LEADING YOU
GROW YOURSELF
AND OTHERS
THROUGH
MENTORING
By Caroline Mwazi
W
here would you like to be
in the next 5 years? How
will you get there? Have
you identified someone in your social
space who is doing what you would
like to do? Do you help others to
grow by sharing your experience with
them?
Greek philosopher Homer, in his
classic tale, The Odyssey, tells the story
of King Odysseus of Ithaca who sets
off to wage war against the Trojans.
Not sure when or whether he will
return, he leaves his royal household,
and the responsibility for providing
guidance to his son Telemachus,
in the hands of his trusted friend
Mentor, who looks after him for the
10 years Odysseus is gone.
This story has given the word
‘mentor’ to the English language.
By the late 1700’s ‘mentor’ became
a noun meaning ‘wise counsellor’.
Today a mentor is defined as a more
experienced person who acts as a
trusted friend, counsellor, or teacher.
According to an Emory University
article, mentoring is a fundamental
form of human development where
one person invests time, energy, and
personal know-how in assisting the
growth and ability of another person.
Unlike a role model, who can be
distant, a mentor is someone you have
a personal relationship with.
Mentoring ranges from formal
to informal. Formal mentoring
‘‘ According to an Emory University article,
mentoring is a fundamental form of human
development where one person invests time,
energy, and personal know-how in assisting
the growth and ability of another person.
Unlike a role model, who can be distant,
a mentor is someone you have a personal
relationship with.’’
90 MAL 13/16 ISSUE
usually occurs at work, though it can
also occur in other areas. At work
mentorship is used to develop high
flying colleagues on an executive
development program.
This occurs within a formal
operational framework where mentors
are assigned mentees and the duration
and purpose of their relationship
and frequency of meetings is predetermined with regular updates sent
to the Human Resources department
by both parties. Informal mentoring
is less structured and is arranged
between the mentor and mentee.
Conducted well, mentoring benefits
both the mentor and mentee. The
mentor grows in sharing knowledge
and reinforcing success and lesson s
learnt from past experiences. The
mentor also gains satisfaction
from having input in someone
else’s personal growth. Mentees on
the other hand benefit from their
mentor’s experience and perspectives
on their ideas and challenges.
Although occasionally initiated by the
mentor, the mentoring relationship
is usually initiated by the mentee
after identifying a growth need for
mentorship and identifying the
person who they feel can help them