Mentoring

The term mentor comes from the Greek legend of Odysseus, who entrusted the tutelage of his son Telemachus to the goddess Athene. She transformed herself into the human form as Mentor - a wise counsellor and helper to Telemachus while Odysseus was far away from home.

Although you may not be far from home, having a mentor to call on for advice can help you structure your ideas and tackle problems while benefitting from a facilitator who has experienced a similar work journey before you. Often the terms mentoring and coaching are used interchangeably. Usually mentoring is used for longer term supportive relationships in which the mentor has previous experience in the field of work of the mentee. Coaching (see executive coaching) usually describes a goal orientated, focussed personal development plan involving a skilled coach who helps a coachee to articulate and achieve goals through creative conversations.

The distinction between a mentor and a coach is not important but the concept of mentoring may suit you if you seek a supportive relationship in a field in which we have particular experience including senior management and governance in healthcare, community care, housing, development and construction.