Thank you for visiting this blog. Perhaps you are in an informal mentoring relationship. Maybe you are part of a structured program. Either way you will find here the opportunity to air any concerns and obtain feedback from your peers and draw on the knowledge I have gained in the last ten years of working with mentors.
Talk to you soon,
Ann Rolfe
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At the AITD National Conference last month I was asked more questions than my presentation time allowed me to answer. I will use this blog to respond. Feel free to add your own thoughts.
Question 1: What attitudes can prevent a person being mentored? Can they be managed?
Effective mentoring takes place when the person being mentored is open to professional and personal growth. They need to desire and welcome the opportunity for self-development that mentoring provides.
Some of the attitudes that prevent mentoring include:
• Aimlessness, no goals or thinking they don’t need a mentor
• Helplessness, blaming other people or circumstances
• Expecting the mentor to act for them
To manage these:
1. Have participants self-nominate so they are volunteers not conscripts
2. Use selection criteria that include a demonstrated desire for personal development
3. Market mentoring using testimonials from people who have benefited