Mentoring journal
“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.”
— Bob Proctor
Mentoring is a powerful and transformative practice that can shape careers, improve personal growth, and drive organizational success. If you have been on this blog for some time you know that I am a great ambassador of mentoring and working with a mentor, while I try my best to be a mentor for others.
Being a mentor can be challenging - is not just about landing a hand, it requires skills, competencies, and a deep understanding of the mentoring process. This is where organizations like the EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council) play a crucial role.
Welcome to my learning journal or what stays with me after 5 weeks of intense study, deadlines for submitting homeworks and meeting with my study group.
I invite you to accompany me into my learning journey as I go through a mentoring accreditation programme designed by EMCC. This is a part of the EMCC Romania mentoring programme - Mozaic and it is a great opportunity of learning for me.
For me as an active volunteer in 2 mentoring programmes - one international with Toastmasters (public speaking and leadership) - Odyssey and now with EMCC - Mozaic (coaching, personal branding, professional development) it offers me different perspectives and many opportunities to increase my experience as a coach and as a mentor in a global environment.
EMCC is a globally recognized body that sets the standards for mentoring and coaching. They offer accreditation programs that provide mentors with recognition and validation of their skills. EMCC's mission is to enhance the quality and impact of mentoring and coaching by setting high professional standards. Accreditation with EMCC is a mark of excellence that signifies your commitment to the field.
EMCC offers different levels of accreditation, ranging from Foundation, Practitioner, Senior Practitioner, and ultimately, Master Practitioner. Each level has specific requirements in terms of mentoring hours, training, and supervision. As you progress through these levels, you will deepen your mentoring expertise and demonstrate a higher level of competence.
Accreditation with EMCC brings numerous benefits. For mentors, it signifies that you have met rigorous professional standards, enhancing your credibility and opening doors to mentoring opportunities. For mentees, it assures them that they are receiving guidance from a highly qualified and competent mentor. EMCC accreditation is recognized globally, making it a valuable asset for mentors who work internationally.
I joined the Programme knowing is going to be a lot of self study and time investment in going through all the materials - but my FOMO was big so even though I had a busy time at the office I somehow made it work :)
One of the key steps in the accreditation process is creating a mentoring log and it might be sometime difficult because most of my mentoring hours are not logged like the coaching ones where there is a routine in place - after the session I put aside extra 10 minutes to login the time and to have some reflective practice upon my professional development as such. So here is me looking though all the journals and counting hours from Toastmasters, Kleine Schule and JCI to add them to my mentoring log.
Then I started creating the portfolio that serves as evidence of my mentoring practice and includes reflections, case studies, feedback from mentees, and evidence of your my accreditation journey, as it showcases my growth and competencies as a mentor. Lucky that at this step I was more organised and was all in one folder in my computer.
The path to EMCC accreditation is not without its challenges. It requires dedication, commitment, and continuous learning. Some common pitfalls include procrastination, lack of self-reflection, and difficulty in obtaining feedback. Addressing these challenges head-on was essential to make steady progress and ultimately achieve accreditation.
Study time
We had so many useful materials to go through during the course - from reflective models to the book ”Techniques for coaching and mentoring” by Megginson & Clutterbuck that is filled with tools that I can use in coaching and mentoring processes. From doing a research on mentoring materials that inspired us to reading white papers and studies done world wide on the benefits of a successful mentoring programmes. I love it! Some of the info I found during these weeks they will become blog posts in the future.
Here are just a few examples of some tools:
The 4D Solution
The Logic Tree in Learning Goals
Role and Environment Mapping
Values and Beliefs Exercise
or my fav: Busy Fool Syndrome
We analyzed how you can create a mentoring programme from zero, what are the key factors of success for a programme that received prizes from professionals associations and how to perform a follow-up at the end of a programme. And we also learn how to build our own techniques - and that was a perfect time for me to get a confirmation that I am doing something good with developing my own tools.
There was a thing that I loved during one of our training sessions - the talk about the role of e mentor in a life of a mentee and there were so many brilliant outcomes. A mentor is a coach, a storyteller, a sounding partner, a sponsor, supports you to increase your network, shares context and knowledge.
During the programme I also reflected on my mentoring experiences and how some people influenced my life to become a better person / professional trainer - coach - mentor. And there are some brilliant people that crossed my path and I am grateful for each and everyone of them.
From A. I learned patience and how to listen with intent of understanding.
From C. it was about offering the space to people to grow.
From J. stayed with me the compassionate inquiry.
From Z. it was about changing the glasses and perspectives of the bigger system.
As part of the journey towards accreditation, reflecting on my supervision, mentoring and coaching sessions it was a key element of the learning process, as it mirrored the mentoring relationships I aim to cultivate with all my mentees.
The journey through a accreditation programme done by EMCC is a rewarding and transformative one. It requires dedication, a commitment to self-improvement, and a deep passion for helping others grow. As I navigate the process alongside the other participants and the study team that we created I keep remember that the benefits are not only professional, but also personal.
Accreditation with a professional body signifies your commitment to excellence and your passion for guiding others towards success. It is a journey that is well worth embarking upon for anyone looking to make a profound impact in the world of mentoring. So, if you're considering EMCC accreditation, take that first step. Your journey towards mentorship excellence awaits.
Photo by Ally Griffin on Unsplash
