Mentoring

Being mentored by an experienced individual can be very helpful and reassuring; it's so satisfying to have someone who's not directly involved with your work, but who is interested in your progress, and is able to be supportive or challenging in the right places.

It's particularly useful to have a mentor when you're coping with transitions in your career or working context, or when changes in your personal life may affect your career. It's also useful when you're thinking about a change of direction or going for promotion.

If you're looking for a mentor, it's important to choose someone who you trust, who has significant life-experience and who has the right skills to help you to think things through and see a wider picture. In some cases you may also want to choose a person who knows your sector and has a network of connections with people that you could learn from.

If you're thinking of being a mentor, be ready to brush up your skills of listening and reflecting, and be careful about giving advice until you have helped your mentee think through their situation as fully as possible. Help them to look at the long-term view and the wider context of their work. If you have an understanding of organisational life and politics you can be particularly useful as a mentor.