SBenegaL

Category: counseling

  • Mentoring 2

    In the last byte, we looked at mentoring and identified the various stages that were involved in the creation of a mentoring relationship. In this byte, we move ahead towards the more modern forms of mentoring.

    Mentoring is extremely beneficial to the “mentee” or “Protégés” who undergo the mentoring. This could significantly enhance the early development of a new comer in an organization and also mid career development of an experienced employee. Research has identified that good performance of newcomers with a mentoring relationship had been given a greater delegation.

    Peer relationships for mentoring could be used as an alternative to traditional mentoring relationships to aid career development. Another trend as an attempt to outsource the business mentoring function is the executive coaching aspect.

    In fact, we could classify the various roles who aid in the process as – informational, collegial and special peers and they aid the career development through sharing information, career strategizing, job related feedback,  emotional support and friendship.

    To summarize the role, it is important to state that both mentors and peers play constructive roles in correcting an employee’s poor performance and enhance overall career development.

  • Mentoring

    In the last byte, we began the discussion on the mentoring function of a supervisor. In today’s byte, we look at Mentoring to a greater depth.

    To begin with let us define mentoring – mentoring is a work relationship that encourages development and career enhancement for people moving through the career cycle. [In the context of organizational behavior we shall limit it to only this definition]

    We could look at mentoring to process two distinct dimensions – a career related dimension and the other a psychological dimension. The career related dimension is called coaching and the psychological dimension is called counseling.

    If one is to observe the process of mentoring closely, we could see it move through 4 distinct phases:

    1. Initiation
    2. Cultivation
    3. Separation
    4. Redefinition
    We shall continue the discussion on mentoring in the next byte too…

  • Coaching & Counseling

    In the last byte, we looked at the model of attribution and understood it well. In today’s byte, we look at aspects of importance of coaching, counseling.

    Managers generally deal with two aspects when they are donning a first level managerial position (and definitely continue as one grows in an organization). The 2 aspects are – managing the workforce to continue the work designated for completion unabated and the second is the dimension individual professional and personal growth of employee reporting to the manager. Given the long contact hours at work, it is found that supervisors and coworkers are more effective in mentoring than assigned formal mentors from higher up in the organization!

    What is really unsaid is that the success of mentoring hinges on the presence of openness and trust amongst the parties involved – a stronger trust leads to greater openness and thus to better mentoring. Through these sessions, it is not necessary that only professional problems are addressed, personal dimensions that reduce the employee’s performance – viz depression etc could also be addressed. The supervisor in these roles plays a very helpful role in employee’s problem solving without being completely involved in the responsibility of employee’s problems.