Over the last year our mentoring platform has provided valuable support to members, ensuring that whilst we have had to socially isolate, we don’t become isolated.
We continue to live in challenging times, each of us facing our own issues and constant uncertainty. When we launched our mentoring platform, our aim was to provide a tool that you could use to help support your career development and to share knowledge. Whilst that is still the case, it does also provide you with an online facility to find a mentor to help support you through the current challenges or for you to be able to offer your support to others as a mentor. You may not be able to solve all the challenges that we will face going forward but having someone to give you some additional support and ideas could be invaluable.
Whether you are looking to invest in developing a mentoring relationship which will continue well beyond the foreseeable future to support your long-term career development or a shorter-term mentor to bounce ideas off and to provide a different perspective, our mentoring platform could prove to be the perfect solution to enable you to make the connections you need.
You may have previously been a mentor yourself but may be finding that the challenges thrown at you in these unprecedented times may mean that you would now benefit from being able to discuss the issues you are facing with a peer who is in a similar position. By sharing your experiences and ideas you may be able to find the best way to move forward.
You may choose to connect with one of our retired members who will be able to share their wealth of experience and provide you with support and act as an impartial sounding-board for your ideas.
Benefits of Mentoring
Research has shown that mentoring programs offer benefits for both parties involved. Being a mentor can bring many mental benefits. The interaction from mentoring increases social engagement, which helps avoid loneliness and reduces the risk of depression.
The experience gives the mentor a chance to revisit obstacles they have overcome and the successes they have achieved, which can help focus on the positive aspects of life.
Mentoring Skills
A good mentor needs specific skills, such as active listening and empathy. There are often times when a mentee needs guidance or ideas, and other times when they just need to talk about what is on their mind and want someone to just listen.
Mentoring is a serious commitment, so both mentor and mentee should be honest about their desire to pursue it. You don’t want to enter into a relationship and then suddenly abandon it. Our platform provides a learn more section which guides you through what is involved in the mentoring process so you can assess whether it is right for you before you make a commitment.
Keep in mind that mentoring is like any other new relationship, begin slowly, and don’t worry if there is not an initial spark. It may take time to build trust, so don’t think initial resistance is a sign of rejection. If, for some reason, a specific mentoring relationship does not work out, don’t give up. Try again with a different individual and eventually you will find a good fit.