What is mentoring?

The UGA Staff Mentor Program is grounded in the idea that mentoring is a learning relationship. The UGA Staff Mentor Program offers staff members an opportunity to build relationships and learn with one another about themselves and the institution. In The Mentor’s Guide, Zachary (2012) offers the following observations: 

• Mentoring can be a powerful growth experience for both mentor and mentee. Mentors will learn new things about their mentee, themselves, and their organizations. 

• Mentoring is a process of engagement. No one can mentor without connection. In fact, mentoring is most successful when it is done collaboratively. Commitment by and engagement of mentoring partners is a key element in establishing, maintaining, and experiencing successful mentoring relationships. 

• Facilitating successful mentoring is a reflective practice that takes preparation and dedication. It begins with self-learning. Taking the time to prepare for the relationship adds value to it. 

• Mentoring with staying power focuses on the learners, the learning process, and the learning. 

• When mentoring is consciously and conscientiously grounded in principles of learning, the likelihood that the mentoring relationship will become a satisfactory learning relationship for both partners dramatically improves (p. xix).
  

Zachary, L. (2012). The mentor’s guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships. Second Edition. Jossey-Bass.