The history of mentoring apparently began with the character of Mentor in Homer’s Odyssey.
The epic poem notes that Odysseus entrusts his young son Telemachus to the care of Mentor, his trusted companion when he sets off to fight in the Trojan War. Then, after being absent for decades, Mentor ends up nurturing and supporting the boy.
Mentoring can be a transformational process for both the mentor and mentee.
It offers a pathway for individuals to navigate the ever-changing landscape of work and personal development while providing the opportunity for individuals from different backgrounds, companies and departments to learn from each other.
Many organisations now have more than three generations working together.
While newer team members may benefit from additional guidance on their career journey, mentoring encourages seasoned professionals to share their valuable industry insights and experiences.
The generosity and expertise of my earliest formal and informal mentors greatly increased my confidence.Formalised mentorship programmes, including the CSI Mentoring Scheme established in July 2022, enable CISI members to enter mentorships which support the mentee in achieving their career and personal goals and allow the mentor to share their valuable industry experience and knowledge.
The CISI also recently launched reverse mentoring (someone with less experience mentoring someone more experienced) as part of the scheme.
The generosity and expertise of my earliest formal and informal mentors greatly increased my confidence and sense of purpose at the beginning of my career in the financial services industry.
Their guidance helped me better serve my clients at Charles Stanley & Co and gave me tools to reach some of my career and personal goals:
A sense of direction
Having a mentor encourages employees to ask questions and share goals that may otherwise not be expressed.
In the absence of the safe spaces that mentorships create, mentees may not have clarity on how to work towards their goals.
Mentors also provide a valuable sounding board for mentees.
The workplace as a village
Mentorship within organisations benefits the overall goal of company growth and encourages social cohesion among employees.
My experience as a mentor and a mentee has enabled me to build relationships within Charles Stanley Wealth Managers and the wider financial services industry.
Better outcomes
I believe that formal mentorship helps to promote a culture of collaboration, knowledge and skills sharing as colleagues support each other in achieving their career goals.
It may also create a space for employees to voice concerns and find better ways of resolving problems.
Community connection and exchanges of information are beneficial to both mentors and mentees.
It is rewarding for me to see my mentees achieve their goals, and just like my mentors gifted me with insight that I passed on, I hope my mentees will also pass knowledge along to future mentees.
I am committed to the self-perpetuating culture of sharing that mentorships can foster, and I have seen firsthand that it can provide a boost to companies and their employees.
Tsitsi Mutiti, chartered FCSI, is the winner of the CISI inaugural Mentor Of The Year award 2024. She is an investment manager at Charles Stanley Wealth Managers and vice-chair of the CISI Review magazine editorial panel.
