Hi All,
I came across this very good article and thought of sharing it with you all.... we all consider ourselves to be People managers..... but I believe that as HR professionals we all need to be mentors.!!!!
Here's something that we can take cues from to be Mentors :
Human Resources Professional: A Mentor
What it takes to be a Mentor ?
An Effective Mentor
A mentor should take pride in the organisation, relish new challenges, and understand and support the mission, vision, and values of the organisation.
A mentor should be: Supportive
Patient
Respected
People-oriented
A Good Motivator
Respectful of Others
An Effective Teacher
Self-confident
A mentor can expect his or her mentee to be competent, credible, ambitious, eager to learn, loyal, and candid; have a positive attitude; and be able to listen, work as a partner, keep confidences, and accept responsibilities.
As a mentor, you should be aware of the stages of mentoring:
Phase I: The foundation is established. As the two partners get to know each other, boundaries are set as to what each expects of the connection. As they begin to know more about each other and become comfortable, trust is established. They reach a point where they can discuss things openly and honestly.
Phase II: In this phase, the mentor helps the mentee look at realistic possibilities and options. Together they develop a plan to help the mentee reach his or her goals and aspirations. The mentors roles in this phase are primarily as coach, motivator, and teacher. He devotes more time to this phase than any other, focusing on providing detailed information on many workplace issues and procedures and sharing the benefits and insights of his or her experiences. It helps to give examples of good and bad experiences, share what did and did not work along the career path, and suggest pitfalls to avoid. During this time, the mentor gives a lot of praise and builds the mentees self-confidence.
Phase III: The mentor serves most as a counsellor, guide, and door opener. The mentor persuades the mentee to find answers on his or her own. The mentor also prods the mentee to take risks, try new strategies, ask questions, and make discoveries. Some of the activities a mentor might recommend to his mentee during this period are:
Formal training that could help the mentee become well-rounded and aid in advancement
Reading books, articles, journals, and other publications to enhance knowledge
Trying new projects or special assignments
Volunteering to cover for someone who is on vacation or official travel
Giving presentations
Involvement in CG projects, working groups, or special events
Temporary details to other positions
Assuming lead person responsibilities
Switching jobs with a co-worker for a short period of time
Joining a professional society, subscribing to a professional journal, and participating in the society
Attending conferences and symposia
Writing an article for a newsletter, magazine, or professional publication
Teaching a course
Mentoring a junior employee
Shadowing a senior person for a day
Participating on selection panels or boards
Involvement in community service
The mentoring connection may last for only a short time if the mentees need is to reach a specific goal. Examples include:
A member who has failed the Service wide exam twice and wants a mentor to give him or her advice before trying again
A member who is thinking of making a transition to another career field and wants to learn all about that field before making a decision
There are also many examples of connections that lasted into retirement based on the friendships that developed. However, an initial commitment of six months to one year is recommended. At that time, the mentor and mentee should discuss what they have accomplished, whether it would be beneficial to continue, and what to work on in the future.
If you are interested in being a mentor, look around for someone who could use your help and guidance. The relationships that cause us to grow the most are those that challenge us. Often this is due to our differences as individuals. So if you wish to learn and understand more about yourself and others, form a mentoring partnership with someone different than yourself.
Organisations adopting mentoring as a tool to executive development should keep in mind the above suggestions to reap the benefits of mentoring.
Thanks
Kamal
From India, Pune
I came across this very good article and thought of sharing it with you all.... we all consider ourselves to be People managers..... but I believe that as HR professionals we all need to be mentors.!!!!
Here's something that we can take cues from to be Mentors :
Human Resources Professional: A Mentor
What it takes to be a Mentor ?
An Effective Mentor
A mentor should take pride in the organisation, relish new challenges, and understand and support the mission, vision, and values of the organisation.
A mentor should be: Supportive
Patient
Respected
People-oriented
A Good Motivator
Respectful of Others
An Effective Teacher
Self-confident
A mentor can expect his or her mentee to be competent, credible, ambitious, eager to learn, loyal, and candid; have a positive attitude; and be able to listen, work as a partner, keep confidences, and accept responsibilities.
As a mentor, you should be aware of the stages of mentoring:
Phase I: The foundation is established. As the two partners get to know each other, boundaries are set as to what each expects of the connection. As they begin to know more about each other and become comfortable, trust is established. They reach a point where they can discuss things openly and honestly.
Phase II: In this phase, the mentor helps the mentee look at realistic possibilities and options. Together they develop a plan to help the mentee reach his or her goals and aspirations. The mentors roles in this phase are primarily as coach, motivator, and teacher. He devotes more time to this phase than any other, focusing on providing detailed information on many workplace issues and procedures and sharing the benefits and insights of his or her experiences. It helps to give examples of good and bad experiences, share what did and did not work along the career path, and suggest pitfalls to avoid. During this time, the mentor gives a lot of praise and builds the mentees self-confidence.
Phase III: The mentor serves most as a counsellor, guide, and door opener. The mentor persuades the mentee to find answers on his or her own. The mentor also prods the mentee to take risks, try new strategies, ask questions, and make discoveries. Some of the activities a mentor might recommend to his mentee during this period are:
Formal training that could help the mentee become well-rounded and aid in advancement
Reading books, articles, journals, and other publications to enhance knowledge
Trying new projects or special assignments
Volunteering to cover for someone who is on vacation or official travel
Giving presentations
Involvement in CG projects, working groups, or special events
Temporary details to other positions
Assuming lead person responsibilities
Switching jobs with a co-worker for a short period of time
Joining a professional society, subscribing to a professional journal, and participating in the society
Attending conferences and symposia
Writing an article for a newsletter, magazine, or professional publication
Teaching a course
Mentoring a junior employee
Shadowing a senior person for a day
Participating on selection panels or boards
Involvement in community service
The mentoring connection may last for only a short time if the mentees need is to reach a specific goal. Examples include:
A member who has failed the Service wide exam twice and wants a mentor to give him or her advice before trying again
A member who is thinking of making a transition to another career field and wants to learn all about that field before making a decision
There are also many examples of connections that lasted into retirement based on the friendships that developed. However, an initial commitment of six months to one year is recommended. At that time, the mentor and mentee should discuss what they have accomplished, whether it would be beneficial to continue, and what to work on in the future.
If you are interested in being a mentor, look around for someone who could use your help and guidance. The relationships that cause us to grow the most are those that challenge us. Often this is due to our differences as individuals. So if you wish to learn and understand more about yourself and others, form a mentoring partnership with someone different than yourself.
Organisations adopting mentoring as a tool to executive development should keep in mind the above suggestions to reap the benefits of mentoring.
Thanks
Kamal
From India, Pune
12
Kamaljit,
Thanks for your article.
I am fully in agreement to the fact that the HR professionals need to be Mentors first. This concurs with another post in this site where i had said that we have to get out of the mode of "controlling" employees. we have to provide inspiration to the emloyees.
Thanks once again for the article.
Bala
From India, Madras
Thanks for your article.
I am fully in agreement to the fact that the HR professionals need to be Mentors first. This concurs with another post in this site where i had said that we have to get out of the mode of "controlling" employees. we have to provide inspiration to the emloyees.
Thanks once again for the article.
Bala
From India, Madras
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