Mentoring actively develops in the modern world. The phenomenon of mentoring is historically fixed and necessary for constant development of mankind and an individual personality. The mentor – an important figure for those who want to implement the project in business.
Mentoring – what is it?
Mentoring, or mentoring with English – mentoring – mentoring, interaction of the skilled person, the expert who reached considerable tops in the activity, business with less skilled, beginning person, a startup (protege). What does the mentor mean? This floor is taken from the Ancient Greek poem by Homer "Odyssey" – the Mentor, the friend the Odyssey was already old for wars and travel and remained to bring up at a request the Odyssey his son and to preserve the wife Penelope. The mentor is none other than – the mentor.
The mentor, the coach and the mentor – in what a difference?
The difference is that the mentor the mentor unlike the coach, the consultant unites in himself all functions inherent in these experts, possessing all instruments of personal development. The coach – directs the person, a startup to the solution of some specific goal, and result, responsibility completely lies on the person while the mentor supports at all levels of development of the person and his project. Between the mentor and the protege often there is trusting, friendly relationship.
Mentoring problems
Mentoring in pedagogics or at the enterprise unlike mentoring in business faces certain problems in realization. The most highly skilled employees, are busy and when to them suggest to participate in the program of mentoring, they face a bigger load and impossibility to all pupils, students, young specialists to find time, necessary for working off of skills.
Mentoring – pluses and minuses
Any social phenomenon has weak also strengths which in general are not reducing the importance of the phenomenon for society. Mentoring by the social nature very useful phenomenon in society, and its pluses are expressed in the following things:
- an opportunity to share useful experience;
- trusting relationship;
- decrease in number of production, educational mistakes, in business, under the leadership of the mentor;
- for many mentors – this sheer pleasure to share the accumulated practical skills and knowledge;
- for the protege – escort of the mentor is an opportunity to feel more surely and to study at the best;
- fouling by useful communications through the mentor;
Mentoring shortcomings (often depend on the identity of the mentor):
- some mentors owing to the authoritativeness can strictly impose the opinion without feedback;
- at the enterprises the mentor takes liability for the protege entrusted him;
- lack of trusting relationship between the protege and mentor;
- insufficient attention of the protege;
- abundance of criticism.
System of mentoring
Historically significant systems of mentoring originate far back in the past mankind and if to analyze all foreseeable experience of human existence, it is possible to find out that mentoring its integral part. Elders of tribes, skilled soldiers commanders, the guru from Hinduism and the Buddhism – all of them were in fact mentors. The system of mentoring developed with the purpose to pass on the accumulated experience, the strategy of management, mastering different arts. The program of mentoring can be based on such technicians:
- maintenance – the mentor accompanies the protege in all operations and tasks performed by it;
- crops are the equipment directed to the closest zone of development of the protege (information, actions of the mentor in presence of the protege, but so far to it unclear);
- catalyzing – deepening, a sharp turn of thinking in the new direction, "throwing of a puppy in water";
- demonstration by the mentor of skills on own example;
- summing up – the analysis, "harvesting".
Mentoring in education
Mentoring as a form of work with exceptional children practices in education of the western countries for a long time. Everyone has no unendowed children, the abilities and talents, it is important to find them in time. The expert in children's endowments, J. Renzulli considered that exceptional children are creative persons, with high motivation and the involvement into a task and having a certain level of abilities. Mentoring in an education system helps to be shown with the child:
- to leadership;
- to adequate self-assessment and positively created image "I";
- teaches social interaction and positioning of beyond the scope of school, in real life.
Mentoring in professional educational institutions (lyceums, technical schools, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS) is important aspect of entry into a profession. The mentor helps the student to put the gained theoretical knowledge into practice. Going to a work practice, it is frequent from mentors to whom students are attached, it is possible to hear the following phrase: "Forget everything what you were taught to".
Mentoring in business
Development of mentoring in the enterprise environment just gains the steam. Who such mentor in business? This is the skilled practician, "shark" of business, the expert who is knowing all reefs of business activity and having huge desire to share the invaluable experience. The business mentor a significant figure for those who begin the business, the project. Advantage of cooperation with the mentor:
- analysis of the market, competitors;
- help in development of effective strategy;
- help in drawing up the business plan;
- the analysis of the project if it has potential, helps to reveal him if the project is impractical, saves a startup from illusions;
- useful communications.
The system of mentoring in the company
Mentoring in the companies – important criterion of success as the employees working under the auspices of the company and for the organization in general. Advantage of mentoring in the company:
- developing the skills of employees;
- decrease in the period of adaptation of beginners, creation by it in the conditions promoting to successful work, motivating and the atmosphere;
- elimination of such factor as "routine of shots";
- development in employees of corporate culture and spirit;
- cultivation in employees of an expertnost.
Who becomes more often than the protege of mentors in the company:
- the beginning heads who are recently elected to a new senior position;
- talent pool;
- employees with a low estimate of result of their activity, but persons interested to develop;
- the startups needing additional information and a prokachivaniye of skills.
Life mentor
To understand that such mentoring is possible also in a format of the game "life mentor". It is board collective game helps to master elements of time-management and self-organization – to become itself the mentor. The conductor or playing the games by means of the kouchingovy questions which are the powerful tool in practice of mentors and life coaches helps players to create new effective strategy which then can be put into practice.
How to find the mentor?
Mentoring is a sober and estimating look from the skilled person, practice is necessary investment into itself and the business in the modern world. How to find the mentor on business – several recommendations for the beginning businessmen:
- The business accelerator is a social institute of support of startups. Within institute, different programs, trainings are constantly provided, give expert support of mentors, coaches, tyyuter in exchange for a profit share.
- Independent search of the companies, organizations which in the activity are faithful, to the realized ideas. To learn about the leaders who organized such companies and to try to come for their contacts.
- Other option of independent search is a visit of actions, conferences where the famous leading speakers share innovations and developments. To define for himself who could become that mentor. To show an initiative and to find an opportunity in a break or after the conference to approach the speaker, to be presented and to tell briefly about the project, to ask contacts.
What to write to the mentor?
Business mentoring – the direction in business activity when young businessmen develop the niche by means of the mentor-mentor who already achieved success in business. To get support of such personality it is important to understand that it is very occupied person and it is not enough to write him the letter, its mail is filled up with such unread messages of startups and there is a high probability that all these letters go to a basket.
The American entrepreneur D. Friedman shared councils what to write to the mentor that he distinguished the letter, from ton of entering:
- The thought-over heading, not banal "is necessary your council", and whenever possible completely capturing the essence, for example: "your competent council for fund-raising in my new start up is necessary, you recommended me (full name).
- To use the corporate postal address, personal mail is not desirable here.
- If the meeting with the mentor took place earlier, in the letter the reminder, a gley and under what circumstances there was a meeting will be not superfluous and to remind briefly of the new project.
- It is no more than 5 offers.
- The purpose has to be accurately stated in the letter: offer on a meeting, request of representation to the necessary people, search of investment means.
- To answer letters immediately – respect for the mentor.
- To specify all possible ways of communication and the signature.
How to become the mentor?
School of mentoring today the new phenomenon at specialized secondary and higher educational institutions. Students communicate with the stars which reached in the activity of considerable heights and persons interested to pass on the developed experience, to help young specialists to accustom to a profession and to realize the potential fully. Training per se in mentoring does not exist. For heads of the enterprises it is possible to complete a mentoring course, for effective management of employees. To become the mentor, it is necessary:
- to be an expert in the professional niche;
- to have desire to become the mentor;
- to love the business;
- to be in a condition of continuous self-development and to develop in the specialty, not to be satisfied with what has already been achieved;
- to be a good speaker;
- to know the main aspects of people's psychology;
- to be able to be the mentor for itself.
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