Question: How can I go about finding a mentor for a director who is feeling alone in their role, with no one higher up to offer support, guidance or to bounce ideas off?
Answer:
To feel more supported, connect with networks, restructure your team to build staff capacity and seek advice and resources from experienced professionals through Community Child Care Association
As a director, I often felt alone in leading my service. To change that and help myself feel more supported, I focused on three key actions:
Connecting with networks
I made it a priority to attend our council’s director meetings. These meetings helped me realise that I was not alone – I found support, shared ideas and built connections for when I needed to reach out.
If you don’t have access to an existing network, you can always reach out to your local services to start your own! I did this by organising regular coffee catchups with six directors from similar-sized services, where we could act as each other’s mentors by bouncing ideas off each other and problem-solving together.
Restructuring my team
This helped me to build the capacity of those that I wanted to work in partnership with. I supported them, offered leadership training and empowered them to step up.
Connecting with someone experienced
I looked for someone whom I could call on for advice. My service had a membership with Community Child Care Association, allowing me to pick up the phone and contact the helpdesk whenever I needed support. This led to coaching sessions with a consultant who had once been in my shoes.
Knowing there was someone on the other end of the phone who understood education, care and the complexities of leadership in this space provided me with essential support and confidence. Plus they offered confidential and impartial support and advice which a lot of other services don’t.
Now that I’m a consultant, I’ve come full circle. I understand how valuable it is when I receive calls for help and I know the importance of being available to talk through any situation as it arises.
Narelle Lawton
Consultant, Community Child Care Association
Managing a service can be challenging. Work with a Community Child Care Association consultant to navigate Quality Area 7 – ‘Governance and leadership’ and its many complexities. Our leadership and service management professional development package is tailored to each leader’s specific needs, ensuring they feel empowered to lead with confidence. Get a quote – it takes less than two minutes!
