At the start of any facilitation or training session it can be very helpful to both the facilitator and the delegates to see how much experience is in the room. By asking people to introduce themselves and tell the group how long they have been working in a particular role or field you can add up how many years of experience you have in the room. It usually averages somewhere between 200 to 600 years of experience depending on the number of delegates in the room!

Imagine for a moment if you were able to tap into all the knowledge and experience within your organisation…this highlights the power of mentoring and why growing mentors in an organisation should be high on the ‘To Do’ list.

Mentoring is an essential leadership skill as it enables others to grow and become more effective in their jobs. In a recent article in the Sunday times Luke Johnson who is chairman of the Risk Capital Partners and the Centre for Entrepreneurs wrote that Mentors in organisations are seen as an increasingly valuable resource. They act as sounding boards and offer trusted feedback on the challenges that face any individual or business owner. He also states that having an expert available to consult with can really help contribute to someone’s career and personal development.

By growing mentors in your organisation there are benefits to both the Mentor and the Mentee. The mentor will benefit by building his / her leadership skills, improve their communication skills, learn new and different perspectives, possible career advancement and gain personal satisfaction from knowing that you have personally contributed to someone’s growth and development.

The mentee will benefit by gaining invaluable advice, developing their knowledge and skills, learning new perspectives, building networks as well as hopefully advancing their career within the organisation.

Mentoring can be a powerful mutually beneficial and rewarding partnership in any organisation and by growing mentoring in an organisation it ensures that all the knowledge, skills and experience is shared amongst its employees as well as creating a culture of knowledge sharing and on-going learning.

Recommended further reading;

  • The Mentoring Manual – Step by Step Guide to being a better Mentor by Julie Starr
  • Getting There: A Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal
  • This is Where to Start: Find Superstar Mentors, Master All They Know and Get Ahead in Your Career by Edward Druce