Mentoring

History: The original Mentor is a character in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. When Odysseus, King of Ithaca went to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted the care of his kingdom to Mentor. Mentor served as the teacher and overseer of Odysseuss’ son, Telemachus. (about.com) Ideally, mentoring is an opportunity to focus on the development and success of the protégé, the mentor, and ultimately, the organization. mentoring is a medium- and long-term helping and teaching relationship between an experienced person (mentor) who shares his knowledge, experience and insights and a less-experienced person who seeks to profit from this exchange . Mentoring is not: an obligation; a hierarchical relationship; a power relationship; a one-sided relationship; a private lesson; a rigid agenda with strict procedures
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. Both failure and success are powerful teachers Mentors, as leaders of a learning experience, certainly need to share their &quot;how to do it so it comes out right&quot; stories. They also need to share their experiences of failure, ie., &quot;how I did it wrong&quot;. Both types of stories are powerful lessons that provide valuable opportunities for analyzing individual and organizational realities. Leader need to tell their stories. Personal scenarios, anecdotes and case examples, because they offer valuable, often unforgettable insight, must be shared. Mentors who can talk about themselves and their experiences establish a rapport that makes them &quot;learning leaders.&quot; Development matures over time. Mentoring -- when it works -- taps into continuous learning that is not an event, or even a string of discrete events. Rather, it is the synthesis of ongoing event, experiences, observation, studies, and thoughtful analyses. Mentoring is a joint venture. Successful mentoring means sharing responsibility for learning. Regardless of the facilities, the subject matter, the timing, and all other variables. Successful mentoring begins with setting a contract for learning around which the mentor, the protégé, and their respective line managers are aligned.
ORIENTATION - BUILDING THE BASE During the first three to six months, both the mentor and protégé are getting to know each other, and building trust. At this time, both the protégé and the mentor are developing expectations of each other. The interaction which occurs at this stage will lay the foundation for a strong and beneficial relationship. THE MIDDLE PERIOD The middle phase is typically the most rewarding time for both mentor and protégé. The mutual trust which has developed between the two can give the protégé the confidence to challenge the ideas of the mentor, just as the protégé's ideas will be challenged by the mentor. DISSOLVING THE RELATIONSHIP Typically, the relationship begins to draw apart after a year or two. It is important, at this stage, that the mentor step back from the formal relationship to discuss together with the protégé, how they wish to continue their relationship. REDEFINING THE RELATIONSHIP The mentor-protégé relationship enters a new phase, where both parties can regard one another as equals. They continue to have some form of interaction, although it is now on a more casual basis.
Like any relationship, sometimes two people simply don’t ‘click’. While the majority of mentoring relationships are very successful, occasionally it becomes evident that a mentor-protégé pairing simply isn’t working. Both the mentor and the protégé have a responsibility to try to ensure that the mentoring pairing is functional and beneficial for all parties, however should issues arise that can not be surmounted within the pairing, a variety of options are available to help find a solution.
All successful business people do not necessarily make effective mentors; certain individuals are more effective in the role of developing others. Whether or not an individual is suited to the role of mentor may depend on his or her own stage of development and experience. For example, a fairly successful individual may have had a specific, or limited, background and may not have enough general experience to offer. Prior to entering into a mentoring relationship, the protégée should assume the responsibility of assessing the mentor's potential effectiveness. The qualities which are essential in an effective mentor include: A DESIRE TO HELP Individuals who are interested in and willing to help others. HAVE HAD POSITIVE EXPERIENCES Individuals who have had positive formal or informal experiences with a mentor tend to be good mentors themselves. GOOD REPUTATION FOR DEVELOPING OTHERS Experienced people who have a good reputation for helping others develop their skills. TIME & ENERGY People who have the time and mental energy to devote to the relationship. UP-TO-DATE KNOWLEDGE Individuals who have maintained current, up-to-date technological knowledge and/or skills. LEARNING ATTITUDE Individuals who are still willing and able to learn and who see the potential benefits of a mentoring relationship. DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVE MANAGERIAL (MENTORING) SKILLS Individuals who have demonstrated effective coaching, counseling, facilitating and networking skills.
It is important to set objectives for the mentoring relationship, but to be flexible and open minded to different approaches. Everyone learns in different ways, just as everyone teaches in different ways. An open minded approach to how the mentoring relationship will actually take shape is key; appreciate the differences and realize that it is these differences that create valuable learning opportunities. It is not necessary that a mentor and a protégé be similar in approaches or preferences. In fact, often it is when two seemingly different individuals work together that new skills and abilities are developed. Differences lead to learning and understanding, ultimately being able to see the situation from a different perspective. An effective mentor also understands that he or she will be able to learn just as much from their protégé than the protégé learns from them. An example is a younger, less experienced employee helping to teach a more senior employee about new technology or workplace trends that might otherwise not be brought to the mentor’s attention. You and your protege have entered the mentoring relationship with different experiences and different points of view. Recognize those differences while respecting your common needs and objectives. And remember, the more differences between you and your protege, the more learning that occurs for you both.

Mentoring

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