Mentoring is about a person helping another to achieve something. Where in, a faithful, wise advisor, creates an informal environment, in which the other person feels encouraged to discuss their needs and circumstances openly and in confidence is said to be mentoring. Mentoring is a powerful personal development and empowerment tool. In other words, providing help and support in a non-threatening way, in a manner that the recipient appreciates and values is mentoring. It involves to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that may maximize their potential develop their skills, improve performance and become the person they want to do. Mentoring is the process through which someone who is perceived as a facilitator, listener, coalition builder, trustworthy, creates a safe learning environment, without making the mentee worry about negative consequences.
Rendering of mentoring services exhibits the following features:
- Takes place outside of a line manager-employee relationship, at the mutual consent of a mentor and the person being mentored.
- Is career-focused or focuses on professional development that may be outside a mentee's area of work.
- Relationship is personal–a mentor provides both professional and personal support
- Relationship may be initiated by a mentor through a match initiated by the organization.
- Relationship crosses job boundaries.
- Relationship may last for a specific period of time (nine months to a year) in a formal program, at which point the pair may continue in an informal mentoring relationship.