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KristineS
05-20-2009, 12:38 PM
I found this article (http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development/11386-1.html) on mentoring, and I thought it was a good one. I particularly liked the part about having the mentor and the person being mentored meet and spend some time together before the official mentor relationship is established. There's nothing worse than having a mentor who has a style that doesn't agree with yours.

I think mentoring is very valuable and it's something I've tried to do for the employees that have worked for me over the years. Has anyone else ever been a mentor? Do you have any tips about how to mentor that you'd like to share?

vangogh
05-20-2009, 02:51 PM
Most places I worked didn't have any kind of formal mentoring in place, though one of the last places I worked did have an informal kind of mentoring. I found it really helpful to gain insight from someone who had been doing the job awhile.

I would definitely agree with the idea of making sure the mentor/mentee are compatible beyond the workplace. They don't need to be best friends, but ensuring they can get along socially and can teach/learn with a similar style are crucial. Without that both people would just be going through the motions.

Blacktalon
05-27-2009, 11:58 AM
Mentorships more or less are the establishment of a teacher and student, though not with as much of a strict role requirement as the one normally with that kind of arrangement. Learning happens when people are given the freedom to apply their own knowledge and make their own mistakes.

In a mentoring arrangement, the student needs to get their feet wet as possible in order to learn from their actions. If the mentor permits the student to take on some responsibilities on their own while providing support and space for growth.

It brings an interesting point with the concept of pre-mentoring.

The mentorship arrangement is only as effective as the teacher themselves. If the teacher doesn't have that special charm, or is very lax in their approach, then the quality of the arrangement leaves a lot to be desired. Or if the mentor has a very low level of patience or is unable to properly communicate, then the relationship will falter, as will the quality of the protege.

My experience with mentorship has been an excellent one. My mentor more or less allowed me to get my feet wet without hindering me at the same time. She was impressed with the way I would just jump into things, and if I had questions, I'd more or less ask or attempt to find out myself.

If I made an error, I'd take responsibility for my actions.

Again, the quality of the relationship matters most and the amount of "free reign" the protege has, the level of communication, as well as the amount of personal responsibility and accountability, then it should allow for an excellent arrangement that becomes a win-win situation for all involved.

vangogh
05-27-2009, 01:28 PM
the quality of the relationship matters most

Agreed. I think all the points you mentioned are important, but ultimately the relationship between mentor/mentee needs to work or the rest is lost. They don't need to be great friends or even get along at along at. But the relationship must be one that works well with the particular learning and teaching styles of both.

phanio
05-30-2009, 08:31 AM
I have mixed feelings about mentoring. As a small business owner - finding a mentor in your community (one who really wants to help and is not out for their owne good) can really be a blessing - not only in managing your business but in opening new doors.

However, after grad school I worked for Intel Corp. The do what is called one-on-ones. Where you would set up a 1/2 or full hour meeting with someone within the company to discuss whatever. You can do so with same level employees, managers, supervisors or even department heads (in your department or not). While on the surface this is a great idea - what happen is that they made it informally mandatory - meaning that you hd to do it all the time. I was forced to set up many of these with people I did not know or had nothing to discuss with. What a waste of time - being forced to set up these meeting - then wasting your time and the others persons while you stare at each other because you have nothing to discuss.

Good programs if they are executed properly.

Spider
05-30-2009, 11:07 AM
Much of what has already been said is very valid: some of it, not so, I feel.

Let me first comment on the article:

1. I don't think an employed manager or a business owner has a "duty" to mentor their employees. It may be in their best interest to do so, in which case they do it, with or without some formal arrangement in place.

2. I do not agree that "Most employees yearn to grow their skills with the aid of a knowledgeable, more senior member of their team." A few may. Some may wish to improve their skills without the oversight and the implied work involved. Many, though, don't wish to improve themselves, at all.

3. I think the article makes too much of the benefit to junior employees. While there is some recognition of a benefit to the older mentor, it seems to me reluctantly acknowledged. I would suggest more be made of it. I feel the mentor-mentee relationship should be based on mutual benefit and the younger employee be specifically engaged in mentoring the older employee - in such things as computer use, social networking, texting, etc. Both parties need to have stated goals/objectives and both parties can help the other achieve them.

Spider
05-30-2009, 11:08 AM
In a company setting, where many mentoring pairs are anticipated, I suggest not tryng too hard to pair people off, with 'getting to know you' periods, etc. The arrangement is not marriage for life! Partners should be allotted randomly, or alphabetically if that appeals, and each person be expected, at any time, to request a re-assignment. Some people will benefit by moving quickly from one mentor to the next and some will benefit from longer relationships. Strange alliances can be created and be very beneficial. Looking for compatibility is not necessarily going to produce the best results. Let people develop how best they can.

I don't think the boss should be part of the mentoring process unless he/she is mentoring a high-level manager. Let co-workers, of different levels, mentor each other.

I think to equate mentoring with teaching is to lose sight of the objective. If all one wants to do is teach an employee how to do their job, formal training would be better approach. Mentoring is about becoming a better person.

vangogh
05-30-2009, 12:08 PM
I agree that a company doesn't need to set up 'getting to know you periods' I do think that unless the mentor/mentee can find some common ground socially the pairing isn't going to work. I don't know if allowing people to request reassignment is the right idea though. The nature of the relationship can be intimidating to a junior employee. It depends on how soon with the company you'd have a mentor, but I can't see a brand new employee feeling like they could really request a new mentor even if company policy said they could. I think you'd more likely end up with a mentee who's not processing anything their mentor said.


Mentoring is about becoming a better person

Depends on the situation. Maybe that's true with a mentor outside of the workplace, but I don't really see that as the goal within the workplace. How do you define what makes someone a better person? That strikes me as crossing into a more personal part of life and I don't see where that's the employers business. If a mentor is supposed to make me a better person then I get to choose the mentor, an employer can't randomly assign someone to make me a better person. Only I can define what would make me a better person.

KristineS
05-31-2009, 02:04 PM
I'm not really sure that one can so neatly define what mentoring is about. It might be about becoming a better person in some cases. In other cases it might be about becoming a better employee, or a better mother or a better guitar player. It could be about any number of things.

I think it is up to the person being mentored and the person doing the mentoring to decide what that particular relationship is about and what the scope of the relationship is to be. I've had mentors who did help me become a better person, or at least a more knowledgeable one. I've had other mentors who stuck strictly to a specific subject area and that was it. In every case, both myself and the person doing the mentoring made the decision together about what we were trying to do.

In my opinion that's the only way it can work.