ANALYSIS AND NEWS
EIGHT TRUTHS ABOUT
MENTORSHIP
At the SSP Annual Meeting in June, delegates heard about the power of mentorship in scholarly publishing. Here, panellist Meredith Adinolfi outlines the benefits for mentors and mentees
I
f you do even a quick online search, you will find countless articles and statistics about the benefits of professional mentorship. It has ties to attracting and retaining talent, fostering career development, and building a strong and committed workforce. What do we need to know to have a valuable conversation about mentorship? 1. Mentorship isn’t always formal. Some of the best mentoring I’ve given and received has been an informal part of an existing relationship. I recently gave someone advice on how to adjust to the demands of a new role within the company, and the beauty of it was that he sought out the advice because he wanted it and needed it – not because he had to. If we find ways to foster relationship building and cross-pollination,
18 Research Information AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
then mentorship happens organically throughout the organisation, and this in turn creates an environment of support and encouragement. 2. Formal mentorship programs are critical. Informal mentorship has enormous value, but it doesn’t take the place of programmes
‘Our challenge now is to figure out how to integrate mentorship’
that aim to match up individuals with mentors from other circles. Some people need structure and predictability in order to learn and feel safe, and we all need guidance and direction from sources who aren’t as close to us, or necessarily of our own
choosing. Perhaps more important, though, is the message we send our employees if we put mentorship programs in place. It’s a way of showing people that we want to invest in them and care about not only their job performance, but also their career growth and personal satisfaction. 3. Mentorship isn’t just for the top performers. We all have our own strengths and interests, and we need guidance and direction at different times in our careers. Of course we should support and encourage those with the highest ambitions and greatest perceived potential, but if our mentorship focus is too narrow, we could be missing out on untapped potential in the middle or even lower tiers, wherein mentorship and guidance could help the most. 4. Mentorship isn’t just for the benefit of the mentee. Mentors can get just as much (and in some cases more) out of a mentorship relationship. I recently started mentoring a newly promoted manager, and I found that there are many parallels between our groups. It is personally satisfying to play
@researchinfo
www.researchinformation.info
NatureArtForest/
Shutterstock.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
