Summary A Look To The Future
Summary & A Look To The Future
The future of mentoring will involve a much broader and more
intelligent
use of the technologies available. There will, in particular, be much more use of video-conferencing through desktop PCs and
miniature
cameras
. It seems likely that the majority of mentoring relationships will be hybrids of face-to-face in person, synchronous face-to-face remote, and asynchronous textual exchanges. The evidence, such as it is, suggests that this has great potential to enrich the dialogue between mentor and mentee. However, mentoring scheme co-ordinators will have to include the effective use of these technologies as an integral part of mentor and mentee training.
Part 5:
Conclusion
Chapter List
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Chapter 17: Final Issues
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Appendix 1: The Evolution of Modern Mentoring
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Appendix 2: Making the Business Case
-
Bilbiography
Chapter 17:
Final Issues
In this relatively brief account of mentoring and how to implement a mentoring programme, we have inevitably raised a number of issues that
warrant
further discussion. Below we take up some of these in more detail.
All Good Mentoring Relationships Come To An End
Although one person may have several mentors, each mentoring relationship must reach the stage where it is
neither
needed nor wanted any longer. For this reason it is essential that every such relationship is seen from the start as a temporary alignment. Elements of it may persist, in the form of mutual aid and friendship, for many
years
after, but there must be clear starting- and finishing-points.
Probably the best signpost of the finishing-point is when the mentee has achieved the medium-
term
objectives established early on in the relationship. A spokesperson for Jewel Companies comments:
We feel that after a couple of years the role loses its importance and may become a more negative element than a positive one. That is, after a few years in the business it is more important that an individual be achieving on his own rather than with special help from a senior-
management-level
mentor.
However it is done, the two parties must be able to back out of the arrangement without recrimination when one or both feel it is no longer beneficial.
Good Mentees Often Make Good Mentors
Many of the most successful mentors are people who have
experienced
mentoring from the other side. Indeed, it is possible for a manager to be
simultaneously
mentored from above while he or she mentors someone yet more junior. One of the major difficulties in getting a mentoring programme off the ground is finding an adequate supply of mentors. Once the scheme has been going for many
years
, however, it automatically generates potential mentors from the ranks of former mentees. This is actually one of the
litmus
tests for the success of a programme - what proportion of mentees want to go on to become mentors?
Old-Stagers Can Benefit From Mentors Too
Mentoring should not be regarded as solely for young, relatively new recruits. There are frequently people in the organisation whose development has been held back by circumstances other than ability. They may, for example, have had domestic ties that prevented them from demonstrating career
ambition
, particularly if they are married women. Or they may be in a cultural backwater in the company, out of the mainstream and in a staff position that has little interaction with key corporate functions. Equally, mentoring relationships can be effective between peers, or between a junior person and someone more senior.