The power of mentoring (and how it can help you)

29 November 2016 -

CMI’s new Mentoring Programme connects people across businesses to develop professional management skills. But why is mentoring important, and what’s needed for a successful relationship?

Matt Scott

Philip Davies got involved in mentoring when his company went through a restructuring process; he helped those colleagues leaving the company to find work elsewhere.

“I found I got a lot of enjoyment and fulfilment out of helping them to prepare for interviews. It then wasn’t a big step to go on to registering for mentoring for CMI,” he says. “If I was in the job market, I don’t doubt at all that being a mentor would be looked on as a good thing; if I was recruiting, it would give me a good feeling about that person’s emotional intelligence.”

Research from Development Dimensions International found that 60% of UK business leaders have had a mentor and an overwhelming 97% of these have benefited from the advice they received.

CMI’s own research, as part of its ‘Bouncing Back’ series of events, found that 66% of managers have benefited from their mentor’s experience in times of crisis.

Take Gregory Geissler, an engineer by trade. He used his mentors to develop the skills he needed to meet his ambition of becoming a chartered engineer.

Geissler recommends having a number of mentors with different skillsets: “Look for different mentors who can each help you to develop a different skill – you are never going to find one mentor who can help you with everything.”

He adds: “Go prepared with what you are aiming for and a rough plan: that gives structure to the conversation.”

Mentors can benefit as much as mentees.

For Philippa Dixon, mentoring has opened her eyes to areas of business she’d otherwise not have experienced: “I’ve mentored in different situations, including where it doesn’t relate directly to my own profession. That’s helped me to think more widely and in some cases do some extra research that helps the mentee but also improves my knowledge.”

GET THE MOST OUT OF MENTORING

CMI’s new Mentoring Programme will help you to get the most out of your role as a mentor, mentee or both.

The programme has a unique focus on management and leadership skills, facilitated through an online portal for both mentors and mentees.

Through CMI mentoring, more experienced managers and leaders share their skills and experiences to help others further develop their management skills.

Mentoring provides the opportunity for a learning experience for both mentor and mentee, and elevates knowledge-sharing to a practical level.

For more details on how to sign up to the programme, download the CMI Mentoring Guide from managers.org.uk/mentoring