International Mentoring Day – 18th January

What is a Mentor?

Mentor is defined as both something that we can be, and something that we can do. Oxford English Dictionary gives the definitions as

Mentor (noun): a person who acts as guide and adviser to another person, esp. one who is younger and less experienced

Mentor (verb): To act as a mentor to (a person, team, etc.); to advise or train (someone, esp. a younger and less experienced colleague)

These definitions indicate that in mentoring the mentee identifies something that they need from the mentor, with a mentor often being described as a Wise Owl. Reading this you may not recognise as you, but each time you support a colleague through a challenge, are approached as a trusted ear, or offer guidance and support you are acting as an informal mentor.

Acting as a mentor allows you to offer help and guidance, but there is no expectation you have all the answers. Movies and books give us some great examples of mentoring in action; Professor Dumbledore aims to help Harry Potter achieve his goals by helping him to learn without controlling his actions or decisions, Gandalf the Wizard appears as a guide and provides nudges to Bilbo Baggins, but ultimately the journey Bilbo takes is his own.  Being a mentor is not a magical power – you may help someone to identify helpful doors to open along their own journey of development, but ultimately it is their choice as to which (if any) they open, and how they engage (or not) with what they discover.

A mentoring relationship has 3 key elements

• A challenge which the mentee is seeking to overcome
• The mentor has something the mentee is seeking (knowledge, skills, lived experience etc)
• A sense of respect and compassion enabling learning for both parties

The mentor offers support through active listening, curious questioning and supportive challenge. These are skills which will transfer across all areas of working life for both mentor and mentee. Although it is common for a mentee to seek a mentor who is perceived as holding a senior role, or with greater professional experience the human connection made is transformational for both parties, with ripple effects seen and felt across teams and organisations.

If you recognise your potential and a desire to act as a mentor, please consider registering with the Hub . On joining you will be given access to a range of learning resources to support you with your development. If you recognise a need for your own development, please register as a Mentee.

If you want to understand more about mentoring, please register for the Exploring Mentoring session on 7 March 2024. This session is open to anyone interested in supporting the development of others regardless of current role, banding or organisation type (Wizards and Hobbits also welcomed).

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”

Steven Spielberg