Mentoring is one of the most powerful learning and change interventions our clients use within an organisational setting. Some organisations see it as an activity, which can take place within the line of command; other organisations see it as incompatible with the fundamental openness of the relationship. Similarly, some cultures see the exercise of authority and influence on the part of a protégé as appropriate; others see mentoring as primarily a developmental activity, with the emphasis on empowering and enabling people to do things for themselves. Some people view mentoring as synonymous with coaching, or teaching; others see it as a form of counselling. Certainly others view it as a kind of godfather relationship.
In the last two decades, many employers have shown enthusiastic commitment to gender diversity. Women have made enormous strides in being able to compete on the same playing field as men at work. This is where initiatives such as mentoring and sponsor programmes have been really successful in helping erode this gender imbalance and create more gender equity. Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. All the research strongly confirms this as being an important factor in developing more women leaders. So let us consider:
- What are the outcomes from introducing mentoring for women into your organisation?
- The outcomes of mentoring which support gender equity for women.
- And what is different about female talent mentoring today?
As long ago as 2005, Brewster et al defined talent management as occurring on a global basis. It is a far broader concept than a series of international assignments for young potential. They describe a picture of being able to retain and attract the best talent anywhere in the world. Global brands like Diageo, Shell and Rolls Royce attach great importance to developing a positive brand for potential recruits.
Organisations are keen to ensure that their mentoring programme will be the best. They want it to run smoothly, with everyone getting a great deal out of it!
In Japan, Ikigai is a popular concept that makes millions of people want to get out of bed in the morning. It is translates simply as the ‘reason for being’. The term ikigai is composed of two Japanese words: ‘iki’ referring to life, and ‘kai’, which roughly means “the realisation of what one expects and hopes for”.
The launch of the AOMP mentoring pilot was in April 2016 with eleven mentoring pairs across several countries and six Humanitarian and Development Organisations. After that a further programme has been delivered in 2017, with planning for the 2018 cohort ongoing for an October launch. 
With summer just around the corner, it is a good time to health check your mentoring programme to ensure it’s in tip-top condition to keep it going over the holiday months and into the autumn. Effective formal mentoring needs nurturing and energising to deliver the best outcomes. So, whether you are an external consultant or an internal co-ordinator, freshen up your mentoring programme before people drift off on their holiday.
The more self-aware a mentor can be about their behaviour and the degree to which they listen to their mentees around what the mentee is looking for from them, the better the relationship can be.
To help more people benefit from our 
This year the term ‘Mindful March’ is everywhere, with encouragement to be more mindful in your approach to life for the 31 days, trying out a new idea or action to help you live more in the present moment. Lovely ideas and sentiments and I hope ones that will support people to live more connected lives and cope better with day to day stress, anxiety and depression. It is delightful to see and feel the energy on social media as people respond to these ideas.