Go further with a mentor on call

Mentees should tap the wisdom of more experienced colleagues. Photo / Thinkstock

Mentoring is when an older or more experienced person passes on their knowledge or expertise to someone.

In Europe, coaching and mentoring are seen to mean the same thing, says Patti Gwynne of the New Zealand Coaching and Mentoring Centre. But in New Zealand a mentor is assumed to have greater experience in the area in which they are mentoring. This usually means industry knowledge.

"Mentoring can be more advice-giving than coaching," says Gwynne.

Members of her organisation go to workplaces to train senior staff to be mentors and junior ones to be "mentees".

She says a mentoring culture at a company will create an environment where ideas are shared to benefit the whole.

There are certain rules to mentoring, she says. "The person who is being mentored will be expected to ... share what's going on for him/her."

She says the mentor must not have hiring and firing rights over the employee, and all conversations should be confidential. "The person being mentored has to be able to trust the mentor."

Her organisation also does external mentoring, often for small- to medium-sized businesses, particularly for owner-operators.

"Say someone has a cashflow problem - a mentor can assist by helping them see exactly what they are doing wrong."

Michael Barnett, chief executive of the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says it is fundamental to have mentors throughout your career. "I would say that every successful person has had a mentor."

He says your mentor can change as your career changes.

Barnett says older siblings or parents cannot be mentors as the relationship will not provide objectivity. "Mainly you don't want to select someone who will just agree with you all the time - you need to be prepared to be challenged."

He says: "My first mentor helped me look at the way I operated - he made me see that I needed to slow down, and he gave me platforms of thought that he would question me on. As I moved on with my career, I pulled in other mentors. And I was quite specific as to why they were there. I wouldn't choose an accountant to mentor me on marketing."

Barnett says your mentor needs to know that they are your mentor. "You should tell them the purpose of the relationship."

He says people should be careful when deciding to be mentored by a consultant.

"Many of them engage with you because they want your business - but do they have the knowledge and expertise that you are requiring?"

The key is objectivity, he says. "A mentor is usually someone who shares your values and lives them ... They have good advice of where you can step up from your skills."

People often feel honoured to be asked to be a mentor - they've already built their career and they're often happy to help someone get a leg-up.

"It can be about taking a little bit of the person's time ... But it has to be meeting up with a purpose."
Val Leveson is an Auckland-based counsellor.