Conscious Mentoring Programs in the 21st Century
Article by Corporate Coach Alchemist Anne Merkel, Ph.D.
Mentoring programs have been used in organizations and private business for many years. Conscious mentoring is a way for junior employees to benefit from the experience of senior employees, to gain knowledge about the culture of an organization and how the organization functions. The program described herein employs a new, wholistic approach to the mentoring process, and utilizes Corporate Alchemy™ tools including Open Space Technology and several different Whole Person Processes.
Younger, less experienced employees can benefit from the “wisdom” and example of more seasoned personnel. They gain from their senior’s worldly experience, can become more adept at building interpersonal relationships, are guided to participate as stronger “team” members, and can generally grow as more well-rounded and secure individuals and supporters for the organization.
Various tools fit nicely into a conscious mentoring program. The program described here incorporates several Whole Person Processes and the Open Space Technology large group process.
There are various phases and steps necessary to make a mentoring program conscious, successful, and self-sustaining. In order for the project to impact the personnel involved and the organization as a whole, it must receive “buy-in” from all participants at all levels: mentors as well as mentees. Phase 2 and Phase 4 address this and go beyond to support the work-force culture of cooperative teamwork and mentor as-well-as peer encouragement. Phase 3 actually provides the guidelines and cultural “glue” for the prospective mentors to enable them to carry out a mentoring program in a cohesive manner that matches the specific culture of the organization.
In Phase 1 the foundation for self-sustainability is laid with strategic background information gathered in a pre-meeting facilitated using a Whole Person Process. In Phase 2 barriers to success are identified and solutions agreed upon using Whole Person Processes with the full group. In Phase 3 mentors meet and identify key components and givens for the mentoring program. In Phase 4 all employees are briefed and facilitated in the Open Space Technology large group process which allows them to discover their own parameters concerning mentoring, work with like-minded others to choose the mentoring model which best suits them, and helps them to decide the action steps that will assist them to support the program and each other. Finally in Phase 5 the private mentoring sessions commence and are sustained.
Conscious mentoring programs are customized for each organization, and there is no size or industry where the mentoring process briefly described here cannot be applied.
You can learn more about conscious mentoring programs and how to utilize our Corporate Alchemy™ tools by contacting us. We also encourage you to sign up to receive our free Conscious Living e-zine, or Alchemist Anne blog, to learn more about how to live and work consciously and in alignment!
