Odysseus Mentoring

According to the Greek mythological legend, Mentor, a friend and counselor to Odysseus was entrusted with the education of Odysseus’ s son, Telemachus. As a trusted senior adviser, Mentor was responsible for raising Telemachus and instructing him in the ways of the world. Today the term Mentor has come to mean a person who takes a special interest in furthering the career and development of a new or junior person in the organization. By guiding the development of the junior person in various ways, mentors may unlock the potential of those under their guidance.

Mentoring is a one to one relationship between a more experienced senior person (mentor) and a new entrant or less experienced person commonly refereed to as the Protégé. The benefits of mentoring include enhanced performance not only for the individual but also for the mentor and the organization.

The benefits of mentoring include enhanced performance not only for the individual but also for the mentor and the organization. Research has found that mentoring provides many benefits to the protégés. Such benefits include higher promotion rates, salary and compensation, and higher performance. Protégé’s tend to feel more in tune with organization’s way of thinking and doing things, more nurtured and supported during the promotion process and are generally more aware of the organizational