Does LOCATION matter?

Well, its yet another day and yet another challenge. I wonder if Mentoring is going to be a roller coaster ride considering the fact that i always believed that it perhaps will be a smooth sail:) Great expectations! “Initiative is key. Anybody who wants to be somebody is going to work as hard as they can to fulfill that dream.” Well, am unsure which of the three i want- initiative, work or a dream:) i guess three's company in my journey- so am going ahead with initiative, work and DREEEEEEAM

As i returned home today post my mentoring engagement study, i wondered if the location of a mentor and mentee really impacted the engagement. I had a couple of relationships which tilted towards my phrase :) "nearer the better" So, how does the proximity factor affect a mentee? Well, its just the fact that your mentor is "somewhere around close by" and is "available" probably that comforts the mentee. Being in the same location as the mentee has proved advantageous in deepening the bond in a short period of time. The comfort factor is certianly higher in a mentor-mentee who are in the same vicinity in the workplace. More Thoughts, more Learning ,more Sharing, more Caring and more Achieving - the CLASS values of MindTree... what i also realised today is that creating comfort for the mentee at an emotional level matters- creating magical " mentoring moments" These moments have to be genuine, complete and lucid. Creating an experience for the mentee is what makes the engagement great. and what better way to do that than "being there" for the mentee in the neighbourhood at work?

Two fold impact of Mentoring

Today, i wondered as to how mentoring can impact individuals and specifically employees. Primarily, this can happen at two macro levels:

1. At an intellectual level
2. At an emotional level

Considering that "the intellect is the power or faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels and that by which one wills; the understanding; the faculty of thinking and acquiring knowledge" , mentoring can have a huge impact. In fact, mentoring is an intellectually empowering process. Mentoring enables the mentor and the mentee to reflect and refine their intellectual capability through the constant process of learning.

At an emotional level, mentoring helps us to separate "affect" from"effect" and helps us to separate feelings from thoughts.

In the organizational context, knowing and relating to the difference between "affect" and "effect" can truly create a mature class of employees who are emotionally empowered.

There could be several benefits for an organization to have intellectually and emotionally empowered employees. It can result in very effective interpersonal relationships among teams. It can move the organization to a level of intellectual competence which can be a distinguishing factor in the competitive world.

I know i can go on but wish to leave my thoughts here until my next blog...

Musings

Smiling, wise eyes, whisper softly, sincerely,"I believe in you!"The nurturing journey continues... - Robert Cox

How better could i describe mentoring? Seek, Learn, Reflect and Respond - the 360 of Mentoring!