Mentoring
'To help and support people to manage their own learning in order to maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance, and become the person they want to be.'
Parsloe
Mentoring enables an individual to follow in the path of a more experienced colleague who can pass on knowledge and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities. The mentoring relationship is therefore not generally a line management role but usually involves someone with more experience than the mentee in the role of the mentor and can be particularly effective in times of transition (e.g. as a new staff member, during a programme of study or when taking on additional roles and responsibilities). It is also a useful career development tool.
Mentoring can be a short-term arrangement until the original reason for the partnership is fulfilled (or ceases), or it can last many years. In the case of a new staff member, it is recommended that he/she be appointed a mentor for the duration of the probationary period to enable them to settle into the organisation.
What are the benefits of mentoring?
For the mentee it can:
- Improve self-confidence
- Offer professional development
- Provide advice and information
- Encourage reflection on practice
- Provide personal support
- Improve effectiveness
- Develop self-awareness
- Give access to a ‘sounding board’ for concerns, issues and ideas
And because mentoring is a two-way process, for the mentor it can:
- Refresh own view of work
- Enhance job satisfaction
- Encourage self-reflection
- Encourage a proactive role in learning and development
- Develop professional relationships
Accessing mentoring support
For staff new to the organisation, please talk to your line manager if you haven’t been assigned a mentor for your probationary period. For other staff, you may like to identify a mentor from your existing networks. If not, please contact Max Rawlings in the first instance for further advice. In addition, if you are an experienced member of staff and would like to act in the role of a mentor, please contact Max Rawlings to offer your services.