The Scope of Mentoring

Mentoring is the intentional and goal-focused method of sharing life resources to help others grow in their God-given potential.

Intentional: The mentoring relationship benefits from structure, specific purpose, goals, meeting times, materials (as needed), and when appropriate, closure periods.

Goal-Focused: The mentoring relationship is entered into for a reason that can be measured between the participants.

Method: Mentoring is a way of relating to someone to pass on life skills, resources, and experiences.

Resource-Based: Mentors pass on wisdom, experiences, and patterns, habits of obedience, principles, and any needed prepared materials to the mentoree.

Growth-Centered: Mentoring is not just friendship; it is for transformation and development toward fullness of potential.

Mentoring is a nurturing relationship where nurture can be defined as “promoting the development of others by providing nourishment, support, encouragement, during their stages of growth.”

More than anything else, mentoring is nurturing others by pouring yourself into them in a caring and affirming manner; selflessly giving of yourself for the benefit of another.

Mentoring is a conduit to transfer content, rather, a message passed along to someone; mentoring is the method (process) in which it is passed.

Mentoring can be looked at as empowerment. It starts with someone in need; then a relationship is formed with someone more experienced who can contribute to that need, and through that sharing, a transfer begins taking place resulting in change. Acceptance of what was shared brings empowerment to go and to grow through the need.

Foundation of Mentoring: Relationships

Mentoring is about assisting others, not creating replicas of our own ideals or personalities. Mentoring can be challenging, as with any relationship. Relationships can expose our insecurities, and it requires commitment, meaning hard work, time and energy. Mentoring will not always be easy; it is this relationship which sets the foundation of mentoring and foundation of its effects on mentors.

The tenants of the foundation is where Mentors take responsibility for the relationship. Mentors should get to know their mentoree before they move on to assisting in any of the academic, emotional or behavioral challenges their mentors will face, and Mentors will need a larger network of support to be successful (i.e.: the value of the core group).

According to research, one-on-one mentoring can result in a mentoree to be less likely to:

Initiate drug and alcohol use

Assault someone

Receive incident reports from employers

Destroy positive relationships with friends and family

Just how can your role as a mentor affect a mentoree’s life?

You can assist a mentoree’s ability to develop positive relationships with their peers, authoritative individuals, and family members.

In their youth, many mentorees have had negative experiences with other adults. Their positive relationship with you as their mentor can serve to challenge their misguided perceptions (paradigm change), open them up to the possibility that not all adults are the same.

You can improve a mentoree’s attitude and thinking skills through meaningful conversations. You can provide new perspectives, possibilities and options, removing limiting thoughts and feelings. You can help to broaden a mentoree’s horizons. On a fundamental level, you can help shape the mentoree’s self-image through positive ongoing feedback.

Which type of Mentor do you want to be?

Spiritual Guide: sharing knowledge, skills and basic philosophy to become more spiritual.

Coach: providing motivation/inspiration/encouragement.

Counselor: offering timely advice and impartial perspectives on the view of self, others and circumstance.

Teacher: sharing knowledge, understanding of a particular subject, helping make complex ideas simpler.

Sponsor: having credibility with an organization or network to help open doors for an opportunity and building bridges for a mentoree.

Consultant: This requires experience in a specific area of interest to both the Mentor and mentoree.

Friend: One who is always there, any time, any place, providing affirmation and being a sounding board.

Role Model: There are two types—past and present. Living people whose life is used as an example to indirectly impart skills, principles, and values that empower another person. Those from history whose life has been documented and used as examples to impart skills and principles that can help to empower another person.

The bottom line here, the ideal Mentor is one who has the passion and commitment to help the mentoree clarify and implement his/her vision and goals.

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