Mentoring
Mentoring
Was reading an article the other day in a business magazine about how companies are either doing or are starting to do mentoring programs - where a new employee (that is considered a "rising star") is placed with an experienced manager and will "learn" for a year with that person.
I don't know why, but, I have some problems or issues with this process. The article did say that there are times when both individuals do not get along and that new mentors and employee's have to be found for each other, but, when it works, the "rising star" benefits from this.
I don't doubt that this could occur, but, I just look back at my life and the mentors that I have had AND the mentoring that I have done and how it came about.
There was never a "forced" mentoring program that I was ever involved in - I gravitated towards those that I knew could teach me about life (either business or personal), and of course, people came to me to learn about life, which I gladly gave them every moment I could spare (as did my mentors).
But, over time, we both split on our accord (I learned all I could or I taught all I could), but, it wasn't a forced end (where the corporate programs end after a year).
I guess I consider the following:
When you are a manager of a staff, it is your responsibility to be a mentor to ALL of them, if they want it. If they don't want it, fine, but, every effort should be made to inform them that you are available to teach them anything and everything that you have learned over the years. I have spoken about this in past postings, but, it comes down to just being a good manager.
And I am not talking about just teaching them to do their job better, but, to teach them, if they are willing to listen and learn, to teach them about everything and anything - if they are interested. I would have loved to have had a mentor that could have taught me about starting a new business (I learned that on my own) - and I had a manager that had started two businesses previously; or about writing a press release - where my manager had written thousands of them, but, I had to learn from my agency.
It's the little things that count - that make all of our lives so much easier.