War On Talent: The Most Effective Mentoring

Criminologist James Fox of Northeastern University predicts that murders committed by teens will skyrocket as the population of kids 10 and under is higher than population of 21st century teens by 20%. (Stephens) Mentoring is the act of helping out someone that isn't as knowledgeable or experienced in different areas. The goal is to make them leaders. (Patterson)

Mentoring involves a manager passing on his/her knowledge and expertise to an employee. Typically, the employee has a mentor who is at management level but not directly involved in his or her work area, so that issue s can be discussed in an impartial and confidential manner.

An advantage of mentoring is that it helps to acclimatise less successful workers to the job and organisational requirements. By having a "go to" person to ask questions, discuss scenarios and generally learn the nuances of the company, the mentee can become a productive member much more quickly and never feel that he has nowhere to turn for help. The mentee can gain the sense of achievement that comes from the mentor's feedback and assessment of his progress. The mentee's quest to gain the mentor's approval can serve as a motivating force to continue to improve his performance. The mentor can gain satisfaction from knowing that she is helping an individual and can take a measure of pride in her accomplishments. For a mentor that has already achieved a great deal of success, she can look at the process as a way of "giving back”.

"Mentoring is a special quality, skill set and attitude," she says. "The benefits are not only between the mentor and mentee, but the future generations."

A mentor is someone we all have whether it's your parents, friends, or even a total stranger! What makes them all the same? They all have great qualities. It could be that one of them happens to be an extraordinary listener or ]they might have great wisdom and patience. When you are looking for a great mentor, you are going to want someone with patience, determination, and listens

One thing I believe is a necessity in growing up is having a mentor. Having a mentor is, not only, beneficial for the mentee but also the mentor. Being a mentor is a learning experience for everyone participating, it helps people grow as a person and friendships are created when a bond if formed. Some people might think it's a waste of time for a child or that it'll never work out for a troubled delinquent but based on the research I've done, I have proven them wrong. Through-out this paper I will provide the pros and cons of mentoring and how they affect both mentor and mentee. To back up my proposal that mentoring is supporting, I will supply examples to answer the question: Is mentoring really important?

Mentors are influential, senior organizational members with advanced experience and knowledge committed to providing perception to a mentee’s career development. A mentor supports a mentee’s views of self within a work role as well as it supports the mentor’s sense of self for the valuable wisdom and experience they have to share.

Mentoring is about nurturing the potential of the whole person; both however are about improving performance. There is a strong argument that coaching can be undertaken by line management or an individual within the organisation who has knowledge of processes and procedures. It is however more beneficial when mentoring to engage with someone from outside the organisation however it is essential to match personalities, research interests, experience and personal style.

Mentoring for the mentor is about challenging himself to perform to greater capabilities while nurturing a mentee and stretching them to realise their full potential. Mentors counsel, tutor and guide their mentees in developing themselves.

Utilizing the six principles of coaching the one that is the most important is establishing a positive work relationship. As a mentor of others, it is important that the person or persons have a healthy respect for their mentor. Being a mentor it is important that the person respect the individual providing them with guidance on the do’s and don’ts of the job. A mentor cannot be unapproachable, they have to make themselves available and remain positive with all interaction. You cannot mentor if the person being mentored has no connection with their mentor, this lack of connection leads to no positive dialogue between the mentor and the subordinate, which in the end creates mistrust and that is counterproductive in mentoring.

These practical guidelines are given the title “The Ten Commandments of Mentoring”. They are as follows, relationship (establishing the mentoring), purpose (expressing expectations), regularity (determining how frequently you’ll meet), accountability (recognizing mutual responsibility), communication mechanisms (developing procedures for effective communication), confidentiality (clarifying confidentially so you may speak freely), life cycles of mentoring (avoiding open-ended relationships), evaluation (redefining and modifying expectations), expectations (using evaluation and feedback to construct your assessment), and closure (recognition by both parties that empowerment has occurred). “Following [the] “Ten Commandments of Mentoring” from the outset of a mentoring relationship can save a lot of disappointment and misunderstanding later on. [Stanley and Clinton] came up with these ten points from years of experience…and mistakes. They key is good communication and spelling out the expectations from both sides” (Stanley & Clinton, 1992,

Mentorship is very important in the workplace especially in the area of training and development. The mentor-protégé relationship is a much needed relationship that begins in the early career stage and this relationship involves the current or new employees and the supervisor or other colleagues that provide work-related guidance. The relationship itself is comprehensive and involves “educational, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual development” (Greenhaus,, Callanan, & Godshalk, 2010, p 211). One of the initial task of the early career the establishment of the career field which involves the gaining of the workplace competence, learn what is needed to excel in the organization, and to gain acceptance in the workplace to be recognized as the valued employee. There are many ways of achieving the above mentioned advantages in the workplace which one main method is through the use of the mentorship program.

A Learning Mentor is a relatively new concept in the field of education and is used within schools to support them in raising standards.

Implementing a strong mentoring program that fosters individual and personal growth within the company is vital for the future of this firm. This includes setting up and maintaining a mentoring program. The mentoring program will be set up with individuals from all levels of achievement, that are willing to devote a portion of their time to the firm’s prosperity.

Accompanied with the current shift towards more organic organisation structures and more emphasis on the learning organisation, mentoring provides a more all round experience to the mentees by getting them confident with their role with the organisation. It also improves communication throughout the organisation by allowing mentees to give feedback and learn in a not so formal fashion which helps people feel more relaxed and develops the formal and informal culture of the organisation.