Like a lot of terminology in the helping professions, the word ‘boundaries’ has crossed over in recent years into the public domain. As is often the case, the concept of boundaries in mentoring is rather more nuanced than we find in its daily use. Boundaries give shape and structure to mentoring. They help us to recognise mentoring’s limitations. However, boundaries also offer freedom, creativity and safety. Here, we offer some brief examples of where we are likely to encounter boundaries in mentoring and explore the role that they play in delivering good quality practice.
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Managing mentoring boundaries to shape and structure better outcomes
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When I ask people to describe their current mentoring relationship, or a past mentoring experience, I find it fascinating how much the depth of these mentoring relationships can vary. So let’s explore the diversity of learning richness that can occur in mentoring relationships and whether mentoring is just a nice chat, or a conversation with a purpose?
What is the point in mentoring training and what should you cover? Can you not just ‘lump’ the mentors in with your coaches, or dispense with the training, as “everyone understands mentoring”?
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.