Mentoring

Mentoring is a one to one relationship in which the mentor passes on skills, knowledge and advice to the mentee through example and dialogue in an organization. Through the mentoring relationship the mentee is supported in coping with the challenges and opportunities that he or she is experiencing in their work, career and life in general.Line managers in a firm or an organization should assign a mentor to all new members of staff within the first few weeks of their joining the organization. Established staff moving into new roles may also benefit from the support and guidance of a mentor.

There are many perspectives on the definition of mentoring, especially since the relatively recent popularity of personal and professional coaching. Traditionally, mentoring might have been described as the activities conducted by a person (the mentor) for another person (the mentee) in order to help that other person to do a job more effectively and/or to progress in their career. The mentor was probably someone who had "been there, done that" before. A mentor might use a variety of approaches, e.g., coaching, training, discussion, counseling, etc. Today, there seems to be much ongoing discussion and debate about the definitions and differences regarding coaching and mentoring. Mentoring is a tool that organizations can use to nurture and grow their people. It can be an informal practice or a formal program. Proteges observe, question, and explore. Mentors demonstrate, explain and model. Among the many assumptions that form the foundation for a solid mentoring program, deliberate learning is the cornerstone. The mentor's job is to promote intentional learning, which includes capacity building through methods such as instructing, coaching, providing experiences, modeling and advising. The mentor is a learning leader who facilitates a learning process, rather than as a guru who passes down "the word" to a favored individual.