Celebrating our 20th anniversary Looking back – moving forward
YEARS IN
Mentoring Matters
Table of Content 20 years of learning .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Our story .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The foundation years: The development of the
Mentor+ModelTM and the Mentor+SurveyTM .. . . . . . . 8 Mentoring then and now .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Why mentoring matters in the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Mentoring develops leadership skills valuable for
young leaders and top executives .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Developing a strong partnership .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 What is the difference between mentoring
and coaching? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mentor’s Many Roles .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 1
“My interest in mentoring comes from a deep curiosity about how to create learning processes that integrate individual and organisational learning and impact longterm business success. �
2 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
20 years of learning An organisation is a living organism. Observing, under-
How to place this learning within a framework of social
standing and influencing how all the different “cog-
learning – learning together with others – in such a
wheels” of the organisation interact and impact on
way that both the individual’s needs and wishes and
the organisation’s ability to perform, evolve and be
the organisation’s strategic purpose is achieved has
successful, is a very special experience. At KMP+ House
been the focus of KMP+ House of Mentoring since the
of Mentoring we have had the privilege of developing
start in the year 2000.
people and organisations for 20 years. Based on our experiences and research, I firmly believe that
With this perspective in mind, we have explored
mentoring has a unique ability to connect people, to set
different approaches to mentoring in many kinds
the cogwheels in motion and create very special people
of organisations and within many different cultural
relationships that influence corporate culture, pave
settings. We have researched mentoring together
the way for better collaboration across organisational
with our colleagues around the world and shared
boundaries and enable long-term business success.
our knowledge through books, articles, blogs and conferences. Today, I am more convinced than ever
My interest in mentoring comes from a deep curiosity
that the ability to learn, adapt and constantly reinvent
about how to create learning processes that integrate
yourself is critical for the individual to achieve long-
individual and organisational learning and impact long-
term career success and for the organisation to attract,
term business success. All individual learning takes
retain and develop the right kind of talents.
place within a specific context such as the organisation where the individual is working and the country – or
I am very proud of what we have achieved over the
countries – in which the organisation is doing business.
years in collaboration with our clients, with present and former colleagues and our executive business
Finding the connection between how the individual’s
mentors, and with research and consulting colleagues
learning impacts the organisation and how the
around the world.
organisational context impacts the individual’s learning is key to an effective mentoring programme.
Kirsten M. Poulsen, Founder and CEO
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 3
Our story In Denmark, in the fall of 2000, when this story starts, mentoring was new and exciting. There was no Danish literature about mentoring, so when one of our first clients needed to establish a mentoring programme Kirsten M. Poulsen reached out to her network around the globe to learn more. This became the start of a long and exciting journey exploring and applying mentoring as a key tool for developing people and organisations. Since the beginning we have been collaborating with our international network of consultants and researchers to design and deliver organisational, leadership and talent development for clients. We have delivered many different projects such as training Lean
This research resulted in the creation of our first
facilitators and implementing Lean methodologies,
mentoring concepts, the Mentor’s Many Roles and
facilitating strategy development and implementation,
the Mentor+SurveyTM. In 2009, Spar Nord Bank, the
delivering leadership development programmes,
fifth largest bank in Denmark, became the first client
transformational change projects and of course
to experience these mentor roles as a card game in
mentoring programmes supporting these projects as
a training session for mentors. Their feedback and
well as stand-alone mentoring programmes.
engagement in the game, inspired us to conceptualize the Mentor+GameTM into one set of cards for
An important milestone in our journey towards
training and another set of cards for the mentoring
becoming the House of Mentoring was the
collaboration. In 2015, we developed and published
implementation of a research project in 2003-2004
the Workbook for Mentors and Mentees, and in 2018
exploring mentoring in a Scandinavian context.
the Mentor+UniverseTM was launched as our digital
4 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
toolbox for mentors and mentees. We wish to thank all the clients who have taken part in this process, given us feedback, challenged us to think out of the box and taken the time to explore and evaluate what works in real life. This has been a true co-creation process. Additionally, client projects have given us the opportunity to apply our approach to mentoring internationally and to mentors and mentees from practically all over the world and proven that the concepts and tools work across cultures and in many different contexts.
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 5
Learning is a continuous and never-ending process, and we keep on learning together with our clients. We have delivered online training and workshops since 2014, and in 2017 we started digitizing our products and services. Now, we are helping organisations go fully digital and embrace new opportunities for innovating mentoring programmes and organisational development. n
6 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
YEARS IN
“20 years of success with excellent mentoring programs, tools and books of highest professional standards, innovation and passion - my warmest congratulations. It is a real inspiration working
“I am lucky to network with so many people, who
with you!
have great intellect, a good sense of humour and a passion for coaching and mentoring. I forget
With the International Cross-Mentoring Program
how many years Kirsten and I have known each
we have been honored by your continuous
other and worked together, but it has certainly
support since 2008 and look forward to many
been fun.
more years of running great and inspiring programs together.”
Mentoring has evolved so much in the past two decades. From a privilege for elites, it has
Rita Knott, International Cross-Mentoring Program
become a major movement for social change
Business Partner
– and Kirsten has been at the forefront of that transformation. Now there are many, many applications of mentoring, from maternity and paternity, through ethical mentoring, reciprocal mentoring to climate change mentoring – to name but a few! Congratulations, Kirsten from one mentoring pioneer to another!” David Clutterbuck, Professor and Co-Founder of EMCC
“Happy anniversary! It has been a pleasure working with you and KMP+ over many years. You always go the extra mile to make sure the mentoring program at UiO is successful. I appreciate your professionalism, curiosity for new knowledge and your ability and creativity in finding solutions and new ways of initiating learning. You are such an inspiration! Wish you the best of luck with the celebration and the future.” Hege Elisabeth Løvbak, University of Oslo
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 7
The foundation years: The development of the Mentor+ModelTM and the Mentor+SurveyTM Inspired by working with mentoring and the development of managers and
employees, Kirsten M. Poulsen and Christian Wittrock in 2003-2004 carried out the largest systematic study to date in Scandinavia of the use of mentoring programmes in an organisational context
By Christian Wittrock, Researcher, Innovation and
facilitation skills of the instructor – Kirsten. In addition,
Enterprise Development, the Work Research Institute,
I felt the impact of mentoring on my own personal
Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway.
and professional development. I therefore reconnected with Kirsten, when I was finalizing my post graduate
I have been interested in people development since
bachelor’s in business administration and needed
the beginning of my career, as I have felt that the
access to an empirical case study, feeding into my final
people part of strategic planning and organisational
paper. That contact led to a shared business venture
development all too often is missing. This is possibly
lasting 10 years, when I decided to become a full-time
because mainstream management thinking even
researcher.
today, and certainly in the early 1990s, was and is heavily influenced by the engineering roots of
From early 2003 and onwards, I worked with Kirsten
managerial thought. In 2001 that interest led me to
to build the knowledge base, which she has taken
participate in a mentoring programme and mentoring
to impressive heights, added to, and developed into
education, offered by my trade union. The programme
a large array of tools and techniques, which to my
and education were designed by a company called KMP
knowledge is at the forefront of mentoring practice
& Partners (today’s KMP+ House of Mentoring), headed
today on a global scale. Kirsten pioneered mentoring
by Kirsten M. Poulsen. I was impressed with the rigor of
in Denmark, commencing work just a pinch after Birgit
the programme, and the immense energy, power and
Signora Toft and Professor Steen Hildebrandt published
8 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
Christian Wittrock
their first book, and introduced the topic to a larger audience in Denmark. Kirsten has also become an actor on the international scene of mentoring with book contributions, conference contributions and not least contracts with international clients. In addition, Kirsten has worked to connect the Danish mentoring and coaching community to the international one, notably through the foundation of the Danish branch of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), which she developed and headed for many years. In 2003, when Kirsten and I started developing the Mentor+ModelTM and the Mentor+SurveyTM, mentoring was in its infancy in Denmark. There was a growing enthusiasm for the concept, but not a lot of focus on the potential business impact. In addition, the actual mentoring relationship was more or less a black box, and little was known about the actual mentoring process. With this in mind, we decided to build up knowledge tying the use of mentoring programmes closer to organisational outcomes. We wanted to gain knowledge on the actual mentoring process and its organisational antecedents, to map the core elements of mentoring programmes in organisations, and to
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 9
“We set out to conduct what was – and to my knowledge still is – the largest research project on mentoring in an organizational context, carried out in Scandinavia. “
gain a clearer understanding of the organisational
years through using the Mentor+SurveyTM to evaluate
antecedents of effective programmes. Our goal was to:
mentoring programmes at the clients of KMP+ House of Mentoring, resulting in what we believe
• map the use of different types of mentoring programmes. • identify success criteria for effective programmes.
to be one of the largest databases in Europe with individual responses from mentors and mentees in an organisation context.
• develop a toolbox for designing and implementing mentoring programmes.
From 2003 to 2004, we conducted telephone interviews with HR managers and HR professionals
In this undertaking, we took our lead from the
running mentoring programmes, read extant
pioneering research performed at Sheffield-Hallam
research on mentoring, designed and tested an
University in the UK, spearheaded by Professor David
initial questionnaire, and gathered responses from
Megginson, Professor David Clutterbuck, and later
participants in mentoring programmes with well-
Professor Bob Garvey. Additionally, we were inspired
defined purpose and structure. The questionnaires
by the research undertakings in coaching by leading
to mentees, mentors, and programme coordinators
providers such as the Ashridge Centre for Executive
were administered through an e-survey platform, and
Coaching under the leadership of Erik de Haan. We
the participating organisations selected through the
set out to conduct what was – and to my knowledge
knowledge gained from the telephone interviews.
still is – the largest research project on mentoring in an organisational context, carried out in Scandinavia, and build a survey tool which could benchmark mentoring programmes using questionnaire responses. This database has been developed over the
10 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
Top Management
Programme Purpose Professional Competencies
Programme Management Personal
Development Presence
In addition, we picked out seven cases to scrutinise further. In those case organisations, we conducted
Manager
Career Development
developed from the e-survey questionnaire and the
Learning and Developing The Mentoring Conversation Motivation Mutual Evaluation
Knowledge Sharing
semi-structured interviews with mentors, mentees, and the programme coordinators, using an interview guide
Developing the Relationship
Supervision
Cultural Understanding
Family
Networking Active Listening
Preparation
explorative telephone interviews. We also did a focus group interview with experienced mentors several
Organisation
different organisations. The Mentor+ModelTM
As a next step, we performed statistical analyses on the survey responses and developed a second generation of the survey. The second generation
as well as dilemmas and issues that had occurred
has a factorial design and four layers, which allows
in the development and implementation of these
for statistical modelling of interactions between
programmes. In short, we wanted to avoid the “hurray�
the four layers in the model. The Mentor+Model
type of research that the field of management and
is based on this statistical analysis, and hence
consultancy is all too full of and put something in its
represents a validated model for the design of
place that would be useful for organisations seeking
mentoring programmes, built from a combination
to enhance business and efficiency through mentoring
of extant theory, interviews and statistical modelling
programmes. Therefore, a key criterion for selection of
of survey responses. Likewise, we analysed our
cases was that the organisations had a clear purpose
interviews to build case descriptions of good
for their mentoring programmes, which could be
mentoring programmes. In our case descriptions,
articulated in the write-up and assessment of the
we took great care to highlight possible trade-offs
results obtained.
TM
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 11
years after commencing the initial research, in 2012 we Kirsten
sen M. Poul Kirsten n Wittrock tia & Chris
i vi
MER GRAM PRisO TOoR ationer g organ MrkEsoN mheder
t
g.
CBS,
histohing
indblik
et om
rp
al, SimCo
ed HR tiv – informa elt on t operati ark nm edit Da
ggelse rettelæ rete nge konk
M. Pouls
en & C
hristia
published the book: Mentorprogrammer i virksomheder
ock n Wittr
R O T N ME AMMER
R og organisationer PROG heder m i virkso
74 -18 37
company of researched-based educational books in Denmark. In 2013 the book was named as one of the five best business books of the year in the annual book review of Jyllands-Posten, one of the major national
I have spent many hours with Kirsten working on the Mentor+SurveyTM, the Mentor+ModelTM, and countless other projects, and I can attest from first-hand experience that Kirsten is an immense powerhouse of energy, who never gives up. She is great fun to work
S ordisk A/
7-5 N 97 8-8
context] through DJØF Publishing – a major publishing
newspapers in Denmark.
Novo N
em og vorfor, hv nelle rofessio sor, CBS es of pr n, se
og organisationer [Mentoring in an organisational
g Jurist- o
Økono
mforbun
dets Fo
rlag
-8
with and visionary. Kirsten always maintains a positive mindset and an eye for opportunity. She is also an excellent mentor, and I have learnt a lot from working with her, much of which I (seek to) apply in my current work. Kirsten has a fantastic eye for the design of
It took far longer time than either of us had anticipated
organisational processes and is an excellent facilitator.
in our initial enthusiasm to write the book, reporting
She also takes great care to clarify what the client
from our study. While writing and working with the
needs, and her work is always purposeful.
data collected, we learned a lot first-hand from our work with organisations in setting up mentoring
I am most grateful for everything I have learned
programmes, from training mentors and mentees,
from Kirsten, and very pleased to see her succeed in
from undertaking training as assessors of mentoring
building a strong brand in mentoring services. I warmly
and coaching educations at EMCC, from working
congratulate her and KMP+ House of Mentoring on
as mentors and coaches, and from participating in
their 20th anniversary and wish her and the company
training offered by other providers. However, nearly ten
great success in the future. n
12 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
YEARS IN
“Knowing Kirsten from days before her mentoring
“Congratulations! Your baby has grown so
focus, I have always been impressed with her
amazingly in these 20 years. Thank you for
ability to meet challenges head on, her tenacity in
being an inspiration on our common mentoring
doing what she believes is right and her courage
mission.”
in investing all she has – capital, herself – in becoming the best partner for her clients and
Bojana Zupanic, Head of Succession,
business partners. “
Danfoss A/S
Nic Thielsen, VET-Gruppen
“Happy anniversary. Even though I have only been a part of the journey for 10 years I feel that we have known each other a lot longer. You have introduced me to an area that was new to me and your enthusiasm and professionalism have always characterized our collaboration. I am looking forward to continue the inspiring and rewarding collaboration in the years to come. We are still young and have a lot to offer.” Henrik Blavnsfeldt, Senior Vice President, Realkredit Danmark
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 13
Mentoring then and now In a historical perspective, mentoring was very much
and gradually mentoring took on a more significant
about a master and an apprentice. When mentoring
and strategic role in the development of people and
started to become popular in Scandinavia in the late
organisations.
90’s and beginning 00’s, mentoring was still focused on transferring knowledge and skills from a senior
Modern mentoring focuses on mentoring as a
person to a junior person. In our survey on the use of
mutual, reciprocal learning partnership, where
mentoring in Scandinavia in 2003-2004, we observed
learning is based on reflecting on experience, finding
many mentoring programmes that seemed lacking in
meaning/sense-making, creating new knowledge and
organisational impact, while most mentees felt good
challenging each other to out-of-the-box solutions and
about the attention and career support of a senior
decisions.
person. During these early years, organisations were experimenting with different approaches to mentoring
Our definition of mentoring includes the individual as well as the organisational perspective to emphasize the value of mentoring in a strategic context. n
Mentoring is a strategic development activity that supports the organisation’s vision, goals and values and the participants’ development needs and wishes. Mentoring is a learning partnership between two people with different levels or kinds of experience, where both can achieve new learning, new insight and personal growth.
14 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
Why mentoring matters in the future “We cannot solve tomorrow’s problems with today’s and yesterday’s solutions”.
With the right technology, e-mentoring programmes can create connections across organizational, geographical and generational boundaries providing even more visibility for diverse talents and alternative
The world is becoming more volatile. It is impossible
career paths paving the way for more knowledge
to predict what will happen tomorrow and how that
sharing and innovation. E-mentoring can be the next
will influence our jobs, careers and organisations. This
step in increasing the value of mentoring. n
situation calls for learning agility, for the ability to adapt quickly to new situations and new challenges – for individuals and for organisations – as well as for a realistic insight into your own abilities and talents and a willingness to invest in your own continued development. Additionally, collaboration across differences and generations as well as well-being are important topics in view of the increased pressure to perform with less resources. Mentoring is one way to create confidential relationships for meaningful conversations that will help both mentors and mentees making sense of what is happening, develop their ability to adapt and learn, and create new solutions together. With the right design, mentoring can provide a strategic framework for developing an adaptive organisation and for strengthening the values and behaviours that will future-proof the organisation.
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 15
Mentoring develops leadership skills valuable for young leaders and top executives
By Else Beth Trautner, Non-executive Chair, Board
With my own long and broad international business
Director, Chair of Cbio A/S, Chair of Inniti A/S
career, I feel an obligation to share my experiences – both the challenges, the tough times and the
Mentoring is an important tool in the process
many successes I have experienced throughout my
of developing leadership skills at all levels of
professional life. It is the greatest gift one can pass
management and executive positions. Today, leaders
on and extremely rewarding when I see my mentees
need to constantly develop and increase their
– the leaders and executives – develop and become
knowledge and skills to navigate as successful leaders
successful.
in a changing world with increased uncertainty – especially post pandemic. Challenges and problems
During my years as a mentor I have meet many highly
may arise fast in this new world; therefore, the
motivated and talented people, and it has been
ability to navigate and lead through these times
extremely rewarding and inspiring to mentor across
are extremely valuable – some of us will even say
industries. Personally it is extra rewarding to receive
absolutely necessary.
nice updates and request for a dialogue from former
Mentoring provides an opportunity for managers to develop their awareness, capability and leadership while simultaneously building strong, long-lasting relationship with their mentees. 16 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
mentees when they want to share new challenges and new successes for example when they grow into more and more senior roles and use the skills developed to groom and develop people in their own organisation. I have known Kirsten for many years and have been impressed by the business model and strategy that she has developed and implemented. I congratulate Kirsten and the KMP+ House of Mentoring team on their 20th anniversary. n
Else Beth Trautner
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 17
Developing a strong partnership By Lise Krogh Løvschal, Partner & Senior Consultant
and researchers of coaching and mentoring, charged
at KMP+ House of Mentoring and Executive Coach at
with developing the strategy and processes to become
Krogh & Løvschal
a professional association. Those were exciting times, mentoring and coaching was still relatively new in
I first met Kirsten back in 2007, when Kirsten was
Denmark, and the collaboration between providers,
playing a major role in establishing EMCC Denmark,
buyers and researchers was full of learning.
the Danish chapter of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
During these years, Kirsten and I developed a good and close collaboration as President and Vice President, so
EMCC is a professional association originally founded
when I decided to make a career as an independent
in 1992 as EMC, European Mentoring Centre, by David
consultant, it seemed natural to continue this
Clutterbuck and David Megginson. In 2002, EMC
collaboration.
became EMCC, through the work of the seven original founders, David Clutterbuck, David Megginson, Julie
Many ideas and new perspectives around mentoring
Hay, Eric Parsloe, Sir John Whitmore, Bob Garvey and Liz
have flourished in our collaboration. One such is
Borredon. The purpose was and is to unite providers,
Career+navigation, a virtual platform with career
buyers and researchers of mentoring and coaching
navigation inspiration and tools as well as an offer of
to develop, promote, and set the expectation of best
career coaching, face2face or online.
practice in mentoring and coaching. Another activity in our collaboration is The Executive In the first general assembly of EMCC Denmark,
Business Mentor network which started back in 2011
Kirsten as a representative of the provider side was
and now includes more than 50 experienced mentors.
elected president and I, as HR Director at SAS Institute
All mentors are specially invited to the network
representing the buyer side, was elected vice president.
based on their professional experience and personal
This is where our collaboration first started with a
qualifications. They are trained and accredited as
board of volunteers representing providers, buyers
Executive Business Mentors using the training concept
18 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
Lise Krogh Løvschal
and tools developed by KMP+ House of Mentoring
to success and we do a very thorough piece of work
and the offering includes a clear process based on
exploring mentee’s expectations and considering the
the Mentor+ approach. The quality and outcome of
mentors’ qualification in this process.
the matches and mentoring partnerships are clearly documented through the feedback collected from the
It has been a great pleasure working with Kirsten and
mentees and the praise our mentors receive – which is
with KMP+ House of Mentoring and I look forward to
highly motivating to us and to the mentors. No doubt
continuing the collaboration and developing new ideas
that finding the right match is a very important key
together. n
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 19
What is the difference between mentoring and coaching? By Reinhard Stelter, Professor of coaching psychology
level. One central phrase I always quote Kirsten for is:
at the University of Copenhagen and Visiting Professor
“Mentoring is a learning alliance”. From my perspective
at Copenhagen Business School, including practicing
as a theory-oriented researcher and as a practitioner
mentor and coach. Accred. coaching psychologist and
in both mentoring and coaching, I couldn’t agree more
Hon. Vice President of the International Society for
with this statement.
Coaching Psychology. I started to work as a mentor in the mentoring I met Kirsten for the first time in 2007 during the
programmes of my university and of my labour
early days of EMCC Denmark, the Danish chapter of
union more than ten years ago. With my background
the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching.
in coaching psychology, my first interest circled
Kirsten was the first and founding president of EMCC
around the question: What is the difference between
Denmark, and I was very lucky to become a member of
mentoring and coaching? Here is my answer:
the board. Kirsten always does things wholeheartedly with full engagement and professionalism. I have been
Both mentoring and coaching are learning alliances.
amazed at how much Kirsten involved herself in the
Especially the old definition of mentoring used to be
work of EMCC while at the same time she worked as a
very different. In former times, mentoring was often
consultant and managed the business of KMP+. It has
seen as an experienced colleague supporting a younger
always been fun working with her, and it has been a
newcomer in the organisation. It was very much about
good learning experience for me.
telling what to do, though with a caring hand.
Kirsten is much more than just a normal consultant
In my book The Art of Dialogue in Coaching (from 2019
and director in her own business. She is also a very
– a translation of my Danish book Kunsten at dvæle i
highly respected author and reflective practitioner, who
dialogen), I have some reflections on how I see a clear
has the capability to integrate theory and practice, both
connection between Kirsten’s view of mentoring and
as a conference speaker and in her publications. With
my understanding of third generation coaching: “In
the book Mentor+Guiden, she put mentoring on a new
many regards, mentoring in its current meaning is
20 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
a fairly apt term for the dialogue form that I strive
To finalize some of the commonalities between
for [namely third generation coaching]. The mentor
Kirsten’s understanding of mentoring and my
acts as a volunteer, unpaid adviser or trainer. It is
understanding of third generation coaching I would
therefore important to fashion the conversation in
like to share a second quote from The Art of Dialogue
such a way that it is also rewarding for the mentor.
in Coaching. Here, I highlight a central key factor which
Unlike the coach in a traditional coaching relationship,
is valuable in many different forms of transformative
the mentor should benefit from his or her role. It is
dialogues and which is definitely central for mentoring
the match between the mentor and mentee that
in the spirit of Kirsten M. Poulsen:
determines the success of the mentor relationship and the fruitful development of the dialogue. The main difference between mentoring and coaching is the volunteer aspect and, to some extent, the absence of professionalism. The mentee cannot expect or demand that the mentor has any professional dialogue skills. The mentor’s qualifications are his or her commitment and, to some extent, seniority. Although mentoring in its current form has some of the same characteristics as third generation coaching, the mentor often lacks the professional qualifications that professional dialogue partners should be required to attain through quality training.� (Stelter, 2019, p. 11) What drives the mentor is his or her engagement to build a generous human companionship, probably the most important aspect for the success of a fruitful dialogue relationship. This is especially evidenced by new research regarding common factors which supports the importance of the alliance between the dialogue partners. Reinhard Stelter
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 21
“Striving for moments of symmetry in the dialogue is the perspective and the ambition that distinguishes third-generation coaching from traditional understandings of coaching and other supportive dialogue forms – from therapy to counselling. Symmetry can best be developed and sought in a community of practice where all the interlocutors have a shared interest in change – in their own lives and in the world, they live in. The partners strive for insight and new knowledge, albeit often without having a clear goal in sight, due to the growing complexity of many issues. Full symmetry will never be possible, however; between one or two participants there are bound to be differences with regard to the knowledge or rhetorical skill they show in the dialogue. However, by developing a community of practice they can approach a shared understanding that helps them to move on – in accordance with the motto of thirdgeneration coaching: In true dialogue both sides are willing to change.” (Stelter, 2019, p. 106) Thanks, Kirsten, for having the pleasure of being a soulmate and companion on your professional path. Congratulations on your first 20 years. Many years of engagement will follow. I am sure of that. I send you my best wishes. n
Kirsten M. Poulsen
22 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
We are working with mentors and mentees from almost all over the world
GREENLAND (DENMARK)
SVALBARD (NORWAY)
ALASKA (USA)
ICELAND
CANADA
RUSSIA
SWEDEN FINLAND
FAROE ISLANDS
NORWAY ESTONIA LATVIA LITHUANIA
DENMARK IRELAND
UNITED KINGDOM
BELARUS
POLAND
NETHERLANDS
GERMANY
BELGIUM
SLOVAKIA
FRANCE
LIECHTENSTEIN
MOLDOVA
AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND SLOVENIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ROMANIA
CROATIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
SERBIA
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
GEORGIA
MACEDONIA
ITALY
ARMENIA
ALBANIA
AZERBAIJAN
TURKMENISTAN
TURKEY
GREECE
SYRIA
MALTA CYPRUS
MOROCCO
MEXICO
PAKISTAN KUWAIT
ALGERIA
BHUTAN
EGYPT
SAUDI ARABIA
CUBA HAITI JAMAICA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
MAURITANIA
PUERTO RICO (USA)
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
BELIZE GUATEMALA
MONSERRAT GUADELOUPE DOMINICA
HONDURAS
CAPE VERDE
MARTINIQUE
EL SALVADOR
SAINT VICENT
NICARAGUA
GUINEA-BISSAU
VENEZUELA
PANAMA
GUINEA
SIERRA LEONE
LIBERIA
GUYANA
NIGER
BENIN
NIGERIA CAMEROON
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
BANGLADESH UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
INDIA
OMAN
GABON CONGO
LAOS
THAILAND
GUAM
VIETNAM
CAMBODIA
UGANDA KENYA
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
TAIWAN
MYANMAR (BURMA)
YEMEN
PHILIPPINES
ADAM AND NICOBAR ISLANDS (INDIA)
ETHIOPIA
SOUT SUDAN
EQUATORIAL GUINEA SAO TOME
BRAZIL
QATAR
DJIBOUTI
TOGO
BIOKO (EQUATORIAL GUINEA)
FRENCH GUIANA
ECUADOR
PERU
ERITREA
SUDAN
BURKINA FASO
CÔTE GHANA D’IVOIRE
SURINAME
COLOMBIA
CHAD
SENEGAL THE GAMBIA
BARBADOS
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
COSTA RICA
MALI
NEPAL
LIBYA
WESTERN SHARAH
THE BAHAMAS
JAPAN
KASHMIR
ISRAEL JORDAN
CANARY ISLANDS (PORTUGAL)
SOUTH KOREA
CHINA AFGHANISTAN
IRAN
IRAQ
LEBANON
TUNISIA
MADEIRA ISLANDS (PORTUGAL)
NORTH KOREA
UZBEKISTAN BULGARIA
MONTENEGRO
AZORES (PORTUGAL)
MONGOLIA
KAZKAHSTAN
UKRAINE
CZECH REPUBLIC
LUXEMBOURG
SRI LANKA
SOMALIA
MALAYSIA
RWANDA
INDONESIA
BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
CABINDA (ANGOLA)
TANZANIA
PAPUA NEW GUINEA SOLOMON ISLANDS
COMOROS
ANGOLA
ZAMBIA
MALAWI
BOLIVIA ZIMBAWE
NAMIBIA
VANUATU
MOZAMBIQUE
FIJI
MADAGASCAR
MAURITUS REUNION (FRANCE)
BOTSWANA
PARAGUAY
MAYOTTE (FRANCE)
NEW CALEDONIA (FRANCE)
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
CHILE
SOUTH AFRICA
URUGUAY
LESOTHO
ARGENTINA
NEW ZELAND
FRENCH SOUTHERN AND ANTARTIC LANDS (FRANCE)
FALKLAND ISLANDS (UK) SOUTH GEORGIA (UK)
HEARD ISLAND (AUSTRALIA)
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 23
Mentor’s Many Roles The 10 situational mentor roles are the key to under-
more roles for a specific conversation or topic depends
standing the learning opportunities of mentoring. The
on the mentee’s needs, context and personality, the
roles represent the many different ways of facilitating
skills, experience and personality of the mentor, and
and supporting the mentee’s learning. Choosing one or
the quality of their relationship.
Knowledge Sharer Shares professional knowledge when needed
Storyteller
Networker
Friend
Coach
Tells stories to inspire mentees
Supports mentees in developing and using networks
Encourages and supports mentees
Ask questions that provide new insight
Advisor
Discussion Partner
Door Opener
Enters into discussion with and challenges mentees
Open doors and provides references
Critic
Sponsor
Provides mentees with constructive feedback
Provides mentees with career guidance
Gives expert advice
24 |
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
20 YEARS OF MENTORING
| 25