Lessons Learned In Our HR Mentoring Journey (3)

Pre-requisite reads:

• Part 1: T Mentoring Model and Vertical Relationships
• Part 2: Reverse Vertical Relationships: When Mentors Learn from Mentees

 
 

Horizontal relationships of the T Mentoring Model is the 3rd component. Learning exchanges happen when members of a homogenous group share knowledge and best practices.

 

 
Thank you again for following this mini-series. This is part 3 of 3, though I’m tempted to write two more articles, I think I will seat it out and wait one more year to write my learnings.
 
Today, however, we will discuss horizontal relationships.
 
Horizontal relationships in mentoring involves multiple learning exchanges in a homogenous group whose members were of the same experience, competence, rank or level. An example in our community are our mentee-mentee and mentor-mentor relationships.
 
 

Horizontal Relationships: Mentor – Mentor

 
Mentors in our community maintain a learning GC (group chat) where we also seek professional advise and help from each other.
 

 
The mentors’ group is continually growing. As we gear towards offering 2.0 and 3.0 next year, we are on the look for new mentors who are aligned in our values- volunteerism and service first, compensation comes second.
 
 

Horizontal Relationships: Mentee – Mentee

 
Our alumni are very much into helping each other. It starts within the confines of the formal program, and as we group them into manageable sizes, the exchanges evolved from formal to relational learning, and from classroom to online mentoring. Here are some stories to help you understand what takes place in our community.
 
 

Horizontal Relationships in a Batch: 2nd Family in Batch 2/cHaR

 

by Rhea Esperas and batch 2.

 
Being with team cHaR feels like we found our second family.
 
Though we don’t know each other that much at the beginning, the learning relationship grew into a nurturing one. Even after completing the mentoring program, we maintained the communication despite distance. Our purpose evolved from just connecting, to feel each other’s presence and support  each other’s dream within and outside our HR life.
 
When we face a difficult situation at work, before asking our mentors, we consult each other. In this case, we are able to share best practices among ourselves, and only escalate major issues to our mentors.
 
Our support for each other extends from providing learning, at times, we extend financial help to a member in need.
 
We thanked God for the #HRMentoring community, the advocacy became our own, and we experienced how to be both on the giving and receiving end of #payitforward.
 
 

A personal note

 

by Yeye Nicolas

 
I was hungry for knowledge.
 
As an Implementor of a young and newly developed HR System, there was a blank space in my career that I never knew how to look for. I was hired by my company to help the product improved and yet, I am clueless.
 
I kept on searching and enrolled myself to different HR trainings, workshops and seminars. But since I have a limited budget and don’t want to bother my company, I have prioritized free over paid HR events. And that’s the time I stumbled upon registration link of HR Mentoring and was blessed enough to be chosen.
 
The blank space I had been filled with a lot of wisdom and knowledge which my Batch 2 classmates and mentors helped me build up. They push me to be the best version of myself! I would be forever grateful to my HR Mentoring family, to Sir Sonnie and other mentors who never hesitated and continue spending so much time to guide us. Even up to this time, I am happy to share all the learning I had to those who are in need. I really look forward to continuous growth of this organization!
 
 

Horizontal Relationships in a Core Group: Diversifying Change

 

by Peach Tanael

 
A small diverse group of creative thinkers, game changers, avant-garde, and radicals and catalysts of change working together as one towards an ultimate goal – for the betterment of our practice. That is what Batch 4 Core Group is all about.
 
We all belong to different industries, guiding people from all walks of life. Although this is true, we all have one goal: to better ourselves, to better our practice and to help make the company we work for become a better place.
 
When we started with our journey with the HR Mentoring program, we had no idea who we were with. We were divided into four groups, producing four group representatives, there emerged, the group’s core leaders — us. We didn’t know who each other was, we don’t really interact with one another during sessions. We only meet or see each other face to face when we are called in a meeting. We were, I can say, strangers with a common goal. Graduation came and the relationship stayed similarly the same, if not all, for some of us.
 
Now how did we end up where we are today?
 
We communicated through group chats on Facebook especially when we were tasked to do a project. There we realized, that we seemed to be aligned with one another. We started exchanging our thoughts, ideas, suggestions, opinions and feedback. We talked or rather chatted among ourselves what is being discussed in our organization. We expressed within ourselves or group what we thought or what was on our mind. We seem to be analysing the situation looking at it from different perspectives and angles. Some of us sometimes plays the devil’s advocate card to gain more inputs or insights. But at the end of the day, we remained as one, without having ill wills or whatnots.
 
After a month and a half, we finally had our very first meeting. We talked about our job, how we were after our mentoring journey, what we have observed and how we can make things better. We all believed in the cause, thus, our minds met to make things better. We established on that day that we will be doing these meetings on a monthly basis, doing round robins as to who would be the one paying for our hearty meals. We all seemed to click, we felt comfortable with each other, and we seemed to be – for me, unstoppable. And that my friend, was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with these girls.
 
From then on, we often greet each other good morning in our group chat. We wished each other well when some of us will be on a business trip. We all pitch in for ideas for a particular project if need be, and we all exchange small talks. Sometimes, we end up chatting with one another until the wee hours in the morning. Believe me, it was a crazy kind of conversation. We also support one another if one is having a bad day at work or with their boss and celebrate happy moments with them.
 
So, what was our personal and professional gain from all of these?
 
Well for one, we gained a new friend who can understand what we are going through on a daily basis. Not everyone can understand what an HR practitioner is going through unless you’re one. Next, amidst the distance when we are at the comforts of our own homes, we know that we are there for one another if we need someone to talk to. Our lines are always open. In addition, when we need assistance, we know we can turn to someone for whatever reason or purpose it maybe. Oh, should I not forget, we help people get work by referring them to one another especially if one has hiring needs. We refer talents that we believe would be an asset, isn’t it hitting two birds with one stone?
 
Among these, we became more confident in our respective line of work. It helped us become better people and passing it on to the people we helped. There were times that we felt that we were inefficient, ineffective and at times, incompetent. However, with the confidence that we gained, we were able to muster our courage and be brave with every decision, undertaking, and task that we face on a daily basis.
 
My personal take is that, I hope they would all agree, we gained new friends that we look forward to seeing each other month after month. We gained colleagues that we can depend on in more ways than one. Most especially, I found a family within a small group wherein they can understand my tantrums and my craziness, fully accepting who I am, warts and all.
 
 

Horizontal Relationships: Cross Batch Mentoring

 

by: Robie Cruz

 
Because of the diverse background and exposure of our alumni, and through the help of social media, it has paved the way of giving opportunity to help one another in dealing with HR related issues one encounters.
 
Up to this day, what was once a GC created for announcement purposes while they were still a mentee now serves as a medium to exchange, compare, and validate ideas and practices. It’s a continuous learning even after graduating from the program.
 
An alumna from previous batch needed an urgent response in terminating an employee. Because it was the first time to handle it solely, she seeked help from her batchmates and to other alumni from another batch. Much to her surprise, a more experienced alumna extended help and called to thoroughly explain what to do even during the late hours of the night.
 
It was never imposed to them to be a one-call-away to one another but because of the culture and advocacy, it just came naturally.
 
 

When Horizontal Relationships Are Not Value Adding

 
Not all horizontal relationships are value adding.  When trust level is low in a homogenous group, instead of helping out, a team member can hoard his/her knowledge to keep a competitive advantage.
 
As one who co-conceptualized the #HRMentoring program, though our community is not perfect and we still have plenty of areas that needs attention and  improvement, I am pleased to have alumni who co-owned the advocacy and embraced our values. Their organic responses to be value adding to another HR practitioner is just heartwarming.
 
The alumni who are actively engaged both in horizontal and reverse vertical mentoring are the future of this community.