Enhancing Mentoring by Using Strategies from Other Professions: Suggestions for Educational Leaders

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2021-05

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Abstract

This research is designed to understand how educational leaders can transfer personal and organizational value from other professions through mentoring to the work of education. A mentoring relationship is a valuable tool for learning. Mentoring increases leadership skills, performance, and productivity of an individual in any place of employment. Mentoring is an investment in the future of education as is reflected by success from other professions outside of education. Although education has provided significant mentoring of new teachers, e.g. induction to the profession, there is limited evidence in the literature of formal mentoring of veteran educators. When teachers move grade levels or change from middle school to high school or move districts typically the only support is informal in nature. Whereas other professionals have a process of on-boarding their employees at all levels of movement in a company or private corporation. These processes were studied and persons from outside of education were asked about the systems and recommendations made for possible use in the education area. A mentoring survey, Mentoring Process in Workplace Survey (MPWS), was distributed using snowball sampling to over 100 persons across the globe. Eight executives were interviewed to determine specific skillsets used to mentor in various organizations. It was learned that staff productivity and performance can be greatly enhanced when organized mentoring is available throughout ones career. Specific suggestions for strengthening the mentor programs in education to expand throughout an educators career are provided.

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Keywords

Mentoring, Induction, On-Boarding, Professional Growth, Career Mentor

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