QHA-Review_August_Digital

TRAINING AND SAFETY RTO 30826
with Therese Kelly
LET’S TAKE A LOOK INTO
MENTORING AND ITS BENEFITS
QHA REVIEW | 40
It has never been more important to take charge of
your personal and professional development and learn
with and from other people. If you’ve ever had a good
mentor, you can appreciate the value of a person who
asks you questions, who listens without judging you
and who will offer their ideas but also support you
in making your own decisions. Conversations with
mentors help you figure out what you want and the
best ways to achieve that.
A mentor tends to be defined as a wise guide, but
many definitions exist. The concept of mentoring
values wisdom and experience, not position and
power. Building trust and a willingness to make time
and take interest in another person’s development are
more important, as mentoring should be regarded as a
partnership.
Benefits for mentees, mentors and organisations
Mentoring benefits organisations in four main ways:
• providing personal and professional development
• improving wellbeing
• tapping into knowledge
• gaining new perspective
Personal, professional and career development for
the mentee are the main aim of workplace mentoring,
however the mentee also gains valuable advice,
knowledge and insight into what it takes to get ahead,
which can help them develop their skills and offer an
opportunity to build their network.
Mentors also get great benefits, as the experience can
assist in building leadership and communication skills,
grant new perspectives and give a sense of personal
satisfaction. Both mentor and mentee develop as
a result, with the personal and professional growth
building organisational capability.
Organisations use mentoring for knowledge
management. A mentoring program can also help
increase engagement between employees and help
employees build new relationships outside of their
traditional department, as mentors often work in senior
roles or on different teams than their mentees.
Mentors and mentees might offer each other new
perspectives, which can lead to more opportunities to
share diverse ideas. A mentorship program can also
help create a positive workplace culture, as mentors
often aid new team members, leading to higher rates
of happiness and a feeling of inclusion — creating a
better culture for all team members.
Mentoring often occurs naturally, but there are more
structured approaches. Ways to mentor include:
• reciprocal mentoring (two colleagues mentor each
other)
• reverse mentoring (executives mentored by nonexecutives)
• group mentoring (one mentor meets with several
mentees)
However, the most common ways to mentor are
informally and formally.
Informal mentoring
Informal mentoring refers to supportive relationships
developed outside of organised programs in the
workplace.
Informal mentoring programs include:
• unspecified goals
• unknown outcomes
• limited access to the program
• self-selection of mentors and mentees
• long-term mentoring
• no expert training or support
• indirect organisational benefits
Formal mentoring
Formal mentoring brings people together on the basis
of compatibility, and is often and based on specific
business objectives. This relationship typically lasts for
a specified amount of time and then formally ends.
Formal mentoring programs include:
• established goals
• measurable outcomes
• open access for all who qualify
• strategic pairing of mentors and mentees
• mentoring engagements lasting 9 to 12 months
• expert training and support
• direct organisational benefits
• connection to a strategic business objective in the
organisation
If your organisation doesn’t already have a mentoring
program in place, now is a great time. Doing so
can help enhance leadership skills, increase job
performance and foster a more diverse and inclusive
workplace — and that’s good for everyone.