How Mentoring Effects Change

Why is a mentoring conversation effective, when other forms of training and development may not achieve the desired change?

As we understand more about how humans change through studies of emotional intelligence and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), it emerges that when people alter either thinking or feelings or behaviour the other elements shift too.

A mentoring relationship of trust and rapport allows really meaningful conversations to take place. These conversations impact on one or more elements: the thinking process, attitudes or feelings, and the behaviour of the mentoree. A change in one element results in a shift in the others.

In other words, a mentoring conversation results in personal insight that may cause a person to re-think a situation. This changes their feelings or attitudes, which in turn causes them to choose a different behavioural response. Alternatively, the conversation may alert the person to the possibility that doing something differently in a given situation may achieve a better outcome. They try the new approach; get a response that changes their emotional reaction (feeling/attitude), in turn causing them to think differently about the situation.

Mentoring is not a substitute for training and education. However, it complements and supports the natural learning process and therefore increases return on investment in professional development.