Mentorship
(MEN-tor-ship)
LIQUID
What is Mentorship?
Mentorship is a pairing of individuals that allows a lesser-experienced individual to gain insights into specific pathways toward success from a more-experienced individual.
Other Common Names
Other common names for mentorship include:
- Coaching
- Advisors
- Guides
Key Properties of Mentorship
A mentoring relationship can be either formal (many organizations have formal mentoring programs to match less experienced employees with someone who has experience or expertise in a particular area) or informal (think of someone you meet regularly for coffee to discuss issues at work).
Here are two core properties of mentorship:
- A supportive relationship
- At least one person in the relationship has experience or knowledge in a specific area
Resources From The Train Like a Champion Blog
If Brian was Your Mentor he Might Share these insights with you
- "When I took a job as a GED instructor, I wanted to do right by every young adult I was teaching, but I didn’t have a clue how to develop lesson plans, much less an entire curriculum. My father, a former staff development specialist at his public school, entered the picture and led me through an informal crash course on instructional design. To this day we’ll continue to bounce ideas around when I get stuck. While I eventually took several masters-level courses on instructional design, at the time that I was a GED instructor I didn’t have the time or the money for formal training on the topic. My father’s mentorship got me to a “good enough” place to develop an entire GED curriculum that helped dozens of my students earn their high school equivalency credential."
- "There is always someone smarter or more experienced from whom you can learn. Perhaps they work within your organization, perhaps they’re part of an industry trade group to which you also belong or perhaps it’s a family member, a friend, or just someone you see from time to time. These are the mentors that can offer a lifetime of lessons learned—quickly, informally, and oftentimes for the price of a cup of coffee (and maybe a pastry)."
- "Grooming a high-potential leader. How do leaders in the organization communicate? How should executive presentations be put together? Answers to questions like these may not be instinctive. It’s one thing to go from individual contributor to manager but making the leap into the executive ranks is a whole other world. While leadership development courses or MBA programs may offer critical formal learning opportunities, there is no substitute for having an ongoing, supportive relationship with someone who can guide you through the highs and lows of breaking into the executive level of an organization."
Elements likely to bond with Mentorship
Goal Setting
Is mentorship intended to create greater connection among employees? Is it intended to reduce the amount of time employees spend in a formal training program? The goals for any sort of mentorship need to be clearly defined to make sure it’s an effective element in your learning program.
Virtual Meeting
Virtual MeetingPATH, a global health organization headquartered in Seattle, Washington, recently overhauled a training program which was once held completely in person. With the program transitioning to an online environment, the creators were concerned that the participants (who are dispersed in field offices around the world) wouldn’t have a connection to a real person. PATH chose to incorporate a virtual mentorship program in which experienced staff would leverage a virtual meeting platform to connect with trainees, answer their questions, and simply let them know that they weren’t working in isolation.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
People who have expertise in their field can offer a lot when given an opportunity to enter into a supportive relationship with those hungry for their knowledge. While SMEs may not have a lot of time to offer, time spent in a mentoring relationship truly is quality over quantity.
Instructional Design
If mentorship is going to be part of a formal learning program, then it needs to have an intentional design. Beyond the mere idea of incorporating mentors into a program, you’ll have to identify the mentors, make sure they are adequately prepared and have clarity around what they’re expected to do, and ensure their mentor meetings are a productive use of everyone’s time.
Spaced Learning
Whether it’s connected to new employee onboarding or some other training program, using mentors to follow up with training participants in a periodic, ongoing manner can help keep the learning fresh and offers participants an opportunity to ask questions and reflect on experiences after they’ve returned to their desk and tried things out in the real world.
Books on Mentorship
