Peer To Peer Mentoring Relationships
THE CASUAL MENTOR HoppertyProperty,LLC.
Peers who are members of the same team, club or organization will often inadvertently join a informal mentor/mentee relationship. Peers usually form an unwritten partnership before they begin to explore their mentoring relationship possibilities. The alliance they form may not be readily recognized as mentoring by either party. What are the benefits of these collaborative alliances?
- Peers can become a mentor, a mentee, or both, as they explore each others strengths and weaknesses.
- Peers prefer to avoid critiques or evaluations regarding each others ideas, capabilities and goals.
- Peers can become role models of proper behavior for their partner. For example, a mentoring peer may be emulated because of the unsolicited non-judgmental demeanor expressed to their mentee.
- Peers may have concerns about such things as confidentiality. But because there is usually a bond that has developed, the parties trust each other and keep all such things to themselves.
- Peers will often build on each others strengths and will routinely transfer skills of value that are thought to be unique to the mentor.
- Peers aren’t reluctant to ask for help during a mentoring relationship from a fellow peer because they know their request won’t be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
- Peers find that their partner in the mentoring relationship becomes more and more like what’s commonly found with a trusted friend.
- Peers love to share their knowledge without strings attached.
- Peers will often use storytelling to help coach, teach, and advise their colleague regarding specific skills.