Start >Introduction to Mentoring > What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is about helping an individual (mentee) to develop and improve his/her own performance through providing support, guidance and advice when required. The mentor's role is that of assisting the mentee to increase his/her involvement in the self-development process through a variety of ways e.g. questioning, providing feedback, coaching etc.

In order for the mentor to undertake this process it is essential for there to be a programme to be established with all the relevant procedures and processes to be in place. It is therefore important for the organisation to plan and prepare well in relation to how it is to be structured before undertaking the mentoring process.

Why Can Mentoring Be Important To Organisations? Click each bullet in turn to reveal the answers
	The process is flexible and can be adapted to suit any organisation
	Provides a mechanism for staff to obtain support and guidance
	Produces better trained staff
	Can be used to improve the performance by improving competence and confidence
	Can increase individuals' productivity through improvement of skills and also knowledge and understanding of the task
	Improves self development of the mentee
	Allows opportunity for the mentee to put forward own ideas thereby increasing initiative
	Improves the confidence and motivation of the individual
	Builds rapport and working relationships within the organisation