numbers are unquestionably encouraging. The HR job market is healthy, but as competitive as ever. For HR professionals, it’s an ideal time to get an HR certificate or HR certification, or both. The name of the game is personal marketability, and naturally, education and credentials.

It looks like it’s going to be another great year for HR in 2012.

eCornell invites you to participate in a complimentary webinar presented in partnership with Training Industry:

Learning Technologies: Transforming Your Workforce
presented Connie Malamed, publisher of “The E-Learning Coach” blog
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
1:00pm Eastern/10:00am Pacific
Register www.ecornell.com/jan17

Can’t make it? You can still register and receive a post-event email with instructions on how to access the session recording and presentation slides. Or download the whitepaper Best Practices in Employee
Development.

In this 1-hour webinar, Connie Malamed, publisher of the popular blogazine “The E-Learning Coach,” will highlight current and upcoming technology trends in workplace learning , such as personal learning environments, social media learning and augmented reality. She will spotlight trends that have the potential to provide more meaningful and relevant learning experiences to your workforce. This webinar will help your organization–from executives and managers to IT departments and training professionals–prepare for future generations of independent and active learners.

In this interactive web session we’ll show you how:

• Organizations are using new technologies.
• The role of training departments is changing.
• Changes in culture and technology are transforming workplace learning.
• Employees can benefit from new learning technologies.
• Emerging learning technologies fit into your organization’s business strategy.

We hope you can join us for this educational event.

The Team @ eCornell

ELearning Magazine turns to eCornell, 3-time “Best of ELearning” award winner, for advice on avoiding pitfalls and roadblocks to effective professional development and training. Check out these 5 potential trips and traps to avoid.

What motivates people to perform well on the job? High salary? Choice benefits? Workplace pressure? Think again.

In a New York Times Op-Ed, a recent study observed worker engagement and personal job satisfaction as they relate to overall company performance. The reported findings were revealing, but not terribly surprising: More so than salary or benefits, the study found that engagement and participation in meaningful work are the principal motivators for good job performance.

Read more →