Mentoring is known as an important and irreplaceable way to help people within companies rock! But, how did this happen?
Believe it or not, the root of mentoring comes from Greek mythology: Odysseus, going to the Trojan War, asked his good friend to take care of his son Telemachus, to teach him and develop him as the boy grew up.
That friend’s name was Mentor. (yup, we didn’t know this either!)
When we talk about mentoring today, we must say it is a very responsible process of sharing knowledge, skills, and life experience with other people.
Mentoring enables mentees to become rock stars in their field by helping them grow and reach their goals and full potential.
At least, this is what one of the official definitions says (okay, without the word rock). However, it is so much more than that!
Mentoring is not a learning process we all went through when we went to school. It’s a shared journey during which both mentor and mentee evolve together. This is why working with a mentor is more than a teacher-student or consultant-client relationship.
Hiring a mentor doesn’t mean that you will get a teacher whom you will only listen to like you did in school. On the contrary, one of the main goals of the mentoring process that we love is to discover the mentee’s hidden talents and abilities, as well as their interests, wishes, and fears. This makes it a very unique, helpful and eye-opening experience!
A mentor is someone who cares, invests, teaches, develops, praises constructively criticizes, opens new views of the world, all with the goal of one day no longer being necessary to his mentees. The mentor is also a role model, and his role bears great responsibility, both for WHAT he will say to his mentee and for the way he says it.
Another important task of a mentor is to help their mentees in the process of problem-solving and decision making professionally, so they can do it on their own in the future.
If we had to sum up the role of a mentor in a sentence, we would say it like this:
The role of every mentor in this relationship is to maintain a balance between the three of its procedures: SUPPORTING, CREATING CHALLENGES, AND BUILDING A VISION.
What is mentoring, and what is it not?
What mentoring is:
- Mutual process of respect and trust
- Focused on the development of
mentee - Development of professional skills
- Focused on individual work
- A partnership that is more focused on mentee development than on the task itself
- Goal-oriented individual work
- Recognition and identification of talent and skill-building through development programs
What mentoring isn’t:
- A detailed process with clearly defined instructions
- Focused on task and not on the development
- A protective attitude imbued with
protection - Friendly relationship at all costs
- Focused on the skills, knowledge, and experience of the mentor
- Counseling – although it can help find a solution
- Job search opportunity
If you feel like mentoring could be your thing, we have the best answer for your needs and wishes!
Visit the page with our mentors and find your right fit!