What is Mentoring?

What is Mentoring?

• Not something new. Existed in some or other forms through out the history.
• A sustained and supportive relationship between an individual who shares his/her knowledge, experience, and understanding of an Organization with some one less experienced and willing to benefit.
• A close relationship in which learning and experimentation can occur and potential skills can be developed.
• A relationship rather than activity for helping the protégé improve his or her chances of success.

What a Mentor is expected to do?

• Invest time
• Share life experiences and wisdom
• Role Model
• Sources of information, help and emotional support.
• Help protégé in socialization process.
• Act as good listeners, problem solvers and observers.
• Display passion during the process of mentoring.
• Display high degree of care and concern for protégés.
• Be a Friend, Guide and Coach.


Who is Mentor?

A trusted and experienced individual who makes a commitment to protégé to help him/her grow into the organization culture and become productive and effective member of the organization.

A mentor however is not: -
A career messiah
A miracle worker

“Any one can be a mentor, the only condition being he wishes to be a Mentor.”

Benefits Of Mentoring

As Mentors
• Recognizes their experience and expertise
• Keeps them mentally agile
• Helps them to revisit their own skills
• Gives them personal satisfaction of developing others.

As Protégé
• Provides Guidance, Counseling and Feed back.
• Facilitates their entry and movement through different career stages.
• Provides them opportunities for active learning
• Develops visibility within or outside the organization.

The Organization
• Recognize and nurture talent
• Better communication
• Reduce employee turnover
• Improved performance
• Robust corporate culture


Dos’ for Mentors
• Share passion, enthusiasms, success stories, even failures and learning from failures.
• Involve / facilitate involvement of protégés in various work groups / meetings etc.
• Introduce protégés to as many people as possible.
• Guide protégés on interpretation of rules / policies / regulations etc.
• Extend helping hand to protégés in crisis situations.
• Provide guidance with respect to career planning.
• Listen attentively to the protégés.
• If possible, invite them for a cup of tea / snacks / lunch / dinner once in a while.

Don'ts for Mentors
• Don’t assume role of superior.
• Don’t make Protégé completely dependent on you.
• Don’t make Protégé wait for too long to meet you.
• Don’t give any negative comment / feedback about Company / Policies / Persons.
• Don’t Sacrifice your primary responsibilities.
• Don’t give false hope / promises to Protégé.
• Don’t display any behavior, which contradicts our Values.
• Don’t intimidate Protégé.