It is worth noting that any healthcare organization should strive for the harmonious development of employees and help them manage their careers. This should be done regardless of whether a person stays with the current organization or decides to move to another one (Woolnough & Fielden, 2017). For these purposes, it is necessary to use mentoring system as a tool that allows approaching the issue of career development in a personalized manner. Career management through a mentoring system can allow transferring knowledge and experience and manage the professional growth of staff. Given that the author of this paper has no mentoring experience and has not been a mentee, the purpose of this writing is to discuss how I would begin a mentoring relationship as a leader.
Discussion
It should be noted that a mentoring relationship should begin with a mentor’s full understanding of the role. An effective mentor does not need to have answers to all questions but should possess the ability to encourage and motivate the mentee to make decisions. After the mentor-mentee pair has been identified, it is necessary to establish contact with the employee. Correctly built relationships will allow achieving good mutual understanding and respect for each other’s opinions (Woolnough & Fielden, 2017). After the contact has been established, it is necessary to outline the direction in which the employee wants to develop. To do this, I will help the mentee determine the goals and results of the relationship that both parties want to achieve. It is necessary to discuss the frequency of meetings and specify what the intermediate goals and objectives will be.
An important aspect of building this type of relationship is ensuring the independence of the mentee. The employee needs to formulate ideas about themselves independently, as well as about their abilities and prospects. The task of the mentor is to guide, support, and help the employee instead of offering ready-made answers and setting a rigid framework for growth prospects (Gopee & Galloway, 2017). At the initial stage, it will be important for the mentor to help the employee understand the functioning of the organization and help deconstruct the nature of its activities. At the stage of establishing relationships, I will need to engage in self-reflection constantly. Mentoring is an important opportunity to develop interpersonal and managerial skills (Gopee & Galloway, 2017). In its turn, the organization will benefit from improved performance achieved through upgrading the skills of its employees, with a clearer understanding of their tasks while increasing faith in the organization’s ability to support them.
As a leader, I will have to start building a relationship with the inclusion of an employee in the external and internal processes of the organization. This will provide an opportunity to help them understand the requirements of the environment (Gopee & Galloway, 2017). At this stage, the mentee will only be immersed in the corporate culture and business processes (Gopee & Galloway, 2017). Subsequently, I will help them determine their potential and the possibility for their further personal and professional development, for example, when moving to a new position or undergoing training.
Concluding Points
Thus, it can be concluded that mentoring is a long-term relationship aimed at assisting employees in their professional development and career growth. This type of relationship should be based on trust and confidentiality. As a leader, I will begin a mentoring relationship by having a series of meetings with the mentee to help them outline their goals and objectives for personal and professional growth. After clear objectives have been set, it will be possible to determine the steps on how to achieve these milestones.
References
- Gopee, N., & Galloway, J. (2017). Leadership and management in healthcare (3rd ed.). SAGE.
- Woolnough, H. M., & Fielden, S. L. (2017). Mentoring in nursing and healthcare: Supporting career and personal development. John Wiley & Sons.