4.1 The future of mentoring
Many commentators have a view on the future of mentoring.
In a recent white paper, coaching and mentoring organisations PushFar and Sheridan Worldwide (no date) make the following predictions about the future of mentoring:
- Mentoring will be used to support internationalisation – helping to connect, engage and empower teams working remotely and globally.
- Organisations will support Generation Z (many of whom felt the impact of the pandemic on their education and early careers) through mentoring – building their loyalty and helping them to get what they want from the workplace.
- Mentoring will be used to support mental health and well-being – building hope, resilience and capability amongst employees who may fear what the future will bring.
In addition, Reeves (2023) predicts the following trends:
- The use of AI powered mentoring tools – matching suitable mentors and mentees, and monitoring progress
- Peer mentoring across different sectors
- Organisational impact measurement – assessing how it boosts productivity and employee retention
- Skills based mentoring and mentoring focused on reskilling – focused on both technical skills and softer skills such as communication and problem solving
- Greater use of mentoring programmes tailored to specific groups, e.g. groups with particular diversity characteristics, returnees after a career break, etc.
Virtual mentoring, or mentoring that uses virtual platforms ranging from Zoom to specifically developed programmes, has certainly grown in popularity since ‘work from home’ regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated it. Many organisations have recognised its benefits for those working remotely or across different countries, and so the practice has continued to develop.
In a time before the Covid-19 pandemic, Rashid (2015) saw it from a slightly different perspective, using the phrase ‘virtual mentor’ to mean someone we don’t have to connect directly with or spend precious time chasing to organise meetings. This is still a useful concept. In his blog post, he recommends simply watching a video, finding a podcast or reading a book that they have produced to learn ‘everything (or at least the most important things) [your] hero and mentor has dedicated decades and thousands of hours of his or her life mastering’.
Activity 4 Who could become your ‘virtual mentor’?
In his blog post, Rashid (2015) identifies his own virtual mentors, explaining why he follows their work and what he gets out of it.
Do you have any virtual mentors already – people who you follow on social media, for example, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn – who talk about the issues that matter to you and share wisdom and experience that you find inspiring and useful?
If you already have people you learn from in this way, list them below and try to explain what you gain from them.
If not, identify someone and summarise what is interesting about them here.
A useful way to start might be to look for TED Talks or YouTube clips on career-related topics that interest you. Then see if the speakers are on Facebook or LinkedIn etc. (start with social networking platforms that you are already on). For books, look on Amazon or in your local library for any they may have written.
Comment
Highly regarded ‘virtual mentors’ in this context include the likes of leadership expert Simon Sinek (see the clip about mentoring in Week 4, Section 2) and champion of productivity Chris Bailey (alifeofproductivity.com [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ). One advantage of following the social media posts or blogs of such individuals is that when you’ve learned what you need, you can end the relationship without any awkward conversations!