Mentoring is not coaching or training, though it could feel similar. In the case of Alumni Mentoring, an ELSA Mentor will share knowledge, skills and/or experience, to help the Mentee to develop and grow. She may also take a coaching stance, if mutually agreed, to provide guidance on Mentees’ goals and help them reach their full potential. A Mentor may suggest you connect with a Coach if she thinks you require their service.
However well intentioned, a Mentor will not give advice or prescribe actions or path. She will share and guide, and allow the Mentee to make her own decisions in order to address her goals
Therapy and the counselling processes explores the past to resolve the future. A Mentor will listen and guide the Mentee to focus on the present and move forward. The Mentor will suggest you connect with a Therapist or Counsellor, if she thinks you need their services.
Mentors don't set the agenda for the Mentee or hold the Mentee accountable to anyone but themselves.
A Mentoring relationship is a two way street; it is about making a connection and sharing knowledge, insights and experience for the Mentee’s growth and development.
However good a Mentor may be, progress and achievement can only be accomplished by an individual wanting to change and move forward by applying what they learn to their own activities and behaviour.