Wondering how the concept of mentoring came about and why does modern society need it?
The word “mentor” has his origins from the Homeric epic poem “Odyssey”: embarking on his long journey, Odysseus entrusts his son to the guidance, care and teaching of his wisest and most trusted friend, Mentor. So, from the beginning of civilization, this concept of mentoring was needed to build a society based on values with potential. Over the centuries, the opinion has formed that behind every great career is the beneficial support of a mentor.
In general, a mentor stands out for the substantial help given to a mentee in achieving performance; through this, the mentee acquires knowledge, education and a certain self-confidence due to the learning experience.
Many of us already know how important it is to have a mentor in our career or in our personal life. In organizations, many employees would like to be able to “absorb” their expertise, knowledge and skills from the company’s most valued people. Three years ago, we launched a mentoring program within our company, which we then extended, nationally, to all six centers, through CGS Academy.
The interaction between mentors and mentees depends on several factors such as the specificity of the project, the learning objectives, the personal development needs, the activities proposed in the project, the challenges that arise along the way or the intended results. Our mentoring program involves regular meetings, so that all of this naturally turns into a learning experience. In addition, depending on the type of project, the support from the mentor can provide guidance and even inspiration, both to improve the way of working and to generate new ideas.
A good mentor provides advice to the junior employee at regular intervals and is available for any questions. A mentor shares his knowledge, suggests alternatives, answers questions and analyzes complex situations with the mentee.
In addition, we can add that conversations with each of the mentees help mentors to better understand the needs of young employees and thus create a work environment in which newcomers can integrate and advance much more easily within the company.
Here are some messages sent to us by some of our colleagues who graduated from the Mentoring program:
Corneliu Dobrițescu – mentee, Târgu-Jiu
“The opportunity to take part in this program brought me only benefits, both professionally and personally. With the help of my mentor, I managed to learn new things, to deepen the knowledge I had or gradually acquired.
The constant feedback provided and the debate of the situations encountered culminated in a new project for me, a project where I would not be able to do without all the things I have learned over time.
For me, the program will definitely not end here, because I will continue to have a connection with my mentor in the current project.”
Nicolae Pătrășcan – mentor, Târgu-Jiu
“Officially, this mentoring program was launched at the end of 2015, and Corneliu has been involved since 2018. However, I can say that he, perhaps without being aware of this aspect, went through many more meetings starting right from his first steps at CGS Romania.
About 4 and a half years have passed since we are present in Târgu-Jiu, and the evolution of this center is also due to Corneliu. Through this program, he has shown that he is still open to learning new things and improving the tasks he carries out every day.”
Alexandra Petri – mentee, Brașov
“The Mentoring course helped me to develop myself, both professionally and personally. It helped me to be much more productive, to prioritize my activities and to strengthen the relationship with my team.
This course was a new experience, with a series of challenges that contributed to my evolution and that made me even more confident in my own strengths. 🙂 ”
Constantin Covasan – mentor, Brașov
“We have already reached the third edition of the Mentoring course, but no session is similar to the others. Maybe that’s the most “challenging” part of the program: working with people with different personalities, a different kind of vision, but essentially trying to get the same results in the end.”
We are extremely pleased with the wonderful results achieved through this program, as well as the success it enjoys among our colleagues!
Good luck to all!
#CGSDreamTeam #FriendsLearningTogether
