The Magic of Mentoring

Developing Others and Yourself

Carol Thompson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781138309661
• eBook ISBN: 9781351388566
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

The Magic of Mentoring offers an introduction to the theory and practice of successful mentoring together with a unique focus on how mentors can reflect on the skills they bring to the role, and those they still need to develop. Through the use of scenarios, reflections and stories, the reader is encouraged to apply the content to a real context, demonstrating the importance of reflection for both parties and the benefits derived from this, especially those related to understanding ourselves and others.

Written by Carol Thompson, who has worked with a range of trainee teachers and mentors, this book draws from the author's own experience to explore the importance of self-development, and the ways in which this can be enhanced through practice. Reviewing key themes in relation to mentoring, including models and current practice, it considers the creation of a nurturing environment through effective communication as well as acknowledging the need to generate the right challenge for mentees. All aspects of mentoring are outlined, emphasising how personal development can improve the experience of your mentees, build your own confidence, enhance your transferable skills, and advance your own professional practice and relationships. Engaging activities are provided for mentors to undertake to support their own professional development.

The Magic of Mentoring is an ideal guide for all those studying coaching or mentoring on a formal programme or for anyone who mentors others in formal or informal settings. The structure of 15 concise chapters lends itself to referencing back and targeted reading for specific guidance.

The roots of mentoring

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a tree? Do you consider how green the leaves are, or how many branches it has? Or perhaps look at the trunk and imagine how long it has been in position and all the things it must have witnessed in that time? For most of us observation will focus on the things above the surface of the ground; we may be struck by the tree’s beauty or marvel at how proud and tall it stands, but very rarely do we consider what is keeping it in place – trees must develop deep roots in order to grow and flourish.

At its best, the impact of mentoring can be life-changing. It can represent a relationship that inspires mutual learning and growth and has the capacity to transform individuals and organisations. At its worst it is a relationship that pays ‘lip-service’ to a process, or something that ‘looks good on paper’, potentially with both parties being coerced into participating. In a culture of high accountability, providing evidence that we support colleagues, students and community members through a mentoring programme is an attractive prospect, which may result in the development of mentoring approaches that focus on the superficial but do not have strong roots or the capacity to bloom and grow. In this chapter we explore the roots of mentoring, by which I mean the fundamental principles underpinning any model of mentoring, the core values assumed by mentors, and the ways in which mentoring can become a democratic process and create a culture where both mentors and mentees will thrive.

What is a mentor?

There are many definitions of mentoring which in turn inform our vision of what a mentor should ‘look’ like. A brief scan of history outlines some influential mentor–mentee relationships, including musicians, businessmen and political figures; for example, Ray Charles was mentored by music industry legend Quincy Jones, Bill Gates by American business magnate Warren Buffet and Carl Jung by Sigmund Freud.

Within all of these examples the role of mentoring is depicted as a relationship wherein the development of the mentee is the key focus and the mentors are the altruistic providers of expert guidance and support who freely give their time and share their knowledge. Indeed the name ‘mentor’ derives from one of the characters in Homer’s Odyssey – ‘Mentor’ – who, when the King of Ithaca (Odysseus) went off to war, was entrusted with the care of his son Telemachus. The very nature of this relationship suggests that the trusted must at all times be responsive to the needs of the trustee in much the same way as within a parent and child relationship. Such portrayals of mentor–mentee relationships depict the mentor as an older, more experienced advisor or a more knowledgeable, and perhaps higher status, role model guiding a protégé, a description that is similar to Erikson’s theory of generativity whereby an older person chooses to nurture the things that will outlast them, and in doing so encourages a continuation of something that has begun but cannot be finished within a single lifetime (Erikson 1959). However, there is a key difference in the motivation associated with these descriptions; in the first example there is no reference to what a mentor might get out of the relationship, whereas the latter clearly recognises the self-interest apparent in a sense of ‘self-reproduction’, as Freud (n.d.) acknowledged when referring to Jung as his ‘heir’ or ‘successor’: ‘If I am Moses, then you are Joshua and will take possession of the promised land of psychiatry, which I shall only be able to glimpse from afar’ (Letter to Carl Jung, January 17, 1909).

Alternative definitions of mentoring refer to a development activity within organisations or someone who helps an individual to achieve career aims. The title is used in a number of ways and it seems that, to arrive at a useful definition, we must also have an understanding of context. The role of the mentor differs according to why and where it evolved and ways of being a mentor seem to vary according to individual interpretation – perhaps that is how it should be. One definition that seems to fit most mentoring roles is this: ‘A mentor is a person who helps another to think things through’ (Pask 2004, cited in Pask and Joy 2007:8). In this definition the mentor does not assume superior knowledge or status but acts more as a channel through which the mentee can develop their own approaches. It is also possible that the process of helping another to think things through, perhaps by questioning accepted wisdom, assists the mentor in developing their own thinking and as such it becomes a symbiotic relationship.

Mentoring versus coaching

A further confusion in defining the mentoring role occurs when we make reference to coaching and mentoring. These are words that are often used together, sometimes interchangeably and, as stated by Lancer et al., there is confusion over definitions ‘What one group describes as coaching, another would perceive as mentoring. This arises due to the complexity of coaching and mentoring and the plethora of different approaches’ (Lancer et al. 2016:5).

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) describes coaching as ‘Developing a person’s skills and knowledge so that their job performance improves’ (CIPD 2004:online). This appears to indicate a form of specific training and would certainly be in keeping with the sort of coaching we might associate with sports training, its focus being to improve performance or to reach specific goals. Although not my working definition, the term ‘mentor’ is also used in some contexts to describe the role of someone whose job it is to ensure that the performance of others is up to the organisation’s required standard in a given skill, and thereby describes a role that we can presume involves the utilisation of a number of coaching skills.

The purpose of mentoring has been described as a relationship: ‘To support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be’ (Parsloe 2008:online). This description illustrates a process that develops capability in a general sense, rather than having a focus on the acquisition of specific skills and one that is driven by the mentee rather than the mentor.

Traditionally, mentoring is seen as a more long-term relationship based on trust and authenticity, in which knowledge is openly shared. Within this framework, and through their prior experience, mentors are able to make the hazy clear and the impossible possible and, according to Jung, the mentor symbolises knowledge, reflection, insight, wisdom, cleverness and intuition (Jung 1958).

When is a coach a mentor?

Consider the list in Table 1.1 and think about whether you would believe the statements relate to the role of a coach or of a mentor. The columns are mixed up, so the easiest way to work through this is to add ‘C’ or ‘M’ next to each statement to indicate your choice.

Table 1.1 Statements relating to the role of coach and mentor

Ongoing relationship that can last for a long time	Relationship generally has a short duration
Generally more structured in nature and meetings scheduled on a regular basis	Can be more informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentored individual needs some guidance and or support
Short term (sometimes time bounded) and focused on specific development areas/issues	More long term and takes a broader view of the person
Role holder usually passes on experience and is normally more senior in the organisation	Not generally performed on the basis that role holder needs direct experience of client’s formal occupational role
The focus is on career and personal development	Focus generally on developm...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• The magic of mentoring: Introduction
• 1. The roots of mentoring
• 2. Creating the right environment
• 3. Recognising boundaries
• 4. Understanding ourselves and others
• 5. Nurturing the mentoring relationship
• 6. Communication
• 7. Modelling excellence
• 8. Challenging
• 9. Reflection
• 10. Flexibility
• 11. Mentoring creativities
• 12. Mentoring dilemmas
• 13. Transitions
• 14. Working with others
• 15. The magic within
• Index