What do Steve Jobs, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have in common? Yes! All of them are tech titans of the 21st century and all three had excellent business mentors. There is a long tradition of mentoring that spans history and even dates back to mythology. Today, the term “mentor” has evolved to mean a trusted advisor, friend, teacher and wise person, according to a book on mentoring by author and businessman, Gordon Shea.
What is Mentoring
Mentoring is a fundamental form of human development where a person invests time, energy and personal know-how in assisting the growth and ability of another person. An educator wears multiple hats and has various avatars. One of the most important avatars is that of a mentor since it aims to nurture the mentee’s talents and interests in such a way that they can bring out their best. ILM has always strived to empower its students by providing them value-based education and necessary inputs to achieve excellence in the world of business. Mentoring is one of the effective means to achieve the above objective.
Facets of IILM Mentoring:
The mentorship program at IILM is multi-dimensional for students of BBA, MBA and PGDM and all undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Our mentoring programme ensures that it fully understands the circumstances and specific needs of students and delivers a service which is geared to serving their best interests and supporting their progress. The purpose of the mentoring program is to integrate academic learning with real-world experiences and to become a model for workforce readiness, embraced by the community. A very important facet of IILM mentoring programme is the integration between mentoring and career centre to maximize the effort of the successful career of students.
Monitoring is conducted on an on-going basis as a health check, allowing for early intervention when things go off-plan or to alter aspects of the programme in light of experience. Mentors and mentees are the primary contributors to the process of mentoring and monitoring. We believe that each student is different, with different personalities, traits, and skillsets. Some of the many facets of the Mentorship Programme at IILM are:
Identifying and addressing the strengths and weaknesses of mentees:
To facilitate a 360-degree development of the mentees, the mentors make a plan that is executed from the day the mentee joins the university and continues till their exit. In this process, the mentor identifies the strengths of the mentee and suggests ways to overcome their weaknesses or any challenges that they may be going through.
Career Counselling:
The students of IILM are continuously guided by their mentors to help them reach their goal and objectives. The mentoring program is robust and takes into account every student’s needs into consideration. It is the education that takes place outside the classroom that makes the mentees ready to take on the world. While different students have different career goals, the mentors guide the students as per their interests and their strengths towards the right career path.
The IILM Mentoring Process
When a student joins IILM, he/she is allocated a faculty mentor. The mentor is the initial point of contact for the mentees. The mentors help the mentees in understanding the procedures of the institute and help them to settle down. The mentors stay in contact with their mentees throughout the various semesters and act as a guiding light by showing them the right path. The mentees reach out to their mentors in case of any doubts or clarifications or queries. They are always welcome to interact with their mentors during their tenure in the institute. It is during the internship and placements stage that the mentor-mentee relationship plays the most vital role.
The faculty members at IILM have seen several batches of students pass out of their respective courses and conquer the world. Many of these students are in contact with their IILM mentors and still communicate with them in case of any doubts and share their life experiences. It would therefore not be wrong to say that the mentor avatar of a teacher is a lifetime avatar.
Watch Drishti Manchanda talk about the Mentorship Programme at IILM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0VtwQxKFJU
For more details:
Dr. Oly Mishra, Assistant Professor (Marketing)
