Kategori: Mentoring

Articles about mentoring.

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A Good Mentor can be a Valuable Career Resource

Doris Appelbaum says in this article that a good mentor is a coach, always challenging you, inspiring you and demanding that you do your best.

Mentors can improve confidence and lead to job opportunities you had not considered. They are familiar with a range of professional opportunities and are guides who have put aside self-preoccupation to foster the growth of new professionals.

The best mentors help develop the insight and self-awareness that assist with integrating professional life, military life, personal concerns and core values.

To read the whole article,  click here: usmilitary.about.com/library/weekly/aa010603a.htm

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Training Weekend in the Archipelago of Gothenburg

 The day before the training in JCI Gothenburg we went over to the city of Gothenburg, my wife, Lina (from Syria) and I. We had booked us into a nice hotel in the center for relaxing, enjoy and to show Lina the town (since my wife is from Sweden). After the tour of the city, Lina and I had time to plan the next day’s training before it was time for dinner in a town restaurant. 

 

 After 1 hour’s drive against the norwegian border, the training could start. The training "The Big Five" with Lina as co trainer for the first time. The participants were quickly tested himself as a mentor and mentee. The training is specifically structured so that there is so little time as possible to the theory and explanations, but a lot of time to practice. The first exercise where the mentee will talk only and mentor to listen (and do not show any signs to follow, or say something) is a practice that creates an aha experience. Here is where the importance of body language and to follow and immerse themselves in conversation. 

 

 Then, we went on where the mentor in the next exercise could ask questions, and here things is starting to fall into places. And all are amazed at how quickly time passes. Last exercise is where the mentor can come with questions, feedback, and not least, the mentor should try to get the mentee to reach a deadline. "When are you going to…"

 

 The exercises and not least the number of exercises will allow participants to get tested as a mentor several times, and that is the meaning. Learn it and do it! 

 

 On the way, we had several discussions related to the exercises and how they think it was and if the mentee thought that the mentor did well or something that mentor could improve. But all the trainings come to an end and unfortunately this also did, after four hours it was over and the participants an experience richer. 

 

After a training people will always be discussing things or ask more questions, so also this time. And as trainers is Lina and I especially happy when the participants are telling us that this was a surprisingly practical training. And that was what made it special and good, namely that the tools they could now go out in life and use. Already the next day, they actually could start to be a mentor on the job or in their spare time, or perhaps in the marriage. 

 

 I hope that some of the interesting ideas that emerged in the training becomes a reality, that JCI Gothenburg start a mentor program. That way, more people could get even better personal development and achieve their goals. 

 

 THANK YOU, JCI Gothenburg, Thank you from Lina and Thor-Erik. 

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Reading about mentorship at Wikipedia

The first recorded modern usage of the term can be traced to a book entitled «Les Aventures de Telemaque», by the French writer François Fénelon In the book the lead character is that of Mentor. This book was published in 1699 and was very popular during the 18th century and the modern application of the term can be traced to this publication.

This is the source of the modern use of the word mentor: a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more experienced person. Some professions have «mentor programs» in which newcomers are paired with more experienced people in order to obtain good examples and advice as they advance, and schools sometimes have mentoring programs for new students or students who are having difficulties.

Today mentors provide their expertise to less experienced individuals in order to help them advance their careers, enhance their education, and build their networks. In many different arenas people have benefited from being part of a mentoring relationship, including:

Maybe you know some famous people using a mentor?

Read more her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentor

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The New Style of Mentoring

 

In many ways, today’s mentoring relationships function quite differently from those of the past.
 
In the traditional style of mentoring, the primary goal was a one-way transfer of a broad range of knowledge or information. The mentor was the authoritarian source of this information, and directed all other aspects of the mentoring relationship. The mentee was a passive recipient and often had little say or control in the relationship. The relationship lasted for a set period of time, and a mentee would have only one mentor. Mentoring would only occur on a face-to-face basis.
 
Today many mentoring relationships have evolved to become more focused on learning. Unlike the traditional model, learner-centered mentoring is a dynamic and two-way relationship that involves critical reflection and full participation by both partners. The mentor assumes a role of a facilitator. The mentee becomes a proactive and equal partner, helping direct the relationship and set its goals. The mentee can also have multiple mentors over a lifetime, and even concurrently. There will still be face-to-face interaction, but mentoring can also occur by telephone, e-mail, or other means.
There is no right way to mentor. Every mentoring relationship is as unique as the individuals involved in it. However, no matter who the individuals or what shape the relationship takes, setting some goals and completing some groundwork can help create a stronger and more productive relationship.
 
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Mentoring in front of us or behind us?

Society today is rediscovering that the process of learning and maturing needs time and many kinds of relationships.

The resurgence of mentoring in almost every occupational field and area of life is a response to this discovery. "Please mentor me," is the spoken and unspoken request
expressed by so many. What do they mean? How do people get into it? …
 
Mentoring is as old as civilization itself. Through this natural relational process,
experience and values pass from one generation to another. Throughout human history, mentoring was the primary means of passing on knowledge and skills in every field in every culture. But in the modem age, the learning process shifted. It now relies primarily on computers, classrooms, books, and videos. Thus, today the relational connection between the knowledge and experience giver (mentor) and the receiver (adept) has weakened or is nonexistent.
 
They are talking more about coaching than mentoring in my country and we have a lot of certifications in coaching, but none in mentoring. Probably is it because mentoring is based on volunteering but in the future we have to get some more structure in the business. Write articles, blogs and use the media. And then we have to make some certification rules. It is a important job.
My shortest training would be a 3 hours training in “The Big Five” and even with little time to practice the tools, the participants was very happy.
So if anyone of you have some stories about mentoring you would like to share, send it to me and I will post it on my blog. Together we can make mentoring better for more people and their careers.
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How important is mentoring to young women?

Mentoring is discussing in all sorts of ways, and I am positive to that. I mean that mentoring is the right way for an boost in personal life and in job life. I come across this Lily7 (www.lily7.com) which exists to encourage and equip young women to develop Godly character and to find their self-worth in Christ alone. I am not going to discuss Christ pro contra, but point out the value of mentoring as a good tool.

And I think they answer very correct in a question they got from one reader. She thinks that mentoring could be a scary word to people. When people at lily7 responded that it could sound really formal and intimidating. But further more they say that mentoring can be as casual as you going to someone you trust and respect for advice. It can also be specific to a particular part of your life, too. For example says Sally, from lily7, I’ve got professors and lawyers who I seek out for how to write a legal argument, and I’ve got totally different people who I seek out for their thoughts on things in my everyday life. These people all see different aspects of my life, but the one thing that they have in common, which makes me call them mentors rather than regular friends, is that my relationship with them involves a lot of me learning from them and them giving their thoughts on whatever it is I’m doing. By contrast, I learn with or alongside friends. And in the end she asks “Does that make sense as a definition of mentoring?”

I say that it is a good definition because it is important for me to make everybody understand what it is, how to use it and that it isn`t intimidated.
To read the whole answer and more from lily7, follow this link:
http://www.lily7.com/consider-lily/

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My book project

I am writing two books about mentoring. They are handbooks for the involved part in a mentoring relationship.
I have learned in my years working with mentoring that both adepts and mentors don`t get the full potential out of the time they spend together.
The reflection part and the overall perspective is less because they take easy on the fact that writing down all thoughts is important.
It is important if you want personal growth to take notes. So my project is to find some tool to make it more easy for both adepts and mentors.

I am writing one book for the adept and one for the mentor. Mentoring is an exciting topic and it is easy to find a lot of material, but more difficult to select the most important.

Care to comments or tip me of topics you are more than welcome