Best Mentoring Blog 2012

Last year I started my blog list of the best mentoring blogs on Internett, it’s a wide range of blogs out there and some are business sites as well. To gather the best blogs/sites demands me to look not only for bloggers but also for company sites. The aim is to gather the best sites about mentoring, I can see that calling it best mentoring blog required to only look at blogs, but I hope that in my strive to find mentoring information that is ok.

I want to find the blog with information about mentoring, so that if you want to start as a mentor or maybe start a mentoring program you can look at that blog.

I also have a new logo, a logo that look more like a diploma. And a more energized color, red.

I will post the list within short time, and then making an article on the best three blogs.

mars 21, 2013

Sodexo’s 2013 Workplace Trends Report

Every year Sodexo have this report and this year’s report takes a comprehensive look at what is driving efficiency, development and satisfaction in the workplace, and offers a unique perspective on what is essential to organizations to help them be productive and grow.

They asked top practitioners in human capital solutions, information technology, facilities management, real estate and hospitality what issues are being considered at the C-Suite level that are key drivers of success and essential to individual and organizational performance. The result: an overarching theme that “people centric” approaches are yielding positive outcomes and driving value beyond traditional brick and mortar strategies.

Technological advances, coupled with globalization, continue to play a significant role in today’s ever-evolving workplace, shifting the landscape toward a true virtual work environment. Collaboration is king and information is available on-demand, allowing almost everyone access and connectivity whether at work, home, or play.

They have also learned that the expectations of the most recent generations entering the workforce are more and more pronounced in this year’s trends. How this generation expects to be recruited, recognized and retained is reflected in many of the trends: social media has become the primary method of sourcing talent, establishing buying and endorsing ownership is a key component of recognition, and alignment of values, mentoring programs, as well as a culture of inclusion, have all become driving forces in employee satisfaction. All have a significant impact on the holistic well-being of today’s workforce.

And finally Sodexo says that with continuing pressure on companies to be lean and efficient, these trends are not only a direct reflection of today’s new economic reality, but they reflect a global influence that tells us that the only thing constant is change. The workplace as we know it never ceases to evolve, and will continue to do so through 2013 and beyond.

I will take the mentoring trends and present it and discuss it in the next three articles, stay tuned.

mars 4, 2013mars 1, 2013

Groups in Linkedin

Linked in isn´t just a electronic CV, but a place to meet people with the same interests, discussions and also learning something. In the beginning I got to Linkedin because of the CV function, but after some time I learned to appreciate different groups and also used them to discuss or maybe to get a comment.

Here are some of the groups I am a member of:

Coordinators of mentoring programs

International Mentoring Association

Mentors for Entrepreneurs

European Mentoring and Coaching Council – EMCC

Mentoring – A subgroup of Mentoring at Works

I hope you already find them but if not, go in and look at them right now and become a member.

februar 27, 2013februar 27, 2013

Wants to help grow successful small businesses in America?

For all my American readers out there, want to do some volunteering as a mentor? SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They have been doing this for nearly fifty years.

They provide:

MENTORS who share their expertise across 62 industries
Confidential businessCOUNSELING in person or via email
Free business TOOLS, templates and tips online
Inexpensive or free businessWORKSHOPS (locally) and webinars (online 24/7)

Because of their work they are supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to their network of 12,000+ volunteers, they are able to deliver services at no charge or at very low cost.

This is a fantastic organization with over 12 000 volunteers helping entrepreneurs in over 340 chapter across America.

Here is one of the success stories.

Off Broadway Dance Company

Owners Pat Balderas and Geri Messer created Off Broadway by purchasing the Manhattan Dance Company in 2011, and they have been growing steadily ever since. They maintain their studio in the Common Space in order to keep costs down and fees low. Many of their students are working women, who attend class on evenings and Saturdays.

Owner/Founder

Geri Messer & Pat Balderas

My Location

Common Space 1700 N Reynolds Rd Rm 207

Toledo OH 43615

United States

How SCORE Helped

The adults taking tap dance lessons at this studio located in the Common Space are often also the stars in performances given throughout the community. Their big event is the Annual Showcase staged each year at the Maumee High School Performing Art Center.

These folks are serious about tap dancing; most of them attend two or three lessons each week, and progress from “beginner” to “advanced” under the guidance of the area’s finest teachers. This makes Off Broadway unique in the Toledo area.

Pat and Geri had the help of SCORE mentors Dennis Snell and Alan Messer, who have guided them in their growth and in planning for the future. Space will soon become an issue; there were two classes each week when they started (with 30 students), and the walls are now bulging with eight classes (and 55 students).

Adults range in age from 22 to 72, and most look forward to participating in the Company’s performances. They have an extensive community outreach program, going to nursing homes and the like. But they also are becoming well known as performers at various functions in the area. And that Annual Showcase attracted 700 paid attendees last year!

Pat and Geri emphasize that we are “all adults taught by adults; this is not an exercise class; we don’t dumb it down; this is really a professional operation.” But they are quick to say that not everyone wants to be a performer, and others who are interested in learning the skills of tap dancing are certainly welcome!

Go to their excellent web site: www.offbroadwaydancecompany.com for more information.

If you want to know more, read more success stories or maybe become a mentor, click here

mai 8, 2012april 28, 2012

Mentoring Works – No. 1 on The Best Mentoring Blog 2011 list.

Mentoring Works is devoted to developing and supporting mentoring.

Ann Rolfe is internationally recognised as Australia’s leading specialist in mentoring, and is available for speaking, training and consulting.

At here blog Ann shares her knowledge and allows you to ask your most pressing questions about mentoring.

The website assist us in:

Training and learning mentoring skills
Planning your workplace mentoring strategy
Managing your mentoring program

She is also the winner of:

These are the best of the best within everything from «Best Talent» to «Best Services» and «Best Mentoring/Coaching Program»,
with her client NSW Department of Community and Family Services for their Aboriginal Management Mentoring Program.

Click here to view here blog: http://mentoring-works.blogspot.com/

or here to view here website on Mentoring Works: http://mentoring-works.com/

november 20, 2011november 11, 2011

What you may not know about mentoring

If you are reading about mentoring for the first time it´s some information which is good to have. I will bring you some of them for the next week. And by the way, good luck with the mentoring work.

Mentors generally volunteer for their role for all the right reasons.
Many high achieving professionals like to «give something back».
Contributing to the development of others through mentoring is an honored tradition.
Yet, there is a well-kept secret about mentoring that may come as a shock to some
or be no surprise at all for others when they discover it.

november 11, 2011november 17, 2011

When running a mentoring program, it is important to…

When having a running program it is important to have contact with all the participants. And especially in the start of a program. A short phone call or maybe an email to both the mentee and the mentor, just to get information about the first mentee/mentor meeting and the match. It is important for the participants because they feel taken care of and we can lure out if it´s something wrong.

Not wrong maybe but if it´s a good or bad match or maybe if the mentee isn´t prepared or maybe the mentor is talking to much. Maybe the mentors isn´t that clear as a mentor and the meeting is almost as an information meeting.

I have no been sitting for two days and having those calls. And I am loving it!!!

They have all sort of feedback, but they all are saying something like: I love my mentor, the mentor is great, It is great meetings and very useful discussions. And the mentor is telling me about their great mentee and how they are running the meetings and using case.

In these two days I have only experienced one mentee who was not that satisfied with the mentor. But through the conversation we concluded two important things for the mentee for the next meeting. Number one: Be prepared and number two: have some concrete to talk about before the meeting. It could be the leader role, budgeting, new as a leader or other things. And when we said goodbye the mentee the mentee thanked me for the feedback and the little mentoring I have done.

As a coordinator for mentoring programs this is important, you can´t have your mentees and mentors living their own lives between the start and the ending of a program.

juni 15, 2011juni 14, 2011

Difference between good and great trainers

There is a discussion going on, on www.linkedin.com about the difference between good and great trainers. What is your opinion about this?

Avinash Naidu who started the discussion means that you have to combine passion, intelligence, commitment, and cutting edge skills to deliver programs of lasting value. I loved that.

What do you think is the difference between a good and a great trainer? And the next question will then be, how can YOU be a great trainer?

februar 26, 2011februar 25, 2011

The Norwegian Mentoring Program for youth

Evening Course II is a part of the Norwegian Mentor program (www.mentorprogrammet.no) facilitating the transfer of experience between the mentors and mentee.

The participants will receive training in practical tool that both could be useful in the mentor role, and in the work otherwise.

There will be room to discuss the management challenges and issues that have emerged along with the adept.

AND there will be revealed a new mentoring tool – The MENTOR Tool.

This will be fun, a lot of the mentors have I trained several times so they are getting better and better. BUT, there is always something to learn.

februar 24, 2011februar 25, 2011

EVERYONE DESERVES A MENTOR !

«I MAY BE ONLY ONE PERSON – BUT TO ONE PERSON, I MIGHT BE THE WORLD!»

Those of us who are involved in mentoring, are so involved because we want to make a difference in other persons’ lives. Many of us became involved in mentoring because someone invested their energy, time, and caring in us. Others of us became involved because no one invested themselves in us that way, and we want to be sure that we have done what we can so that never happens for others.