Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- The authors
- List of abbreviations
- Series Editor's introduction
- Introduction
- Section 1 Theories
- Section 2 Infrastructure
- Section 3 Activities and tools
- 34 Action learning sets
- 35 Apprentices, graduate trainees and work placements
- 36 Awards
- 37 Buddying
- 38 CILIP qualifications
- 39 CILIP qualifications – revalidation
- 40 Coaching
- 41 Collaborative working
- 42 Communities of practice – internal
- 43 Communities of practice – external
- 44 Conferences – attending
- 45 Conferences – organizing
- 46 Conferences – posters
- 47 Conferences – presenting
- 48 Conferences – sharing the learning
- 49 Conferences – volunteering
- 50 Conferences – workshops
- 51 Conferences – writing proposals for papers
- 52 CVs
- 53 Exchange of Experience events, TeachMeets and Unconferences
- 54 Formal qualifications
- 55 Funding for CPD
- 56 Group conversations
- 57 Job rotation
- 58 Learning logs and journals
- 59 Meetings – attending
- 60 Meetings – chairing
- 61 Meetings – note taking
- 62 Mentoring – external
- 63 Mentoring – peer
- 64 Minutes of madness
- 65 MOOCs
- 66 Networks
- 67 Networks – setting up
- 68 Networks – running
- 69 Personal development plans
- 70 Presentations – general tips
- 71 Professional membership
- 72 Projects
- 73 Project management tools
- 74 Reflection – facilitating
- 75 Reflective practice
- 76 Reflective writing
- 77 Research activities
- 78 Secondments
- 79 Shadowing
- 80 Social media
- 81 SWOT analysis
- 82 Time management
- 83 Time management tools
- 84 Training courses – attending
- 85 Training courses – commissioning
- 86 Training courses – planning, delivering and evaluating
- 87 Twitter
- 88 Twitter chats
- 89 VLEs
- 90 Visits
- 91 Volunteering
- 92 Webinars
- 93 Writing blog posts
- 94 Writing business cases
- 95 Writing case studies
- 96 Writing e-mails
- 97 Writing journal articles
- 98 Writing newsletters
- 99 Writing procedures
- 100 Writing project plans
- 101 Writing reports
- Index
62 - Mentoring – external
from Section 3 - Activities and tools
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 June 2018
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures and tables
- Acknowledgements
- The authors
- List of abbreviations
- Series Editor's introduction
- Introduction
- Section 1 Theories
- Section 2 Infrastructure
- Section 3 Activities and tools
- 34 Action learning sets
- 35 Apprentices, graduate trainees and work placements
- 36 Awards
- 37 Buddying
- 38 CILIP qualifications
- 39 CILIP qualifications – revalidation
- 40 Coaching
- 41 Collaborative working
- 42 Communities of practice – internal
- 43 Communities of practice – external
- 44 Conferences – attending
- 45 Conferences – organizing
- 46 Conferences – posters
- 47 Conferences – presenting
- 48 Conferences – sharing the learning
- 49 Conferences – volunteering
- 50 Conferences – workshops
- 51 Conferences – writing proposals for papers
- 52 CVs
- 53 Exchange of Experience events, TeachMeets and Unconferences
- 54 Formal qualifications
- 55 Funding for CPD
- 56 Group conversations
- 57 Job rotation
- 58 Learning logs and journals
- 59 Meetings – attending
- 60 Meetings – chairing
- 61 Meetings – note taking
- 62 Mentoring – external
- 63 Mentoring – peer
- 64 Minutes of madness
- 65 MOOCs
- 66 Networks
- 67 Networks – setting up
- 68 Networks – running
- 69 Personal development plans
- 70 Presentations – general tips
- 71 Professional membership
- 72 Projects
- 73 Project management tools
- 74 Reflection – facilitating
- 75 Reflective practice
- 76 Reflective writing
- 77 Research activities
- 78 Secondments
- 79 Shadowing
- 80 Social media
- 81 SWOT analysis
- 82 Time management
- 83 Time management tools
- 84 Training courses – attending
- 85 Training courses – commissioning
- 86 Training courses – planning, delivering and evaluating
- 87 Twitter
- 88 Twitter chats
- 89 VLEs
- 90 Visits
- 91 Volunteering
- 92 Webinars
- 93 Writing blog posts
- 94 Writing business cases
- 95 Writing case studies
- 96 Writing e-mails
- 97 Writing journal articles
- 98 Writing newsletters
- 99 Writing procedures
- 100 Writing project plans
- 101 Writing reports
- Index
Summary
Mentoring – external
FINDING A MENTOR from outside your organization or team can provide a beneficial professional learning experience for your staff or colleagues. It is also a good opportunity for more experienced staff to share their learning and experiences with new members of the profession. A mentor is usually:
a more experienced individual willing to share their knowledge with someone less experienced in a relationship of mutual trust. A mixture of parent and peer, the mentor's primary function is to be a transitional figure in an individual's development.
Clutterbuck, 1991, cited in Brewerton, 2002Generally speaking, the mentoring relationship involves a more senior colleague who will pass on their knowledge to more junior staff members (CIPD, 2009). This relationship should be built on trust, with the mentor using their skills and experience to encourage the mentee in order to help them attain their career goals and unlock their potential.
Role of the mentor
A good mentor will encourage, challenge and provide advice and may be able to help the mentee to make contacts within the profession. The logistics of the relationship will be discussed at the beginning and the pair may draw up a formal agreement to ensure that both parties have shared expectations, including:
• length of relationship
• method of meetings (face to face, webcam, online, telephone)
• regularity of meetings
• location
• objectives.
As a manager or supervisor, it would be difficult for you to mentor staff in your teams as conflicts of interest may arise. An external mentor can support the mentee objectively, and is positioned to avoid competing interests, perceived bias and internal politics. Should you try and mentor one of your team members, this could be interpreted as favouritism by others, or could make it difficult for you to discipline them in your management or supervisory role, as boundaries become blurred. It is worth noting that individuals looking for a mentor may meet a number of potential candidates before a suitable match is identified, as the mentee may be looking for certain characteristics or background experience.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Practical Tips for Developing Your Staff , pp. 160 - 163Publisher: FacetPrint publication year: 2016