If you were a fan of the Great British Bake Off, you maybe also saw how the winner Nadiya Hussain, shed yet more tears on live TV during an emotional reunion with the woman who inspired her to bake.
The 30-year-old from Leeds was visibly shocked when she was reunited with her home economics teacher, Jean Marshall, during an interview on ITV’s This Morning.
Before the surprise appearance, Nadiya told how her passion was ignited by her inspirational teacher – although Mrs Marshall later admitted she couldn’t recall baking as part of her lessons!
Mrs Marshall inspired and motivated Nadiya to reach her potential – the qualities of a really great mentor. Bottom line, mentoring is a relationship in which one person (the mentor) supports another (the learner or mentee) with regular guidance, feedback and confidential discussion, to help them become more self-aware, knowledgeable and develop their potential and capability.
Bottom line, a mentoring relationship can be a formal arrangement between two people who respect and trust easy other. The mentor can be any person with appropriate ability and knowledge, much like a Mrs Marshall!
So if you are looking for a great mentor or motivator to help your professional development, let’s take a look at 5 Top Tips that can make your mentoring experience a success:-
1.Mentor outside own department
The chosen mentor is not part of the mentees reporting line or department….
Why?
The mentor offers the opportunity to step back and get a wider perspective on a situation. It is therefore invaluable for mentees to talk with somebody who:-
– Can help provide an objective and ‘helicopter’ view of a situation
– Does not have a personal investment in the mentee choosing a particular solution to a challenge.
For these reasons, it is beneficial if the mentor is far removed from the mentees own reporting line.
2.Mentee is confidential
The topics covered in mentoring sessions remain totally confidential.
Why?
The whole point of mentoring is to create a safe environment in which mentees are willing to candidly discuss and explore creative solutions to their challenges.
They must therefore feel able to openly share ideas and concerns in the knowledge that these will not be reported back. Once confidentiality is broken, the mentoring relationship breaks down.
3. Mentees are trained
The mentees are also trained…
Why?
Interested mentees should be invited to attend a half-day ‘mentoring preview’ workshop.
The mentee is then equipped to know:-
– What mentoring is, how the process works and “is this right for me?”
– What are the challenges that I would like to work on with my mentor?
– Who would make a credible mentor for me? Why?
– How can I get the most from my mentor?
4. Mentee and Line Manager
The mentee and line manager functions are kept separate…
Why?
Mentors need to create a safe sanctuary in which mentees feel able to talk openly and honestly about the challenges they face.
Whilst the line manager may benefit from the fruits of the mentee attending sessions, there should be NO formal report back to the line manager form the mentor.
Certain line managers (usually the autocratic-style ones!) can feel a little uncomfortable about this situation and therefore need to also fully understand and support the mentoring process.
One of the rewards for the line manager may be, however, that the mentee rapidly becomes more self-managing, builds their confidence, and is more able to find solutions to their challenges.
5. Mentor roles
The mentor has the skills for fulfil their 3 roles…
Why?
Being a good manager does not necessarily make a good mentor. Whilst many of the skills are the same, mentoring demands a far more facilitative style than many managers are used to applying in their ‘day job’.’
In particular, mentors need to fulfil 3 key functions:-
SUPPORT
The mentor needs to give the right level of encouragement and recognition to the mentee. The mentor must:-
Listen actively and question to help clarification of key issues.
Identify and build on mentee strengths.
Disclose facts, feelings and opinions to help build rapport and trust.
Encourage the mentee to identify their own challenges.
Offer help in determining different options and approaches.
CHALLENGE
The mentor needs to ask challenging questions and help the mentee to stretch themselves. This helps the mentee to take their development experience forward and embraces the ‘Critical Friend’ role.
The mentor must:-
Question the level of risk the mentee is taking – to little or too much?
Highlight possible avoidance of negative mentee behaviour or thinking.
Provide honest and constructive feedback.
GUIDANCE
Finally, the mentor needs to offer guidance, drawing on the broader experience they have to offer. This role combines the ‘Career Advisor’ and ‘Networker’ roles.
The mentor must:-
Offer examples, drawn from their own knowledge and experience.
Give guidance on possible options.
Offer access to their network where possible to extend understanding of new areas.
Are YOU a mentee? Want to learn how to make the most of working with your mentor?
Click here to book to register to join our Mentee Skills Virtual Training Course on Thursday, October 29, 2015 – 18:00:00 PM BST – 19:30:00 PM BST
Or for more Top Tips on mentoring or a variety of other workplace issues, visit the Creativedge ‘Top 10 Tips’ mobile App available for iPhone and Android smartphones:-
Appstore – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/top-10-tips/id796349890?mt=8
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elixsoft.creativedge.top10
