What Is One-to-One Mentoring in the Workplace? (Examples and Benefits)

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When you hear the word mentoring, you more than likely think of a mentor and mentee coming together to meet. Mentoring comes in multiple forms, and that’s why it’s essential to understand the diverse types and recognise the value and impact each one can have. From reverse mentoring to group mentoring, the different styles help support diverse goals and objectives. In the case of one-to-one mentoring, simply put, it’s the ‘traditional’ style of mentoring, where two individuals enter a relationship to help the mentee grow and develop in their career.

Typically, in this style of mentoring, the mentor is a more experienced professional or senior member within an organisation, acting as a guide and adviser to the junior mentee. This relationship can last anywhere from a week to a year, but each relationship has the common goal of helping their mentee accomplish their goals and thrive.

In this article, we will be sharing examples of one-to-one mentoring and looking at the benefits of this mentoring style.

Examples of One-to-One Mentoring

Mentoring is unique to every relationship, which is why sometimes it can feel confusing to understand how mentoring can be used both in our daily lives and in our professional ones. To help you gain a deeper understanding of this mentoring method, here are 4 examples:

1. Reverse Mentoring

As mentioned, one-to-one mentoring is traditionally done between a more senior mentor and a junior mentee. But, this isn’t always the case. Many one-to-one relationships focus on reverse mentoring where the roles of the relationship are switched. An example of this could be a more junior member of an organisation acting as a mentor, to teach the CEO how to use social media platforms or other software used within the organisation.

2. Mentoring for Skill Development

Mentoring is a great way to help employees develop their skills. An example of one-to-one mentoring for skill development is a leader within the HR department working alongside their mentee to help them acquire the skills they need to progress within their HR career.

3. One-to-One Mentoring for Onboarding

Another way one-to-one mentoring can be used, and is becoming increasingly popular across the world, is through the use of mentoring to support the onboarding process. In this one-on-one mentoring relationship, the mentor offers their support and guidance to make the onboarding process seamless for the mentee. Helping them with things such as developing skills, coming to terms with workplace practices and helping them understand the organisational culture.

4. Steve Jobs Mentoring Mark Zuckerberg

Two household names, but did you know that Steve Jobs was the mentor of Mark Zuckerberg? It has been said that the two met to discuss how Zuckerberg might manage and develop Facebook, as well as entrepreneurship. When Steve Jobs passed in 2012, Mark Zuckerberg said “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.” You can read more examples of celebrity mentoring relationships here.

These are just a few examples of how one-on-one mentoring is used both within organisations and for personal and professional development. Mentoring is all about coming together to build trusting relationships. Where wisdom can be shared to help the mentor and mentee reach a common goal - the progression and development of the mentee. Many people believe that mentoring is used just for skill development. As mentioned, whilst it is a highly impactful and effective way of helping individuals develop their skills, there are many uses of mentoring. Mentoring is unique and should be customised to each relationship.

Advantages of One-to-One Mentoring

With the growing popularity of mentoring, more and more research suggests that mentoring is an extraordinarily impactful and beneficial tool, helping millions of organisations and individuals across the globe. But when it comes to one-to-one mentoring, what are the benefits? Listed below are 7 benefits of implementing a one-on-one mentoring program within your organisation:

• It creates meaningful mentoring relationships. One of the main benefits of one-to-one mentoring is its ability to help your employees create meaningful relationships with other employees, which can sometimes be hard to do in a group setting. It gives your employees a sense of support and security, knowing they have someone there to guide them and support them at work.

• Skill development. One-on-one mentoring is a highly impactful way of enabling your employees to expand their skill sets. Who better to learn from than someone who is more experienced than you? Whilst skill development is seen in all areas of mentoring, in a one-to-one setting they have the full attention of the mentor.

• New perspectives. Mentoring provides the opportunity for your employees to gain new perspectives because they are communicating with someone who has a fresh perspective on the situation. Everyone views situations differently, which is why it’s important to seek new perspectives especially when it comes to career development.

• Improved diversity and inclusion. One-on-one mentoring allows minority employees to gain the support they need within the workplace, from professionals they often don’t have access to. Mentoring creates an inclusive workplace culture that celebrates the development and progression of all employees.

• Better communication. One-to-one mentoring is more personal than group mentoring, which means mentors and mentees can develop a more trusting relationship. This personal style of mentoring is focused on building a successful relationship built on trust, which in turn, results in better communication. This often funnels down throughout the organisation as a whole.

• Mentees feel more accountable. Accountability is an important part of any relationship and is particularly important in the case of one-to-one mentoring relationships. This style of mentoring will ensure growth due to the consistent levels of accountability and effort put in by both individuals.

• More time. One of the main differences between group mentoring and one-to-one mentoring is more time. With only the development and goals of the mentee being a priority, it means there is more time to try new things and learn without feeling rushed. Mentoring sessions are recommended to be an hour long, which in reality isn’t much time when the mentee is catering to multiple mentees.

Final Thoughts

Whatever the reason for implementing a one-on-one mentoring program, you won’t be disappointed with the results. Not only does this style of mentoring come with the typical benefits such as improved retention, employee engagement and so much more, but it also comes with some incredible additional pros.

If you want to learn more about one-on-one mentoring and how it can be used within your organisation, then book a free demonstration with a member of the PushFar team today. We’re the world’s leading mentoring and career progression platform, helping thousands of organisations across the globe fulfil their mentoring needs.