Mentoring
There is a general acceptance that most people achieve
better levels of professional success if they have the guidance and help of a
mentor; someone with whom they can discuss their career plans, evaluate options
and achievements, and work through issues.
We define a mentor as 'a suitably experienced person, who
is willing and able to act as a confidential helper and guide to another
engineer, to stimulate professional development and make it more
effective'.
Many organisations have successfully adopted mentoring in
order to help selected employees to develop more effectively. If your employer
does not have a scheme, but you would like to benefit from working with a
mentor, your institution may be able to put you in contact with someone who can
help.
More about Mentoring at:-
Planned professional development is essential for all
practising professionals. The responsibility for development must always lie
with the individual, but the active support of a wise colleague, in the role of
a mentor, can be extremely helpful at particular times, for example in the
early stages of a career or in times of change.
A mentor can help you to assess your needs and establish
a development plan. Regular review meetings can then be arranged to consider
progress and review learning. Knowing you have a forthcoming meeting helps you
to focus on achieving targets! Your mentor will also give you the opportunity
to try out, in confidence, a range of ideas and methods of working before
having to make final decisions on the way ahead.
Many professionals wish to focus development on gaining
professional recognition. Part of achieving this is satisfying a number of
requirements laid down by your institution. Obtaining help and guidance from a
senior colleague who is knowledgeable about the requirements and the level of
achievement expected is very strongly recommended, and will prove to be a
tremendous help.
Whatever your particular needs, the role of the mentor
should be clearly defined by both parties at the start of the relationship. The
boundaries of the mentor's involvement and influence should be agreed, and you
will need to take into account the interests of everyone concerned, including
your employer (particularly if confidentiality is an issue).
You may want to define a time-span for the relationship.
Experience shows that effective mentoring partnerships usually last for a
relatively short time and you may get help from different mentors at different
times of your career.
If you are provided with a mentor through your employer
then that is fine. However, sometimes you may find someone from outside more
helpful. Your mentor does not have to be in the same profession as you, and at
times you may have more than one mentor.
The relationship between mentor and ‘mentee’
should be personal and confidential. Your mentor should challenge and support
you, but should not tell you what to do.
A good mentor will want to ensure that you gain confidence and independence as
a result of mentoring, and that you are enabled to take full and effective
responsibility for your own development over the next career stage. Long-term
dependence on one influential person is not helpful, although some mentoring
partnerships have led to lifelong friendships.
The structure and frequency of meetings can be decided
between you. However, it is good practice always to arrange a subsequent date
before the close of a meeting to make sure that a regular review of progress is
maintained. It is also helpful if the mentor can be available for consultation
earlier than planned if an unexpected need arises.
Both members of the partnership should find that they
gain personal satisfaction and experience personal growth during the progress
of a mentoring relationship. If mentors approach the undertaking with open
minds they will find they learn from the other person and recognise development
opportunities in their own careers.
Mentees have found consistently that Mentoring has:
- enhanced their training and career development
- significantly influenced their attitudes and professional outlook
- guided them round major procedural obstacles and pitfalls
- improved their results by challenging their assumptions
Benefits frequently reported by Mentors for themselves include:
- satisfaction from helping others and seeing them progress
- deeper and broader knowledge of their own and other organisations
- opportunity to practise and develop management skills
- job enrichment and the chance to build wider networks
- increased self-confidence and higher visibility within the company
The benefits acknowledged by significant numbers of organisations
include:
- faster, more effective induction
- retention of quality staff
- enhanced transfer of skills
- gains in productivity and the performance of individuals
- increased on-job learning that reduces off-job training costs
- better communication, commitment and motivation
- a cost-effective method to enhance staff development
- a stabilising factor in times of change
Find out more about Best Practice in
Mentoring. |
