A lot of organizations and executives jump into executive coaching or business mentoring programs seeing them as a “quick fix” and something quite inexpensive to implement. Many jump into it but don’t provide the necessary planning to their programming, nor the necessary support and resources to make it really work. So a lot of organizations may have mentoring programs in theory rather than in practice.
Depending on the organization and the needs and wants of the people involved, the initiative can be as short as a one-hour briefing before the mentoring journey occurs. Everyone is different - so we believe firmly people should not all be treated the same. The types of service people and organizations may need is therefore different. One size does not fit all!
Some people see it more like a coach, or an adviser, or even a counsellor. In our opinion, it’s like those things - but in fact is much more. You really need a person who can help you think through your issues, problems and concerns and come up with a good decision together – rather than someone who is going to tell you what to do.
By definition, therefore, the realtionship is very strategic in outlook.
Also it is vital that clients have a good understanding of the agreed process and structure to ensure successful outcomes – to become fully engaged and aware of the skills, attributes and techniques for successful mentoring.
So what qualities does it take to be a good business mentor and how does mentoring benefit the mentor and the client? There are many qualities required for someone to be a good mentor, which can include significant professional expertise and competence in a particular field – or indeed in overall senior business leadership and management.
There are also some key skills that are necessary - particularly in facilitation and planning - because without that plan, we are simply tourists.
It’s important to be able to respect the “story” of the person you are mentoring and realise that this person is placing a good deal of trust and faith in you by sharing their career and professional development.
On a final note the seasoned and successful mentor is equally at home working with people in any of the following 5 areas: