Over the next few weeks and months it will become more important than ever for us to work together to provide strong support for each other and to ensure that whilst having to socially isolate we don’t become isolated.
We are living in challenging times, each of us facing our own challenges and constant uncertainty. When we launched our mentoring platform our aim was to provide a tool that could be used to help support career development and to share knowledge. Whilst that is still the case, it does also provide an online facility for users to find a mentor to help support them through current challenges or for users to be able to offer their support to others as a mentor. It may not be able to solve all the challenges that users will face going forward but having someone to give some additional support and ideas could be invaluable.
Some of us may find we have more time on our hands than we normally would and so we finally have the time to invest in developing a mentoring relationship, one which will continue well beyond the foreseeable future and will support our long-term career development.
Others will find that our time is sucked up in coping with this ever-changing situation, so support needs may be less long term and formal but a shorter-term mentor to bounce ideas off and to provide a different perspective could still be invaluable.
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 people 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 them to enter into a relationship and then suddenly abandon it. Our platform provides a learn more section which guides users through what is involved in the mentoring process so they can assess whether it is right for them before they make a commitment.
At PLD we have worked with many organisations to develop mentoring programs that have helped to retain, develop and engage users, including, Beazley, British Medical Association, The Law Society of Scotland, The Security Institute, Chartered Institute of Marketing, Chartered Management Institute, Chartered Quality Institute, National Association of Head Teachers, Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, The Association of British Dispensing Opticians, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and many more.
If you would like to find out more why not book a demo.
