Mentoring Matters – An Introduction to the Mentoring Process
Introduction
When Steve Jobs accidently walked into Robert Friedland’s room to sell his typewriter, he had sparked off a bond of friendship that would last long enough to effect a serious change in Steve Jobs’ attitude and working methods. According to the founder of Apple, “He turned me on to a different level of consciousness”.
The mentor in this case had pulled his mentee out of his shell and turned him into a more open and extrovert personality. Steve Jobs was essentially an open minded thinker and thus this tryst with Friedland allowed him to express his brilliant ideas openly and without hesitation. The world is now thankful to the fact that Steve Jobs became what he was, thus underlining the importance of a mentor in someone’s life.
Source: http://www.mentorpolis.com/ famous-mentors-and-their-famous-mentees/ #ixzz4Rhmdfs00 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
This example shows you how mentoring can help employees to develop, both personally and in their careers, and is something that is becoming increasingly popular; something that is perhaps linked to the growing numbers of apprentices we see entering the workplace.
However, there is still no clear definition of mentoring and how it can be used effectively to support both apprentices and employees in general and help them progress to personal and professional success.
This short course is designed to provide you with an introduction to the topic of mentoring, clarifying exactly what it means and why it is seen as such an important area.
In addition, you’ll explore the qualities of a good mentor and identify the skills that are crucial to a mentoring role.