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TOPICS
1. Peer Resources Publishes Next Issue of Compass
2. Review of Mentoring Book
3. Create and Develop High Quality Mentorship Programs
4. What's New from Mentoring Research
PEER RESOURCES PUBLISHES NEXT ISSUE OF COMPASS
Bucking the trend for information to be distributed exclusively on the Internet, Peer Resources announced the publication of the next issue of its print magazine, Compass: A Magazine for Peer Assistance, Mentorship and Coaching. According to senior editor, Rey Carr, this advertising-free, non-commercial publication brings together "the tools to navigate the heart, mind and soul" and has been designed to "recognize the close relationship between coaches, mentors and peer assistants."
This particular issue contains many articles that will be of value to mentor program leaders and consultants. A feature article by European Mentoring Centre Director, David Clutterbuck, lays out 57 performance criteria to use as possible standards for evaluating mentoring programs and suggests the types of evidence that can be collected to demonstrate each standard. And Eric Parsloe, the director of the Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring shares his thoughts and references on diversity in mentoring programs.
This edition of Compass also includes a review of experienced manager and business executive James Hatherley's new book, Daring to be Different, in which the author makes a very convincing case that for a manager to be a good mentor, he or she must also be a true leader. The low cost of this book and the humorous examples as well as top notch writing and key principles elevate this book to consideration of purchasing multiple copies to give colleagues as gifts.
Additional articles focus on how to select worthwhile telecourses, a review of bridge line services for delivering a telecourse, expanding practice capacity by using a virtual assistant, activities to dispel myths about mentoring, brief reports on e-mentoring and corporate mentoring, techniques for screening "non-voluntary" mentors, how to use peer mentoring for new employee orientation, and first-hand stories illustrating the power of mentoring.
A subscription to this print publication is included with membership in the Peer Resources Network. Copies are available to non-members for $15.00 each plus postage. Additional details are available at <http://www.mentors.ca/Compassinfo.html> or email: compass@mentors.ca
REVIEW OF NEW MENTORING BOOK
Margo Murray has thoroughly revised the latest edition of Beyond the Myths and Magic of Mentoring: How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring Process (Jossey-Bass, 2001) to reflect her considerable experience assisting a variety of organizations develop what she calls "facilitated mentoring." This deliberate, yet simple process has a number of components that are essential for organizations that want to have a flexible, diverse and highly skilled work force. The book also reflects ten years of change in the world of organizations and new examples are drawn from contemporary life to illustrate effective models for designing, developing and evaluating facilitated mentoring.
Like its earlier parent, this book also reveals what does not work in mentoring and how to avoid such pitfalls. The author has retained the user-friendly writing style and has updated the practical check lists, guidelines and blueprints to reflect what she has learned from the implementation of facilitated mentoring in pubic sector, private industry, health care, and educational institutions. The book provides valuable information for people seeking mentors, for mentors who want to improve their connections, and for mentor program leaders who want to enhance, audit, or strengthen their mentoring efforts.
The book can be purchased at Amazon.com in the US for US$36.00 online or in Canada (CDN$54.00) at Amazon.ca.
LEARN TO CREATE OR STRENGTHEN HIGH QUALITY MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS
While mentoring occurs naturally in most organizations, specific challenges such as leadership succession, employee turnover, and ethical practice cannot be left to chance. Deliberate, systematic mentoring programs have shown considerable success in dealing with the contemporary issues faced by businesses, community organizations and educational institutions.
A few simple principles related to recruiting, screening, matching, training and coordinating combined with designing a mentorship strategy that fits the culture of the organization within which it will take place provide the basis for the content of mentorship seminars conducted by Peer Resources. In 2003, Peer Resources will be offering four seminars on Mentorship Programs: May 13-14 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 15-16, in Kitchener, Ontario (Canada), July 21-22 in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), August 4-5 in Tiburon, California, and October 30-31 in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). For more information about these seminars, go to www.mentors.ca/trng.html.
For information about mentorship seminars and workshops led by other organizations, go to www.mentors.ca/mentorevents.html.
WHAT'S NEW FROM MENTORING LITERATURE
Peer Resources continually scans the professional and popular published literature to find articles of interest to people involved in mentoring. Two of several hundred recent additions to the searchable, annotated bibliography at <http://www.mentors.ca/SearchB.html> are:
Hansford, B., Tennent, L., and Ehrich, L.C. (2002). Business mentoring: Help or hindrance? Mentoring and Tutoring, 10, 2, 101 - 115.
A review of 151 articles relating to business mentoring that revealed mostly positive outcomes, but where negative outcomes were reported they were likely associated with time constraints, no training, negative attitudes of others, or matching problems. (RAC)
Rhodes, J. E. (2002). Stand by me: The risks and rewards of mentoring today's youth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
