Both. Male and female mentors are both important to ensure a rounded experience of the workplace. Male mentors provide guidance and support in navigating the workplace, recognising the politics and playing the game. Female mentors empathise with and share their experiences of being a woman in male-dominated workplaces. Women allow other women to explore their whole selves, to develop both as a professional and as an [...]

Mentoring can be of great value to women and minority groups. These are the employees who have often been disenfranchised within organisations and have not been “chosen” by informal mentors. Businesses currently lose approximately one-third of its women (source: EOWA Census) between middle management and senior management, creating a paucity of women in executive positions and in the pipeline. Talented women – women in whom organisations [...]

One of the advantages of mentoring is that it can be adapted to any organisation’s culture and resources. There are several mentoring models to choose from when developing a mentoring program, including: One-On-One Mentoring The most common mentoring model, one-on-one mentoring matches one mentor with one mentee. Most people prefer this model because it allows both mentor and mentee to develop a personal relationship and provides [...]

Mentoring benefits the organisation, mentors and mentees. Your organisation benefits by: Enhancing strategic business initiatives Encouraging retention and reducing turnover costs Improving productivity Breaking down the “silo” mentality that hinders cooperation between divisions. Retaining the corporate history, practical experience and wisdom gained from long-term employees. Enhancing professional development. Linking employees with valuable knowledge and information to other employees in need of such information Creating a mentoring [...]

While many managers demonstrate mentoring behaviour on an informal basis, it is very different from having a structured mentoring program. There are qualitative and structural differences between a manager-employee relationship and a mentor-mentee relationship. That’s why structured mentoring programs never pair mentors with their direct reports. Managerial Role The manager-employee relationship focuses on achieving the objectives of the department and the company. The manager assigns tasks, [...]

Informal and formal mentoring are different in their approaches and outcomes. In informal mentoring: The goals of the relationship are not specified The outcomes are not measured Access is limited and may be exclusive Mentors and mentees self-select on the basis of personal chemistry The relationship is open-ended and can continue for a life-time The organization benefits indirectly, as the focus is exclusively on the mentee [...]

As organisations are increasingly impacted by the changing workforce demographics, they are recognising the importance of mentoring. Faced with ageing populations and decreasing talent pools, organisations are finding it difficult to recruit and retain qualified personnel. And as corporate downsizing continues, organisations are also experiencing a flattening of their organisations, challenging them to provide sufficient growth opportunities for employees. On the positive side, organisations find today’s [...]

No, although related, they are not the same. Mentoring is holistic, focusing on all aspects of the mentee’s life that can impact performance, satisfaction and motivation i.e. work, career, family, work-life balance. Coaching is specific, aimed at identifying competency gaps and providing information, skills and strategies to close those gaps. While mentoring is led by the mentee, the coach leads coaching. Mentoring: Occurs outside the manager-employee [...]

Mentors draw upon their own wisdom and experience to: Facilitate the mentee’s growth by sharing resources and networks Challenge the mentee to move beyond his or her comfort zone Create a safe learning environment for taking risks Focus on the mentee’s total development

Mentoring is a professional relationship in which an experienced person (the mentor) assists another, (the mentee) in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the mentee’s professional and personal growth