UB's Women in Leadership Pilot Program, 2007/2008 Evaluation ...

Appendix 7 – Mentoring and Women in Leadership ProgramsPrepared by Angela Scollary (consultant for the WiL evaluation).What is mentoring?The origins of the word “mentor” can be found in the Greek myth of King Odysseus, who entrustedhis son Telemachus to his wise friend Mentor. Homer tells the story of how Mentor guidedTelemachus to develop greater self-confidence and maturity (Anderson & Shannon, 1995) 2 .Mentoring involving university staff usually follows the format as defined below:Mentoring is a workplace partnership between two people which gives employees theopportunity to share their professional and personal skills and experiences, and to grow anddevelop in the process. It is based upon encouragement, constructive comments, openness,mutual trust, respect and a willingness to learn and share. Typically, mentoring takes placebetween a more experienced and a less experienced employee (Office of Director of EqualOpportunity in Employment, Sydney 1997) 3 .Mentors can provide important support in guiding the careers of more junior staff byoffering on-the-job and career advice and access to both formal and informal networks andorganisational knowledge.Benefits of mentoringMentoring can benefit the mentee, the mentor and the organisation within which they work.Benefits to mentees may include:Developing new skillsIdentifying areas for professional growthMore strategic career planningGaining or increasing knowledge of organisational culture, structure and processesAccess to new networks and contactsFinding new ways to approach old problemsIncreased confidence in abilitiesIncreased job satisfactionEnhanced career opportunitiesBenefits to mentors may include:Developing skills in coaching, modelling, and listeningEnhanced self-esteem through recognition of professional abilitiesIncreasing organisational knowledge, especially from the viewpoint of the menteeDeveloping and demonstrating management skillsEnhancing leadership skillsGaining a sense of satisfaction in assisting a more junior colleague to developIncreased job satisfactionEnhancing interpersonal skillsThe benefits to an organisation in which mentoring relationships are encouraged andsupported include:Retention and development of talented staffCost effective way of developing employees' skillsDeveloping potential leaders internally with good organisational knowledge2Anderson, E. M. and Shannon, A.L. 1995, "Towards a Conceptualisation of Mentoring," in: T. Kerry. & A.S. Mayes. (eds.) Issuesin Mentoring. London: A.S. Routledge.3 Office of Director of Equal Opportunity in Employment, Sydney 1997http://www.eeo.nsw.gov.au/careers/mentorbook.htm24