The traditional definition of mentoring is when a more experienced person is paired up with a less experienced person for the purpose of developing the less experienced person or mentee. The more senior person imparts knowledge and advice based on his/her own experiences and helps the mentee navigate within an organization and/or his career. The relationship is a professional one but the mentee grows both personally and professionally. The relationship is one where both parties, mentors and mentees, learn from the experience.

The benefit of this type of 1 on 1 mentoring relationship is that the relationship can be fully developed and explored long term. The mentor becomes an independent and trusted sounding board for the mentee. Trust and openness are the foundations for the success of the relationship.

We now see mentoring being offered in other forms: reverse mentoring and mentoring circles. Reverse mentoring is when a junior person mentors a more senior person in age or years of work experience. For example, a senior person in the organization may be mentored on how to use the latest technology or social media channels. Therefore, mentoring has come to be defined more broadly as sharing knowledge or expertise to someone who will benefit from it professionally.

With mentoring circles, a group of mentees and at least one mentor meet on a regular basis. Mentoring circles is a collection of mentoring relationships with a common interest or goal. Each mentoring circle has a topic for discussion and all participants in the circle benefit from the sharing of experiences. This allows for all participants to act as “mentees” and “mentors”, although there is officially a mentor participating in the circle. Mentoring circles are useful in organizations where there is a demand for a sense of community and where there is a limited supply of mentors.

Which type of mentoring should your company take on? It depends on what you hope to achieve with mentoring. Also, think about the resources that you have available, i.e. qualified mentors, mentees and staff to manage the program. Finally, what is the cultural appetite amongst senior leaders for each type of mentoring?

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