So what is mentoring?

It is widely accepted that an organisation’s biggest asset is its Human Resource – its people. Whilst this fact is widely recognized, it is often overlooked in the true development of staff & management.

The impact of poorly developed staff can affect staff retention (particularly key personnel), succession planning & quality & service to customers. New staff can often struggle through induction & existing staff lack the necessary ability to embrace & adapt to workplace change.

Many organizations are now embracing mentoring as an integral part of their business strategy & long term staff retention & development plans. Some organizations now manage their own mentoring programs in-house, where others prefer to “plug in” to an experienced external mentor.

Scarab National provide mentoring services to individuals. We use a simple, easy to follow method that gives ownership of development to the mentee.

Our Mentoring program focuses on development in 3 key areas:

·         Development of knowledge

·         Development of physical or practical skills

·         Refinement of attitudes & behaviours

First, we meet you to mutually agree on key development issues & prioritise these according to importance & developmental needs. Next, we present these issues to key stakeholders in your organisation. We then confirm total commitment from the mentee & from the organisation as a whole. The next stage involves identifying resources, implementing the plan & finally an evaluation of learning outcomes. The mentee will then be able to apply their new empowerment & learning in the workplace. Our interaction is a mix of personal meetings, phone calls or net meetings.

The success of the program relies on mentor, mentee & the organisation all mutually agreeing & committing to goals & actions. The onus of action lies with you the mentee. Your mentor provides support, guidance & advice along the way. Your organisation provides the time, resources & environment in which to develop. Your mentor from Scarab National will be your “sounding board”. (Status reports are supplied periodically to the key contact in your organisation, but specific details regarding our relationship are not disclosed.)

So what are the benefits to mentoring?

Effectively mentored staff can result in vastly improved staff retention - particularly key personnel. Mentoring has also shown to improve quality & service to customers and a real sense of value from an employee’s viewpoint. New staff also assimilate into the business far quicker & effectively. Existing, experienced staff are better equipped to embrace & adapt to workplace change.

From a business viewpoint, mentoring can vastly improve your return on investment (ROI). On a personal level, mentoring can provide the mentee with clarity of direction by demonstrating methodology & practicality to daily work or personal life. Mentoring provides a real-time & personal avenue for life & professional changes that benefit the individual, the team & the organisation.

So in what situations can mentoring apply?

Mentoring can be applied to many situations both inside & outside the workplace. Specifically, our mentoring can be applied to any situation where knowledge, skill or ability requires development. It is also a vital process to foster & encourage behavioural & attitudinal changes.