Formalized versus Instinctive Mentoring

Formalized versus Instinctive Mentoring

Successful mentoring is always instinctive. Mentoring cannot be a kind of duty only. It needs strong commitment. As for quality there is a great difference between the performance of an appointed mentor (who's just doing a job) and a natural mentor (who's born to be a mentor and has a strong commitment). Therefore formalizing mentoring is useless unless the mentor is not a natural one with strong commitment (and of course with all relevant special skills and capabilities). Officially organized mentoring can provide good solution in certain cases but real success will only be achieved if the mentoring relationship between two or more people evolves freely by itself based on mutual interest.

		Chris Hayward, England
	Formal and Informal Mentoring Mentoring can be addressed formally and informally. But as many contributors have noted, there is little to be gained unless the interpersonal relationship is one of mutual respect and need. I have often found mentoring to be as much benefit to myself as a mentor. An anthropological take is to view mentoring as a form of enculturation where outsiders become insiders and learn the rules and customs and importantly tacit knowledge is shared in order to become a full member of the new group. The vast majority of organisations would benefit from understanding how formal and informal mentoring can impact positively and negatively on organisational culture and therefore on business outcomes.

		Dolva, Australia
	Formal Mentoring Success My organisation has embraced mentoring strategically - it is something we all do and something that is part of our ongoi...

		Erdohegyi Gabor Management Consultant, Hungary
	Different Levels of Mentoring Sure there are different levels of mentoring. As Dolva says, formalized mentoring can be an important factor of corporat...

		Michel Lavergne CEO, France
	Mentoring Can not Be Formalized Essentially, mentoring can not be formalized as a process, as the foundation is trust and freedom of choice. It is a spo...

		Erdohegyi Gabor Management Consultant, Hungary
	Different Levels of Mentoring (2) I agree with Lavergne. Instinctive Mentoring (whether organized or natural) is the "artist level" of mentoring in the i...

		Dolva, Australia
	Mentoring - Formalised / Informal Very interesting discussion thread. I agree with Lavergne and Gabor above. Our organisation uses integral training metho...

		Erdohegyi Gabor Management Consultant, Hungary
	Routine Mentors Those basic level or „routine mentors” are usually business related. They introduce new collegues into the organization ...

		Erdohegyi Gabor Management Consultant, Hungary
	Gurus or Artists of Mentoring Artists / Gurus of Mentoring are committed thus specialized to detect, select and grow only a few (talented) real „(supe...