Chapter 1: Who Me? A Mentor?

When we think about how people learn, the first thing that usually comes to mind is our classroom experience from school days. We tend to forget that the most important learning experiences may not be in the classroom but in the workplace.

There's a lot we can learn on the job that we can't always learn in the classroom. We learn to perform our jobs in the manner preferred by the company we work for. We learn new work techniques that are specific to certain pieces of equipment used by the company.  We sometimes learn whole new sets of skills that allow us to move into different types of jobs. You could say that the workplace is the world's best classroom!

Often, we learn the most in the workplace from a colleague or supervisor who takes the time to help us along. These informal guides are called mentors. A mentor is someone who knows how to help us to learn our job, but who also understands, and helps us better understand, the organization or company or even the profession.

Mentors are not "teachers" in the way that we typically envision classroom teachers.  Mentors do not typically prepare lessons, deliver lectures or give grades.  But mentors do teach in an informal way by sharing their expertise with the people they are mentoring.

Many excellent mentors did not see themselves as either teachers or experts in their work when they first started mentoring.  You may not consider yourself an "expert" in your field.  However, within your company, you may have the very skills that are required to help new employees learn the job and get along in the organization. A lot of mentoring is done on the job.

The qualities of a workplace mentor are similar to those you usually associate with helping another person learn something new.  Mentoring requires the development of a learning relationship between the mentor and the learner.  The relationship demands mutual respect between the mentor and the mentee and a willingness to devote time and energy to the learning experience.

In this Guide to Mentoring, we are going to explore the skills required to be a good mentor.

Often, the terms coaching and mentoring are used interchangeably. Here are some definitions to help you understand the two terms.

A coach is a person who teaches and directs another person by encouraging, instructing, directing and advising them.

Mentoring, on the other hand, refers to a developmental, and typically longer-term relationship between a more experienced ‘expert’ and a less experienced (and usually younger) novice. Mentors support novices by providing guidance.  They challenge the novice to think about ways to develop expertise.  Mentors use constructive, non-judgmental ways to help others learn.  

Some people think that good coaches and mentors just “happen,” but both coaches and mentors need skills in facilitation, support, giving constructive feedback, appropriate interventions and vision.

Coaching and mentoring are not always completely separate activities.  In some cases, a novice will require coaching. This means, for example, that the novice may need specific instruction and direction on how to perform a new task.  In other situations, the novice may require mentoring from the same individual. This may mean that the novice needs guidance and support to work through a problem or a process on the job.

Good mentoring increase awareness, personal responsibility, self-belief, learning, skill development, effectiveness and performance. This applies to the individual, the team and ultimately the bottom line of an organization.

Mentoring in the workplace can be personally and professionally rewarding.  Mentoring provides opportunities for experienced employees to:

 

Be a positive influence on a new employee or a novice to the profession

Share your experience and knowledge with others

Help someone else to grow personally and professionally

Develop your own leadership skills

Give back to the profession, the company or the community

 

Does this sound like something you would like to do? This Guide to Mentoring provides you with some information and tools to help you decide whether you should become a workplace mentor.

An effective mentor:

·         Takes an interest in others

·         Has technical expertise in his or her job or profession

·         Commits time and energy to help others improve

·         Is respected by fellow employees

·         Has strong interpersonal skills

·         Is patient

·         Respects confidentiality

·         Is non-judgmental

·         Is a good listener

·         Is tactful, honest, supportive and straightforward

·         Can give clear explanations and feedback

·         Sets realistic expectations of performance

haracteristics of a Coach/Mentor	Questions to Ask Myself	Yes	No
A Mentor:
Takes an interest in others	Do I like to help other people improve their work skills? Am I interested in helping a less experienced person succeed in their work?
Has technical expertise in the job or profession	Are my technical skills strong enough to teach them to another person? Do I like to share my own experiences on the job with others?
Commits time and energy to help others improve	Do I have the time to help another person learn new job skills? Can I help employees build self-confidence in their work?
Is respected by fellow employees	Would my colleagues consider me to be the right person to help others learn about the job? Can I encourage professional behavior among others?
Has strong interpersonal skills	Am I a people person? Do I like working with others? Can I teach by example?
Is patient	Am I patient with new learners who do not yet have the skills that I do? Can I offer encouragement to others who are learning the job?
Respects confidentiality	Can I keep information confidential?
Is non-judgmental	Can I be tactful, honest, supportive and straightforward in providing guidance and feedback? Am I able to confront negative behaviors and attitudes in a direct and neutral way?
Is a good listener	Do I take the time to really listen to what someone is asking or telling me? Will I listen to personal problems and offer friendship?
Sets realistic expectations of performance	Can I offer challenging expectations? Can I offer experiences for growth?