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Mentoring and Job Shadowing – Part II
The origins of "mentoring" can be found in Greek mythology. A Greek scholar
called Mentor was commissioned by Odysseus to take care of his son
Telemachus and to educate him in his absence. The term "mentor" thus became
a synonym for a generally well-respected and learned person whose function is
to responsibly bring up and advise a younger, less experienced person. Today
mentoring has become a buzzword with the corporate world as well as the
community at large to accelerate the process of learning.
In Part I we discussed what was mentoring and who is a mentor? In Part II, and
prior to outlining the process, we also need to understand the meaning of the
word protégé. As described by the dictionary, a protégé is a person who is helped
and protected by another. In the corporate world a protégé would necessarily
mean a person who is nurtured and guided by his senior to achieve the desired
results in an organization, which is to become more effective now and in the
future.
Selecting a Mentor
Mentoring involves passing on knowledge, tips and good practices and above all
a positive attitude. Mentors should be selected by organizations, based on these
basic requirements.
The key element of all mentoring is the one-to-one relationship: Mentoring is a
process in which one person - the mentor, supports the career and development of
another person - the protégé, outside the normal superior-subordinate
relationship. Mentoring is a sheltered relationship that allows learning and
experimentation to take place, and promotes personal growth and new skills to
flourish to the benefit of the organization. Mentoring also encourages the protégé
to maximize performance by putting his/her own and the mentor’s experience to
good use. Mentoring is not dependent on age, however a general trend over the
years has shown that the protégés are generally younger than their mentors.
The key roles that a mentor has to play are that of a:
• Coach and a Cheerleader: The mentor as a coach is an active leader and
encourages the protégé to develop important skills and attitudes for now
and the future.
• Advisor: The mentor is at the protégé’s side when it comes to solving
problems or making important decisions. In his/her role as confidante
he/she also helps the protégé to think in terms of the consequences of
his/her decisions and actions.
• Friend, Philosopher and Guide: The mentor smoothes the path for the
protégé. This can range from simply providing a single contact to
introducing the protégé to important people in their professional field and
thus help achieve both the organization as well as the personal goals of
the protégé. Giving frank feedback is just as much a part of the mentor's
role as is giving advice on personal growth and career planning.

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Further, the criteria laid down by the organization could also specify the number
of years an employee needs to spend with the organization before being
nominated as a mentor, and of course not forgetting the need to attend a
programme which equips the mentor with all the necessary skills and knowledge
of his job, organization and the mentoring programme.
A good mentor is someone who is genuinely interested in people and likes to see
young talent develop and blossom. Furthermore, he/she is generally a person who
is well respected in the organization, able to influence individuals in a positive
manner and help increase the protégé’s profile within the organization.
Now, that much has been discussed on the selection and criteria requirement for a
mentor, we will now look at the design of a mentoring programme.
A successful, vibrant mentoring or coaching program requires you to:
1. Know exactly why your organization wants a mentoring or coaching
program, and design your program goals accordingly which will ensure a
successful programme;
2. Decide exactly what you want and expect from your mentors and
protégés, and communicate this effectively;
3. Match mentors and protégés in a way best
designed to ensure success. This would therefore depend on whether
mentors are required for new employees or to implement new procedures
within the company with the existing employees, thus managing the
relationship between the two, appropriately avoiding programme
management related headaches and ensuring optimum results.
A Simple design and practical approach is outlined below:
 Set the criteria for selection of mentors based on the points
mentioned above in this article.
 Ensure that selection is from all departments since this will
make the process simple in inducting new employees and training the
existing ones.
 Handover a checklist to follow for the mentor to ensure that
all points are covered.
 Ensure minimum of 15-days are spent with each other after
which the programme coordinator should meet up to assess whether the
training period is sufficient or more training is required.
 Motivate mentors by rewarding them on a job well done on
any assignment.

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 Provide mentors with badges for identification and sense of
pride. This will also motivate other employees to become mentors in the
future.
 The Programme coordinator must prepare a summary at the
end of the month to review and assess the success of the programme.
Reviewing and Assessing the Programme
An important aspect of a successful mentoring programme is the review and
assessment of the same. Brief reports may by prepared by the programme-in-
charge and submitted to the head of the unit on a monthly basis detailing the list
of protégé’s, who can be interviewed at random to check the success of the
programme. Further, this exercise will highlight whether the selection of mentors
by the organization is correct, whether the mentor and protégé have been
matched correctly in the case of existing employees or does the mentor require
attending a training to enhance his knowledge and skills?
Mentoring or the Buddy system is yet to gain full bloom in Indian hotels; and
though many are practicing the same informally, a formal set-up is required to
ensure success and continuity of this extended training activity in organizations.