Mentoring – A Two Way Process
September 11, 2009 by Sally E Smith
In business, mentoring occurs when a more experienced individual gives assistance to a less experienced individual. In the past, mentoring has often been perceived as a one-way street, with the mentor giving and the mentee receiving. In today’s business environments, mentoring is viewed as a partnership, with both the mentee and mentor contributing to the process.
Working together, a mutual respect and trust develops and significant results are the by-products of a healthy and successful match. The mentor may still have a larger experience base and broader knowledge of business but the relationship grows by sharing rather than one giving and the other receiving.
You have heard the saying that running a business can be lonely. It can also be dangerous. Owners get so used to doing everything in the business and making all the decisions that they lose sight of the need to continue to grow professionally, develop new talent appropriate for the stage of their business life cycle, and get out of the box that is always being built around thoughts, patterns and behaviors.
Types of mentoring vary and can take on many forms:
One-on-one: The mentor requires the mentee to set their own goals. Regularly scheduled meetings allow for follow-up and accountability. This allows mentors to help develop the mentee and over time the mentee and mentor will become a peer relationship.
Sponsor: A business owner identifies a staff member with potential. The owner places that person in new and challenging positions to see how they will perform and grow. This works well for all parties. The business is growing their human asset resource into a more productive valuable member and the staff member has an opportunity to advance and develop more skills and knowledge.
Role Model: Role models are selected by the mentee. Role models are selected for their qualities, skills, successes, experiences, for a number of reasons but basically for attributes that can be studies over a period of time to see exactly how the mentee wants to develop and what they want to accomplish. The role model is watched all the time and must remember to behave in a positive way to influence others.
Group: This is probably the most popular method used today by business owners. In a group setting, peers share their challenges with each other and the group becomes a peer mentoring experience by sharing their experiences, knowledge and thoughts regarding the challenges presented. The topics and make-up of the group can vary and are determined by the group and/or organizer. The facilitator can be a specialist on the needs and expectations of the group.
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