Tag Archives: mentor

Time to Man Up to Men Mentoring Women 

When will the tide turn on the impact of #MeToo?   We published our research “Cross-Gender Relations in a Post-#MeToo World” in 2018. It was our fervent hope that this would start a conversation about the unintended consequences of the #MeToo movement – namely that men were starting to avoid contact with women in the workplace, most notably, in […]

Mentoring People with Autism

Autism is a broadly misunderstood condition. While severe Autism may be disabling, it’s a mistake to think of all people on the Autism spectrum as disadvantaged. In reality, many autistic people have significant advantages over neurotypical people in general. They are better able to absorb and process large amounts of information, more focused and often […]

Mentoring and Menopause in the Workplace

Menopause in the Workplace: The Missing Life Stage in our Conversations. “I feel ripped off that no one talked to me about it.” [1]  “I’m 46 and I felt so unprepared and shocked when it happened.”  “The silence – it’s the worst thing, especially when you get to the top of organisations where the percentage […]

When a Mentee is Unhappy at Work

Unhappy at work? Everyone has times, when their job just doesn’t seem to give them the same satisfaction. These feelings of being unhappy at work don’t always last – simple shifts in role or responsibility can make a radical difference, for example – but when ennui sets in, the potential for disengagement and quitting rise. […]

Negotiating the Balance of Power Between the Team Leader and the Team

Power struggles in team performance One of the biggest impediments to team performance occurs when there is a mismatch between the leadership style and behaviours the team needs and those that the leader and the team default to. The word “default” is appropriate because there is usually an unconscious process of adaptation, which may be […]

Career Advice: What to do when the Mentee has No Clear Career Goals?

The “sweet spot” on career advice When it comes to career advice, it makes mentoring a lot easier, when the mentee knows exactly where they want to go in their career. The trouble is, many mentees – particularly those in the early stages of their careers – have only a general sense of direction (if […]

Coaching: How Much Should Line Managers Give Direct Reports?

Coaching: it’s a natural assumption that the more coaching and mentoring a line manager gives his or her direct reports, the greater the positive impact on performance and engagement. In reality, however, according to a study by Gartner[1], there is very little correlation. The study suggests instead that quantity of coaching is much less important than […]

What Do Mentees Fear Most?

What do mentees fear most? A mentor enters a mentoring relationship knowing she has skills and knowledge to share with her mentee.  Naturally this makes the mentor feel pretty good.  Not only is she a decent and generous person, willing to share her expertise; she is also a person of value, having expertise worth sharing. […]

Fast Knowledge Transfer – FKT – is not Mentoring

Fast Knowledge Transfer – FKT – is not Mentoring In recent months, there has been a spate of articles and webinars extolling the virtues of “speed mentoring”, “flash mentoring” or similar means of fast knowledge transfer (FKT). We have also seen the rise of “Mentoring Lite” from major dot-com providers, providing rapid matching between people […]