Mentoring

As we bridge the gap from the 20th on the eve of the new millimun, the face of the workplace is also changing. This has been brought on by technology taking on a bigger role in all areas of the job market, not just here but around the world where the role of the boss, teacher and manager is as well changing. The result is a shift away from the typical company man who had worked at one job for an entire career, to an environment of more female and less American male and the changing of jobs every few years do to mergers and down sizing of employees. Now the boss must be sensitive to the role they must play in working with everyone today.Gordon Shea's easy to read book about mentoring is an excellent and easy to read "how to" book on today's workplace, and overcoming the obstacles associated with this "new" work environment.The book is easy reading because of the layout of each seven sections, and the associated lessons, charts, reviews and assessments found at the end of each chapter. The strongest point in my opinion can is found in chapter 7, which covers those special areas, which we read about into today's news; Cross-Gender, Cross-Cultural and Special Needs mentoring.Shea has woven humorous comments as well as lively graphical illustration to make points when certain mentoring situation arrive, overall this book is an excellent example of the basic "how to" and can provide the basic steps in becoming a productive mentor in any employment environment.

"...mentoring is part intuition, part feelings and part hunch - made up as you go along, and composed of whatever ingredients you have available at the moment..."(13) The quote sums up mentoring in a nutshell. This resource is in workbook format, providing readers with time and space to respond to thoughts and ideas presented in the book. It develops scenarios and questions preparing a first time mentor and helping an experienced mentor look into the practice of mentoring. It provides a graph describing the different types of mentoring and tips for intervention and counseling of mentees. This book seems most valuable for new mentors, although it could be a refresher for others. However, it does not go very in-depth and provides little research background. It also lacks a bibliography for references.

I was attracted to the book because of the picture of the wise old hands releasing the dove. It reminded me of a mentor releasing his protege to the world to explore his own paths after he completed his training.The book is concise, to the point and an easy read. It is written in a workbook style which provides an opportunity for self-evaluating and recording. Shea sets the stage with the Greek mythology of Homer's Odyssey and the story of the Mentor. He later develops the foundation of mentoring as an art form prompting the reader to categorize previous relationships on a scale of non-structured to highly structured formality of relationship; and short-term spontaneous to long-term, perhaps life-long length of intervention. Furthermore, Shea provides a check list for identifying what others have done for the reader and what the reader has done for others.While mentoring may be recognized as a positive experience, it might not be for everyone. Shea helps the reader determine if a mentoring role is congruous for them by verbalizing the investment that is necessary for mentoring to be successful, as well as mentoring self-development and learning styles.Shea later goes on to develop the understanding of the mentee's needs through the reading of signals, image, self-confidence and managing change. He discusses in depth seven types of mentoring assistance, behaviors to avoid, and mentor-mentee gains.The last section of the book addresses special situations; cross-gender and cross-cultural mentoring; new areas of mentoring, academic environments, government agencies, supervisor or manager mentoring. Shea asks the reader to identify areas in their organizations where formal or informal mentoring could be helpful.Overall, I liked the book it was quite informative for an inexperienced mentor like myself. I enjoyed the case studies which displayed the ideas that Shea was trying to convey in real life situations. A bibliography would have been an asset for the reader. Reference to current research to support his opinions and theories would help the credibility of the material covered in the book.

This book is a must for anyone interested in mentoring someone and is recommended to anyone who is being mentored as well. It is concise, easy to read, and full of amusing graphics. I particularly enjoyed its workbook style which offers the reader an opportunity to evaluate their own mentoring strengths and weaknesses as well as gain a greater understanding of what it takes to be a mentor. The author also uses scenarios effectively to guide readers through this challenging, but very rewarding, calling. The only drawback to this book is its brevity. Although it is a terrific introduction to mentoring, it may not have enough information for someone who has had a lot of background. In an effort to give an overview, the book only scratches the surface of the mentoring experience. Knowledgeable mentors could find some benefit to using the self evaluation exercises, but they may desire a more in depth book on the subject.