Mentors and Mentoring

I've never had a mentor - this seems rather sad now I spell it out. Not sure why. Either I've worked in a succession of organisations which did not have a mentoring culture or I'm such a prickly character no one felt able to offer any advice. Or both. I think it's something I've missed and as mentioned in my post on my career path I think I would have benefited tremendously in my early career from someone taking an interest in my progression. It seems unlikely that I will find one now - but you never know.

Conversely, I've tried really hard to offer informal mentoring where I think it's needed. I am a trained CILIP mentor and have  formally mentored 3 candidates. I think I have been responsible for inspiring at least one person to take up a course in librarianship. I see this as something I owe to the profession, which by and large has been a good one for me.

Because being a mentor encourages open discussion of professional issues it can probably be as valuable as having a mentor. Your mentee can bring a fresh outlook on problems and can help you clarify your own position. A win all round.