Mentoring

'Mentoring involves primarily listening with empathy, sharing experience, professional friendship, developing insight through reflection, being a sounding board, encouraging' David Clutterbuck.

Mentoring is a development activity, which is rooted in self-management and enables the mentee to:

• Foster self-reliance, self-confidence and a belief in their own potential;
• Identify their own development needs and goals;
• Write their own development plans;
• Solve problems by analysing, reflecting and enhancing their self-awareness.

Consequently, the mentor acts as a conduit to self-discovery and reflection and offers the mentee space and time to make their own decisions. This may mean,

• helping to set goals and identify opportunities to develop
• offering the opportunity to try out new ideas in safety
• giving time and space and helping to problem solve
• giving encouragement and feedback
• helping to develop connections
• sharing your own experiences
• challenging the status quo
• being inspirational