Who needs a mentor, and what do they do? Is Mentoring the same or different than Training?

There is balance between mentoring and training. Training implies imparting skills or knowledge to work in an orderly manner. It gives an understanding to an individual on how to take a particular action. Mentoring gives an attitudinal shift on how you interpret the knowledge and what your approach is.

When you are Training, you are:

1. Imparting Knowledge/Skill: Have you ever realized that what you learned in school/college and what you do at your office are entirely different?! The knowledge required to perform the task at your workplace is imparted through training. Every new role in an organization requires a new skill. Training fills the gap of knowledge to do a particular task.

• Updation of Knowledge/skill: With fast-changing technologies and changes in business processes, one needs to be up to date with the newly required skill/knowledge.

• Repetition leads to mastery: The first time that you hear something, it is observed as information. The second time you hear the same thing, it is taken by the mind as understanding. The third time you hear the same thing, it will be considered as a fact. Repetition of knowledge and skills will lead to a better approach to the task.

• Higher growth prospects: I have seen organizations that provide certifications to their employees at their own expense. A highly skilled employee is an asset to the organization. Their enthusiasm is high, and they will be able to see growth in their career. The productivity of the employee is higher considering other factors too play a positive role in his retention.

• Constant Engagement: Training keeps employees engaged with new information and knowledge to apply. Consistent and relevant training will keep them enthusiastic and eliminate monotony.

When you are Mentoring, you are:

1. Employee career growth: An employee who can see his/her career growth within the organization would tend to be more productive and willing to complete tasks with ownership. Different roles demand different levels of skills. Knowledge alone may not be sufficient unless the person is given guidance to think in a particular way. A mentor will not teach but guide how to think and apply the knowledge.

• Retention: A mentor is the one who listens to the intention and voice of the employees. People who feel their productivity is not effectively channeled towards their individual growth tend to choose other opportunities and leave the organization. The cost of losing a well-trained employee is high. And acquiring a well-trained person for the job role is not easy. A mentor understands and helps the individual to think organically.

• Attitudinal Grooming: Generally, a mentor is assigned to an individual whom the organization believes can handle more responsibilities. Such individuals can potentially move up the corporate ladder, and they need direction to reach there. Grooming doesn’t mean the appearance of the person. It is more about sharing and duplicating how to think.

• Deepening the organizational culture: Mentors bring change in the thought process of the employees. They are the bridge between the organization at large and the employees working in their individual capacity. The culture of the organization is deepened through the interaction of mentor-mentee relationships.

• Buiding the Hierarchy through Loyalty: A good mentor builds an individual to a higher level of thought both personally and professionally. Loyalty is an important factor for the growth of the organization vertically.

Training an employee without giving a clear direction to apply the knowledge/skill is a brain drain. Mentoring bridges the gap.

Finding a Mentor

Trainers are available in plenty. You choose a skill, and you can decide where to learn it. Or in many a time, one can decide by themselves who their trainer should be. The same is not the case with finding a mentor.

One cannot decide to have a mentor just because they feel it to be good for them. And one cannot choose who their mentor should be.

A mentor is usually found in the course of working towards a higher level of perfection in their craft. In effect, it is not you who will choose a mentor. But the mentor will find you. 

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg wrote in her book Lean In:

“If someone has to ask the question, the answer is probably no. When someone finds the right mentor, it is obvious. The question becomes a statement. Chasing or forcing that connection rarely works.”

The question one needs to ask is: “Am I ready to be a mentee?” 

Balance

Mentoring and training are equal composites for the balanced growth of an organization. The vintage of the organization, the size of employees, culture, and nature of business play a vital role in deciding the practical application of training and providing mentorship. There cannot be a choice of this versus that when we are comparing training and mentoring. Both go hand in glove as an organization grows.