Mentors help get people on right track

Mentor relationships are best set up formally. Photo / Rotorua Daily Post

As we get right into the swing of 2010, organisations and employees are eyeing up the terrain of their work life and businesses, setting goals and thinking about how to achieve them this year. Recovery from the recession may be one such goal but whatever they are planning, some will call upon the knowledge, experience and skills of a mentor to help in converting goals to results.

Mentor is frequently defined as "a wise and trusted counsellor or teacher". The Greek hero Odysseus entrusted one of his loyal advisers, called Mentor, with the running of his kingdom and the education of his son while he was away at the Trojan War.

But what does a mentor do in 2010 and how can employees and employers find one for work or business-related issues.

Bryan Royds has been mentoring, coaching and training in the field of people development for 25 years. He has helped all types and sizes of organisation in both public and private sectors to set up mentoring and coaching programmes for their managers and staff. He also facilitates a coaching and mentoring group for the Human Resources Institute in Wellington.

Royds provides mentoring for coaches, trainers and managers, sometimes paid and sometimes voluntarily through professional associations such as the Human Resources Institute, the Association for Training and Development and the Institute of Management and enjoys mentoring the mentors, coaching the coaches, and helping managers to develop mentoring and coaching skills for use in their work. He has inside knowledge of both roles, having been a mentee himself - the person who is mentored.

People typically seek mentoring, says Royds, when they are at a crossroads, and feeling stal,e perhaps not confident of deciding by themselves.

"This lack of confidence is a healthy thing, by the way. Knowing that you don't know something and getting help from others is a highly intelligent thing to do. The reverse, when confidence exceeds competence, is downright dangerous. I call it 'loner heroism' and unfortunately Kiwis are prone to it thanks to our DIY settler tradition."

Informal mentoring over lunch with a colleague or associate is much more common than formal mentoring, but Royds believes that it has risks. Formal mentoring defines roles and expectations. There is usually a clear written agreement about the relationship, a defined structure to the sessions and a third-party checking in occasionally.

A formal arrangement helps prevent the relationship going off track or becoming too familiar, which can prevent real challenge. "So if you can, arrange mentoring 'formally' through your organisation or a professional association," says Royds.

In organisational settings mentoring usually refers to help from someone with long experience in a particular field, for instance social services or in a professional role such as management. The mentor will advise about career decisions and development towards a future similar to the path taken by the mentor.

While mentors are not usually trained in the process of coaching an ideal mentor will have specific experience, knowledge and contacts that a generic coach does not.

"I call it 'long-view career guidance from someone who's already done it'. They are often someone more senior within your organisation, or from outside as found through a professional association."

Some organisations have their own internal mentoring programme. Interested employees could approach their manager or human resources.

Mentoring benefits the mentee, the organisation and the mentor. The mentee may adapt more quickly to a new job, achieve better results and job satisfaction. They are likely to develop professionally more quickly as they learn additional skills and knowledge from the mentor and acquire new networks.

Organisations usually benefit from improved staff retention and engagement. Morale and commitment may be higher and productivity increased. Mentoring can also be a cost effective way to achieve targeted staff development. Mentors themselves tend to derive satisfaction from passing on their experience giving back to their profession, and contributing further to the economy.

Business Mentors New Zealand is probably the only volunteer business mentoring programme in the country, says chief executive Ray Schofield. The programme was set up in 1991 under the umbrella of Business in the Community and has since provided support to more than 50,000 enterprises.

"We are about the transfer of knowledge, skills and experience that has been learned in an array of circumstances by our mentors," says Schofield. "Often a mentor is a sounding board. It is one on one and it's confidential."

Mentors and mentees are matched through a structured process. A one-off fee of $100 is charged and the relationship may continue for two years with no further costs. Business Mentors has a network of 15 agencies licensed to deliver the services. There are currently 1600 mentors who are selected for their skills and proven business acumen.

"They need to show an affinity for mentoring," said Schofield. "You may have the knowledge but not be the right personality to convey information."