If you are interested in mentoring but a little overwhelmed by the amount of information available on the web you may find the following suggestions helpful. Shine has selected what we think are the most useful mentoring websites, providing research, tips and insights into the topic. They are listed in no particular order but they are all bound to provide some 'food for thought'. If you know of other sites worth our attention please let us know!

Management Mentors

www.management-mentors.com US based Rene Petrin's organisation focuses on corporate mentoring and mentoring software

The Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring

www.theocsm.co.uk For coaching and mentoring qualifications

Mentoring Works

www.mentoring-works.com Mentoring expertise based down under

Horsesmouth

www.horsesmouth.co.uk The place where mentees and mentors find each other

European Mentoring and Coaching Council

www.emccouncil.org Provides international accreditation and set standards for mentoring 

Clutterbuck Associates

www.cluttterbuckassociates.co.uk Prof David Clutterbuck is a mentoring authority and has written many books on the subject

The Invisible Mentor

www.theinvisiblementor.com Uses the idea that mentors can be leaders whose work we can review and study from afar

By Alessandra Alonso

I read this today and wanted to share it with everyone because it embodies the true nature, value and outcome of mentoring.

"Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, & scientist (1749 - 1832)

Happy mentoring!

By Alessandra Alonso

A few days ago I was talking to an hungarian contact of mine about the importance of implementing mentoring in organisations not just to develop individuals but to transfer knowledge. My colleague said ' If I understand you correctly, what you are saying to me here is that businesses should use mentoring as a knowledge management tool'. This struck me as a very important angle to explore. Knowledge management is one of today's core business issues. Knowledge managers are created in all organisations, to ensure that the experience, expertise and information owned by individuals is retained and transferred to others. This is so that we avoid repeating mistakes or duplicating efforts and push new employees faster up the learning curve. The problem is that often organisations lack the appropriate forum where such transfer can take place and they rely on the individual to download and capture that knowledge on a system (often a software programme, an intranet or similar). Through mentoring however, we have the opportunity to create that forum and therefore vocalise and transfer that knowledge in a way that will trickle down through the system from mentor to mentee, who in turn will transfer it to his/her colleagues and team members simply by adopting a mentoring style in his or her day-to-day work. The most valuable thing in my view is that through mentoring what might be otherwise perceived as static and disconnected data is brought to life by the human interaction. In a mentoring relationship personal experience and context will turn data into relevant knowledge and ultimately 'wisdom'.  This wisdom matters because it is what makes people more effective, enabling organisations to perform better and gain a competitive edge.  So if knowledge management is important to your organisation, think of mentoring as a system to capture and transfer that knowledge in a dynamic and long-lasting way.      

By Alessandra Alonso

Recently a friend of mine called me to say that he had grown increasingly upset with his mentor and was ready to halt their relationship. I asked him why he felt such level of frustration and he replied: 'She challenges everything I say and never appears to agree with me.' I had to think long and hard about this before expressing any further opinion. Challenging, I said, is part of the mentor's role...'Indeed, said my friend, but it would be nice to see some empathy too. Besides, she does not seem to know when to stop and I often feel cornered.'  A couple of days later I was still thinking about this conversation and that is why I decided to write a blog about it. Truth is every mentee is different and whilst there are some who enjoy being challenged by the mentors, for others mentoring is about finding a sound board, a listening ear... and an empathetic one too. That is why is very important (and good practice too) to set the boundaries of the relationship at the beginning, through a 'virtual (or otherwise) mentoring agreement, in which mentee and mentors identify and agree what behaviours, support and outcomes they expect and wish to achieve.

But is there such a thing as a 'must-abide' list for mentors? I thought such list would be helpful and so I compiled what I personally think are reasonable expectations on the part of mentees:

1. Empathy - Even though you might disagree, as a mentor you are supposed to be able to put yourself in your mentee's shoes and see any situations from their viewpoint as well)
2. Confidentiality - This is a MUST for any relationship to prosper
3. Sounding board - Mentors should be able to take on board mentees' ideas and help them see other possible view points or potential scenarios (what if)
4. Challenge - Mentors should be able to push the mentee out of their comfort zone for learning to happen. However, this has to be done carefully and only after permission has been granted by the mentee
5. Sharing experience - This can be another thorny issue. Some mentees expect the mentors to spoon feed them solutions. Some mentors are far too willing to 'tell' rather than 'enable and empower'. When this is the case learning does not happen nor personal growth in the mentee. However, mentors should offer their own experience as a relevant example which can be used to draw parallels or further build on.

 If you are a mentor or looking to become one you may keep the above list in mind and add to it according to your own experience. You may also find our forthcoming webinar - Coach-Mentoring skills for the workplace - worth attending.       

By Alessandra Alonso

Today I am very pleased to have been invited to attend a mentoring committee meeting at the University where I gained my MSc.  I am delighted to see that more and more higher education establishments are introducing mentoring programmes and mentoring networks, particularly as a way to keep former students / alumni engaged. The beauty of such initiatives is that they help everyone involved: the University to engage and retain the interest and input of former students; mentors to acquire skills that can be used further in their workplace and community; and mentees to network, gain knowledge, information, advice...However, even the simplest mentoring initiative requires time, energies and the commitment of a handful of people and getting it right from the beginning is even more important for its continued success. Here are a few questions that may help those of you who are considering the launch of an Alumni Mentoring Network:

- What are my objectives and the needs this mentoring is going to address?

- Who are my mentees and my mentors and how do I reach out to them?

- How will they be matched? Is this self-selective or guided matching?

- How will I measure / evaluate success?

Answering these questions will probably solicit a number of others but it will also ensure you start with the end in mind! 

By Alessandra Alonso.

Today I had the pleasure to attend an industry lunch at which the guest speaker was the Hon Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism for South Africa. With only a couple of days left before the 2010 Soccer World Cup kicks off, the Minister spoke about what it means to host a mega-event in a developing country and what long lasting legacy such event is going to leave behind.  Indeed, the importance of this legacy cannot be underestimated as the World Cup provides an unprecedented opportunity to educate, support, engage and improve the life of thousands of people. But how do you achieve such legacy? How does one get host communities involved and empowered? Clearly there are no simple answers - nor panaceas. However, implementing mentoring in the community could be one way to leverage the enthusiasm, unity and positive approach shown by most people during and before such events, whether in South Africa or Canada. In the UK  targeted mentoring programmes have helped riabilitate young offenders, supported children from disadvantaged background through education and facilitated return to employment.  With the 2012 Games approaching and one in three children still living in poverty, now is the time to grow our investment in mentoring in the UK and ensure that it continues to play a transformational role in the life of many.           

This week we have a guest blog from our friends at the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation.  They make some really interesting points about the role we all have in influencing our new politicians about the role of mentoring. 

Following the General Election on 6^th May, hundreds of new MPs have been elected to Parliament and a new coalition government has been formed.  New policies and priorities are emerging daily, leading to great opportunities for mentoring and befriending stakeholders to influence on a local, regional and national level.

MBF have developed an Agenda for Change which details where we believe mentoring and befriending can make a real difference.  It campaigns on three key challenges:

1. Working with people - Mentoring and befriending provides very real help to those most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our society.   However, long term investment is needed if they are to transform lives.
2. Working with volunteers - Our ambition is that everyone should have the chance to befriend or mentor someone in their community who is socially isolated or disadvantaged and contribute to the development of a civil society.
3. Working with communities - We need to ensure that organisations that are providing mentoring and befriending services are able to compete on a level playing field in the commissioning of services and funding and support is directed in those projects that are most likely to succeed.

At the heart of mentoring and befriending is people, people working with other people to transform lives.  We all have to take responsibility to represent our views to new MP’s and make sure that mentoring and befriending is kept high on the political agenda, getting across the message that mentoring and befriending is cost effective, but not free. 

MBF have developed a briefing paper and templates to help you make contact and build a relationships.  As the new Government’s policies become clearer over the next few weeks, MBF will continue to seek to influence policy by working with new ministers and their departments.

If you want to know more or have comments about this blog please get in touch with Shine or MBF.

By Alessandra Alonso. 

At the weekend I had the opportunity to reflect on the power of appreciative enquiry in mentoring relationships (that answers the questions: what is good in you life? what is working well?). Making the most of the lovely sunshine, we had a garden party for my little boy, who turned one on sunday. In the evening I asked my four year old child what he had enjoyed the most about the day and whether he was upset that all the (birthday) gifts went to his little brother. He replied: 'Oh no, I already have so many toys...and I loved the sun...playing with the other children...the ice-cream...'  This really made me think about how much we all have and how often we forget it! At work as much as in our personal lives, we are so focussed on what we are trying to achieve next, and so upset about the things that perhaps are not going to plan, that we can be oblivious to all the positive things that form part of our reality. As mentors (or managers.. or parents...or friends...) we should be able to use Appreciative Enquiry to really encourage mentees to reflect on what is working well and ensure this awareness is used to incrementally build a positive frame of mind.   Ultimately. appreciative enquiry is about building stronger, more confident individuals who are able to achieve their next set of goals by gaining an understanding of how much they already have going for them.      

If you wish to refresh your mentoring skills or learn some more advanced techniques, you might like to sign up for our mentoring skills webinars, beginner or advanced level. You can also drop us a line, or call us on 0208 3432520 if there is anything you wish to discuss.   

By Alessandra Alonso.

There is a new buzz word in the mentoring world...Network Mentoring. This is not the same of Mentoring Network. It is about building a web of mentors that can help you achieve different objectives. The reason is rather clear. With this pace of change, communication advancement and technological progress, it is practically impossible for any one person to provide you with all necessary support. It is also quite possible that at any given time you will be dealing with a number of issues: some might be of a personal nature; some might be career related; others technical/professional and very specific to your work context. If you review your circles of friends and colleagues; if you think of the many organisations you are a member of and indeed if you think of your colleagues at work, you will find that you can identify at least one person to deal with each of the topic. Some of these mentoring relationship may only last for a brief period whilst others may well develop over a longer period of time. In all cases however, you should not feel that you are offending anyone by having a number of mentors. On the contrary, giving your mentor clarity of purpose by focussing on a specific issue or area where they are recognised experts will most likely greatly engage and motivate them. From your own view point as mentee, you are also more likely to extract the best out of each relationship and therefore to make best use of the mentoring opportunity.

Are you looking for a mentor? Are you about to embark in a mentoring relationship and wish to undesrtand how to maximise it? Please contact us; buy the Shine's Mentee Guide or join our webinar 'How aspiring mentees can make the most of mentoring'      

By Alessandra Alonso. In recent years the word authenticity has been increasingly used in connection to leadership and management practices. According to one author, 'at its deepest level, leadership is authentic self-expression that creates value.'

But what exactly do we mean by authenticity and does it play a role in mentoring? On one level authenticity is about truth. So being authentic is acknowledging the truth, one's truth and reality. Somebody involved in a mentoring relationship may be asked to explain and illustrate his/her reality, understanding where he/she is at  a certain point in their life (it answers the questions: what is happening around me? where am I at this moment? what is good in my life?) . Understanding and acknowledging reality is critically important to enable an individual  to build on it in a positive and constructive manner, appreciating what one might have already achieved so that one can be inspired and encouraged to take the next steps. 

However, authenticity is also about being true to yourself, therefore understanding and knowing who one really is (the 'know yourself' of the ancients). In mentoring this is even more important as no mentoring conversation can achieve a meaningful outcome without the mentee being clear about his or her own self. Interestingly in my experience, such clarity is often only latent in the mentee and brought about by the questioning of the mentor over the mentoring conversation. In this case, perhaps unintentionally, authenticity becomes an outcome of the mentoring relationship and the core principle on which to build forthcoming conversations.               

By Alessandra Alonso.  Today one the popular human resources' magazine has published results from a research on employees engagement in the UK, undertaken by the Kenexa Research Institute. The bottom-line is that engagement is going south again, standing at 51% in 2010 down from 54% in 2009.  Why does this matter? Because, as it is now widely accepted, employees' engagement is key to to business success.  

The results may not surprise us given the difficult economic and working environment: people have seen their colleagues go, their pay frozen, their budgets cut down. What is interesting however is that high levels of employee engagement are linked amongst other things to managers who recognise employees and emphasise improvement as top priorities; exciting work and the opportunity to develop; and organisations that demonstrate a genuine responsibility to their employees and communities. furthermore, for the first time, opportunity for growth and development, the value of employee contributions and the feeling that staff ideas count appeared among the top 10 drivers of engagements.

To me, this is equivalent to say that employees value organisations that embed a mentoring culture in the way they operate, as mentoring does exactly what employees are looking for, creating opportunities for growth, for contribution (of ideas, knowledge, creative thinking...) and for continuous involvement. It also provide managers with the opportunity to gain more feedback on what matters to employees.  This should be a no brainer, yet there are many companies/organisations out there for whom mentoring is not an understood or indeed practiced tool. For these companies, this introductory article may offer a good place to start exploring mentoring and its applications. Another way could be to join our mentoring webinars.  Either way, please get in touch if you have further questions or you would like some help in establishing a programme.     

By Gaby Marcon.  Every generation revolts against its fathers and makes friends with its grandfathers” – I have been thinking about how this quote by the American sociologist Lewis Mumford relates to mentoring and to an aging population.  You may ask what one may have to do with the other….There are hundred of thousands of people who, having reached pensionable age or approaching it, would be delighted to offer their experience and wisdom to a younger generation of professionals. They may not be their own children but they may well be their grandchildren… Mentoring skills may be used by young parents when bringing up children however, grandparents could be better mentors as they are removed from the immediate business of ‘bringing them up’ and more into providing a different perspective, perhaps a more ‘learned’ viewpoint and certainly a sounding board. Furthermore, they are the ones who could be more interested in learning from the generation of their grandchildren and become excited again by the marvels of new technology or by keeping their brain fit and healthy….. Mumford may well be right in its assertion…..What do you think? Let me know by writing to g.marcon@shinepeopleandplaces.co.uk

By Alessandra Alonso.  Somebody asked me recently...What have you learned from mentoring relationships? My immediate answer was that true mentoring requires a great deal of responsibility on the part of the mentor as well as the mentee. Whilst mentoring is in priciple mentee-driven, the mentor has the power to unlock many a ' moment of truth' for the mentee and as such, impact his/her well-being for the long term. A key example for me is that of asking powerful questions. Powerful questions are open, incisive, sometimes difficult, often challenging and their impact is long lasting. Through powerful questions mentees extend their thinking, clarify, broaden their horizon and sometimes truly come to their senses. A powerful question can begin an exhilarating journey for the mentee, where the final destination is greater self-awareness and ultimately authenticity.  But as a mentor one must practice powerful questions ethically because the mentee will feel their full impact and unless he/she is able to deal with the consequences of such questions, they will be negatively affected. On the other hand I know by experience that when they are used appropriately, their effect will be a life-changing experience for the mentee. 

If you want to know more about powerful questions or more generally about the use of questioning in mentoring do not hesitate to contact me by email or call Shine on +44 (208) 3432520.

By Alessandra Alonso.  Small and medium businesses (SME) find it hard to implement mentoring generally and even more so in the current economic environment. This was the statement recently posted in a on-line forum I regularly review. I decided that it was time to demystify mentoring for the benefits of all small and medium size businesses out there. 

True, SME have always much to do and too little time to do it. True, SME's managers have many demands on their time and often not enough staff to execute. And true, focus is essential for everyone, even more so a small business trying to grow. But mentoring can actually support SME by tapping into internal resources, creativity and brain power without actually putting further pressure on the top bosses! The answer lies in using peer mentoring rather than one to one mentoring in the more traditional sense (senior to junior). A peer-group can be set up where individuals at similar levels mentor each other on relevant/common issues. A chosen facilitator (internal or external to the group) can help moderate the discussion and work through a number of agreed questions. Peers work in group and in couples and individuals within the group may act as ‘challengers’. Eventually and thanks to everyone’s input, the group will be able to identify a complete new way to address the issue at hand, as well as an action plan to make it happen in reality.  This exercise can be repeated every time a new issue arises; it brings people together, creates engagement and all for a minimum cost. If you are a manager in a SME and want to know more about mentoring don't hesitate to contact me. You may also find reading this past blog on group mentoring useful.     

By Alessandra Alonso.  Last week I delivered a one day event on how to design and run a succesful mentoring programme. The ecletic mix of attendees from small, large, not for profit and public sector organisations meant we had a really good discussion throughout the day. One subject that came up in the conversation involved the value and benefits of group mentoring over one to one mentoring. Whilst I sang the praise of group mentoring as an additional tool to maintain momentum and obtain feedback in a one to one mentoring programme, others saw group mentoring as a useful 'first step' into mentoring and a way to attract individuals who may not otherwise engage. In the discussion, the following benefits were highlighted:

- Group mentoring is a safer choice for mentees who may be daunted by the prospects of dealing with senior managers on a one to one basis

- Group mentoring enables less experienced mentors to work in a panel and therefore let them acquire valuable experience before commiting to a one to one relationship

- Group mentoring enables very busy senior managers to get involved, who would otherwise be reluctant to commit to a more time-consuming one to one programme (and therefore it is particularly useful when it comes to knowldge tranfer from few to many)  

On reflection, I can also add that because group mentoring is often facilitated by an expert third party (external/internal consultant) it is more likely to lead to an effective outcome, i.e. a clear action plan with identifiable milestones and achievable yet stretching objectives (at an individual as well as team level).  

So if you are taking your first steps into mentoring and are concerned as to whether a one to one programme would be well received, consider running a small number (3-5) of group mentoring sessions as an alternative. As usual, guidelines and ideally training for mentors and mentees will be critical to its success and to managing everyone's expectations in a positive manner. If you need support on a group- or any other type of mentoring programme, don't forget to contact me directly (a.alonso@shinepeopleandplaces.co.uk) or to put a question to our Ask the Expert Facility.  

By Alessandra Alonso.  I find that some mentees can behave a bit like inexperienced bloggers. They sit down in front of their mentor and somehow their thoughts remain confused, their words do not flow, they lack discussion topics.  This often leads to a loss of interest and potentially a break down in the relationship.  Inexperienced bloggers have writing blocks. Inexperienced mentees have speaking blocks. Both lack the spark to start the conversation and engage their audience. If you search for blogging ideas in one of the many dedicated sites, you will find plenty of tips on how to overcome the blogger's writing block. But where do you go if you are searching for a solution to mentees’ block? With this in mind, here are my top 3 suggestions:

1. Prepare for your mentoring session in advance.  I know it sounds kind of obvious, but as we all run very busy day to day lives we often rush into mentoring sessions without checking earlier notes, or thinking through previous discussions or action points. Unless we spend some time setting the agenda in advance, and ensuring we know what we wish to achieve out of the meeting, we are likely to forget our priorities and focus on the least important thing or worse still, we improvise.   
2. Start with the end in mind. This is true on two fronts. First, what where the action points agreed at the previous meeting? Did we follow them up? Whether we did or did not, it is good practice to start the meeting by reminding ourselves and the mentor of what we had agreed we would do. Let's take the opportunity to discuss outcomes, success, failure or ‘excuses’ as to why we did not do it. This will in most cases open up further discussion and interesting reflections / learning points. Second, let's remind ourselves of our overall objective for the mentoring relationship. What exactly where we aiming at and where are we on that journey? Is it time to take stock? This will enable us to review achievements and make adjustments as necessary.
3. Postpone the session.  I should not advocate this as this is not good practice. But there are days when we simply haven’t got the stamina, state of mind or even time to face a mentoring session. If we feel unprepared and unwilling to do it, if we lack discussion topics and do not cherish the idea of an hour with the mentor, then we probably should not do it. The mentor may not be pleased, but ultimately if we are honest about it we can take the opportunity to explore the block at a later session, which will bring learning on both sides of the mentoring relationship.

Have you ever experienced a mentee's block? How have you overcome it? Email me your thoughts at a.alonso@shinepeopleandplaces.co.uk Thank you!

By Alessandra Alonso.  We are frequently asked on our 'Ask the Expert ' section how to make mentoring relationships somehow more effective; how to maintain momentum and how to keep the mentee  engaged and interested.  Like most relationships, a mentoring rapport needs to be nurtured and developed. As a mentor, there is a lot you can do to revive the relationship, even though the relationship is, in principle, owned and driven by the mentee. How often do you check which progress has been made on objectives? It could be that most things the mentee set out to achieve have been  achieved or indeed that the objectives have changed. A 'reality check' every 2 sessions or so would be most appropriate. A simple question at the end of each session such as 'Has this session been useful for you?' would also give you an idea of how you are doing... Secondly, are you supplementing the mentoring conversation with stimulating material or new contacts? Bringing different perspectives on an issue may broaden the mind and thinking of your mentee.  Thirdly, are you challenging enough? Some mentors don't challenge their mentee enough for fear of coming across too pushy yet,  many mentees enjoy being pushed outside their comfort zone.  This is perhaps something you could discuss with your mentee to ensure you are on the same wavelength. Finally the relationship may have come to a natural end in which case you need to acknowledge it and perhaps suggest that your mentee looks for another mentor.  Constructive discussion and feedback will ensure there is learning on both side, whatever the outcome.

If you are involved  in a mentoring programme do take a look at our forthcoming workshop taking place on the 25th March 2010 'How to Design and Implement a Successful Mentoring Programme.

By Gaby Marcon. It’s official…..The British government, through a cross-government campaign aimed at pairing young people with business mentors, has officially recognised that mentoring can make a huge impact on a young person. There are at least 150 major organisations supporting this initiative and more and more are pledging their support. This campaign has been launched following a research showing that 80% of teens and unemployed people have no-one to turn to for advice and no-one helping them to develop into good candidates for employment. This initiative is not only a huge undertaking as the Government hopes to pair up to 10,000 mentees with suitable mentors, but it is also a great booster for supporters of corporate and social mentoring as it recognizes that the impact of mentoring goes well beyond the direct beneficiaries i.e. the mentees, as it affect the mentors, the organisations they work for and, in this case, the government too. While the primary objective is to help the mentees with building their confidence, addressing their aspirations and helping them to get a foot on the ladder, mentoring is a very beneficial process for the mentors too as they develop skills that they can use within their own organisations. Furthermore, they can gain an understanding of how the new generations are thinking and operating thus giving them an insight into possible new products and services as well as an understanding of the contribution young people can make to their organisations. Indeed, there has never been a better opportunity for supporting and developing mentoring both within the working environment and the community at large.

By Alessandra Alonso.  The accusation of staff bullying by the Prime Minister may have now subsided, but what has mostly surprised me in the last couple of weeks is the sheer number of people discussing their own experience of bullying in the office, particularly amongst those working in the City. This is surprising because many would say bullying was a thing of the past. Those of us who are old enough will remember how in the 1980's bullish environment tough managers/traders would bully their way through to fame and fortune...as brilliantly portraid in the film 'Wall Street'by Michael Douglas.   But things appeared to have changed for the better in the last decade, partly due to regulation, partly due to generally greater awareness....or have they? The truth is, there will always be managers who view bullying as a 'management style' and use it to gain a reputation as the 'tough guy' who gets things done. I would argue however that getting people on board and empowering your staff is far more productive and results oriented than strong language and a dispondent attitude. We call it the 'manager as coach-mentor'.  In today’s fast changing world nobody is privy to all information required to make the most effective decisions. Knowledge is shared amongst a greater number of employees and some of them are becoming increasingly powerful due to the technical and highly specialized knowledge they hold. As a result, the power dynamic between managers and staff has shifted considerably and managers need their employees to share their knowledge and contribute to the strategic decison making process far more than a couple od decades ago. Forward looking managers understand that and develop mentoring/coaching/facilitating skills to engage and develop their staff and to ensure they empower them to fulfill their potential. By so doing they are able to elicit better responses, encourage a pro-active mindset and ultimately achieve better decision making by tapping into the whole team’s creative skills, innovation and expertise.  This does not mean abdicating responsibilities or lowering expectations. On the contrary, a manager who behaves as a coach-mentor will help employees focus on what really matters and on which (alternative) resources are available to them in order to address an issue/problem with a given time frame. When the process is embedded, employees will feel they have the power to resolve matters and will seek feedback rather than the continuous support of their managers. Ultimately, coach-mentoring staff will free up the manager's time so that he/she can get on with the bigger task... and whether this is an election campaign or reporting to the City about year-end results, time must be the one thing all managers could do with! 

By Alessandra Alonso.  Last week at the Brits Awards 2010, pop singer Lady Gaga won three of the highest music accolades, for best solo female artist, best breakthrough artist and best album. Whether you share her fans' passion or not, you have to admit that her rise to fame has been absolutely phenomenal since her international debut two short years ago, in 2008.

So how did she do it? There is no doubt that talent, a good manager, contacts, personality, ambition and perhaps a touch of luck all play a part. But that talent has been nurtured so that the artist could believe in herself, feel inspired, show her true nature and make the most of her potential. And whose job was this? If you watched Lady Gaga accepting her awards, you will have heard her thanking a list of people, for 'mentoring me all those years' as she put it.      

By Gaby Marcon. One of the most important lessons I learnt in 2009 is one about innovation and management. Organizations are very often crucified by management gurus for not having the right attitude, for not devoting enough budget, for not taking calculated risks, for not having top-level support etc. The accent is invariably on what people don’t do rather than on what they do well and how to build on it. Lots of organizations are trying very hard to be innovative and introducing small changes on a regular basis. After all, the light bulb was not invented in one day……. The lesson I learnt is that by mentoring people in the art of positive thinking and by inserting a voice in the budget, right next to marketing, devoted to innovation would phychologically and practically put your organization in the right track.

 By Gaby Marcon. Despite its supposed nine lives, the cat was killed by curiosity. This proverbial expression is used when trying to stop someone asking unwanted questions or when we want to invite somebody to mind their own business. What is associated with this saying is that being nosy and getting involved in unnecessary things can lead to problems. I would argue that in a mentoring relationship, curiosity opens doors and fosters originality of thinking.  If a mentor’s is able to facilitate a conversation from a position of curiosity not only he is enabling the mentee to think more creatively about possible options and outcomes but he/she is likely to enjoy the process much more. Both mentee and mentor are likely to experience an emotional engagement leading to better involvement, a more satisfying experience and ultimately, better results.

People who are curious are always learning and learning different things. We don’t need to have a great job or a resounding title to learn and stretch ourselves; we don’t even need to become university graduates to prove that we are learning. The reality is that we and only we can dictate our learning curve. A mentor is as good an enabler as his or her mentee is good at entertaining ideas and uncertainty.

By Alessandra Alonso. A very recent survey of senior HR professionals by City law firm Speechly Bircham and King's College London HRM Learning Board shows that there are three major HR challenges reported for 2010:  maintaining employee engagement (cited by 68% of respondents, up on 58% in last year's survey), followed by succession planning (cited by 53%) and talent management (cited by 42%). This shows the extent to which employers anticipate having to focus on managing high performers to ensure key talent is retained and organisational performance maximised. As the economy improves, and after a couple of years of 'keeping their head down', good people in organisations are expected to look outside their current role in search of new opportunities. Forward looking organisations will have foreseen this movement and continued to engage with their employees even when budgets would not stretch very far. But regardless of whether they did or not, in the coming years all organisations will be thinking about how to retain their workforce as poaching talented employees from your competitors makes a come back. After all, everyone knows how expensive and disruptive losing talent, expertise and knowldge can be to a business.  This is where Mentoring can REALLY help. In its simplest and perhaps purest form mentoring is about pairing two individuals on the grounds of one or more of the following reasons: skills, background, expertise and knowledge. Being chosen for a mentoring relationship tells the individual that the employer believes he/she is somebody worth investing in. The mentor - often somebody senior to the mentee - is giving up time to support that individual and the relationship offers both personal and professional development opportunities.  Through mentoring a business can spot and nurture the best talent, by enabling the mentee to think out of the box and proactively engage with the organisation. Through constructive feedback, the mentor raises the mentee's self-awareness and helps to capture precious learning. The mentoring relationship becomes a safe haven for the mentee where issues can be discussed without involving HR or a line manager. In a succession planning context, mentoring also enables the organisation to tap into senior managers' knowledge and transfer it to those groomed to take up leading roles.  Furthermore, mentoring relationships often take place across different departments/ areas enabling people to work more closely with each other and therefore increasing and improving communications, productivity and innovation. So, whatever your challenge this year - employee engagement, succession planning, talent management or all three - make mentoring a key component of your strategic solution and enjoy the long term rewards that come with maximising your existing talent pool.  If you have a mentoring query or wish to discuss a mentoring programme why not use our free 'ask the expert ' service...alternatively call us on + 44 (0) 207 3783414.               

The Shine Awards 2010 took place last week, on 21 January...and what a night it was! 

The evening suitably started with a glass of 'bubbly' and when the audience was asked to sit down we welcomed the first two of a series of inspirational ladies, the Rt Hon Margaret Hodge, MBE MP Minister for Culture and Tourism and Sandie Dawe, MBE, CEO  of VisitBritain.  The Minister pointed out that there are still too many women who do not achieve their best potential (and the top of the industry)because of a mix of choice, lack of confidence and discrimination. She also stressed that whilst helpful, legislation is not the panacea..a mindset shift is also required! 

Sandie Dawe delivered an inspirational and heart-felt key note address in which amongst other things she highlighted the importance of having role models and mentors for her professional and personal development.   

When the time came to unveil the stars of the Awards, a total of 13 women were recognised as winners or highly commended by the judges. They displayed great achievements, passion and commitment to the industry, to their business and to their people/communities. But actually it must be said that all finalists were truly amazing and inspirational women!

What struck us the most is how much these women's desire to pursue their dreams and achieve their objectives kept them going even in the face of adversity! Take Katie Thompson (winner, young entrepreneur) for example. She left school with no qualification and was a single mother at 17...ten years later she owns and runs a number of businesses and has over 50 staff. Consider Mary Mulvey, CEO of Greenbox who was highly commended for sustainable tourism projects benefiting small communities in cross border regions of Ireland affected by the Peace Process. Or think of Rita Beckwith (winner, special prize of the jury) who started her river - boating company when the Thames was hardly thought of as a tourists attraction but eventually was instrumental to develop it  from a cottage industry to the highly successful river we see today. And the list could continue...

To al these women we say thank you for sharing your achievements with us and for acting as such powerful role models. We are delighted to have been able to honour you with a Shine Award and hope that it will contribute to your continuous success. You are the living testimony of Eleanor Roosevelt's famous citation “A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water” .

A recent report from a political think tank suggests that women's progress at work is hindered by their lack of interest in office politics. Are we surprised? We at Shine have heard it time and time again from the many female professionals we have coached and mentors over the years:  Women juggle too many balls and have to focus on priorities... . Most women think that a day networking on a golf-course is time-wasting and detracting from the 'real' work...Most women start a second shift at home once the day shift at work is finished, with children and families to look after...so pub is not an option. Yet, most mentoring schemes with a focus on women are set up for this very reason. Senior professional women need a mentor to help navigate office politics, to support them in becoming more political, in order to enter the boardroom and /or achieve other senior positions. It is recognised that such skills cannot be simply acquired on the job and that working hard and 'doing your best' is simply not enough to reach the top. One must learn to 'play the game'. The remarkable absence of women in the boardroom would appear to confirm that women are reluctant to play it, whatever the reason . But unless enough women get through the door and begin to influence the rules of the game, things will not change.  Whilst being mentored for senior positions, women should perhaps take the opportunity to reverse-mentor their senior colleagues.   

The Economist is dedicating this week's front cover to what it calls the quiet revolution: women have now reached 50% of the workforce in America and as a consequence millions of people who were once dependent on men have now taken control of their own economic fates. Is this a reason for celebration? It would seem so although - as the Economist also points out - progress has not been uniform and social arrangements have not caught up with economic changes with plenty of issues yet to be dealt with.  

Childcare is probably the most serious of all. Fall in fertility across corporate women in America is another one, at the other end of the spectrum. Undoubtedly there are plenty of visionary companies out there doing their best to address women's aspirations and to help them combine a career with motherhood through flexible working, mentoring and rethinking their succession planning and talent pipeline. But many women remain frustrated by their inability to combine a successful career with motherhood and by the realisation that they have entered the job market just to get stuck in junior to middle range positions, with the top-echelon firmly out of reach. As the Economist reminds us, only 2% of the bosses of the Fortune 500 companies and five of those in the FTSE 100 stock market index are women. Furthermore, even at the top level, gender pay gap is still unresolved and possibly widening...  So perhaps we should put off the celebration? The good news is that women will continue to benefit from the growing 'war for talent', meaning that as the economy becomes ever more reliant on skills, the highly skilled and available female talent pool will become increasingly attractive to employers.  Secondly, women are taking control of their lives and jumping off the corporate ladder to set up their own companies - making their own rules and letting more women through and up the ranks.   

Indeed the world of work is becoming increasingly female. However enabling women to reach the top of their aspirations whilst managing a family will continue to require careful planning, commitment and plenty of support from everyone involved. If the likes of Goldman Sachs are right however - calculating that increasing women's participation in the labour market to male levels would boost British GDP by 8% - it may be a worthwhile effort.        

Three mentoring experts are available to answer all your queries..are you looking at implementing mentoring for the first time and do not know where to start? Are you finding recruiting mentors difficult? Are you looking at on-line mentoring solutions but are unsure how to select one for you? Or would you like to find out how to best match mentors and mentees?  These are just examples of questions you may wish to ask our panel of experts. You can also ask us to discuss with you the benefits of mentoring and why mentoring may be right - or otherwise - for your organisation. We will be delighted to hear from you and assist you in any way we can...so do not hesitate and Ask the Expert today!

Last month Shine published an article on mentoring skills and how to be a 'good' mentor. Following that, we received calls from HR professionals and managers asking us to provide further tips they could share with colleagues, aspiring mentors and mentees. We soon realised that we had so much to say on the topic, we would try and condense it in a couple of digestable pages everyone could keep on their desk and refer back to from time to time. 

If you are interested in receiving a free copy of Shine's Top Ten Tips to Implement and Run a Successful Mentoring Programme simply email a.alonso@shinepeopleandplaces.co.uk .If this is not enough, or if having read this you wish to know more, you may want to take a look at the forthcoming open programmes or at our best selling 'Mentoring Toolkit'.          

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