An Evaluation of Mentoring in the Business Environment

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the practice of mentoring in the business environment from the perspective of the mentor, the protege, and the business. The chapters covering the mentor and the protege are conveyed in terms of the traditionally male dominated roles although the advice applies to females also. A separate chapter is devoted to the subject of women in mentoring because females must not only overcome the obstacles encountered by males, but they also have a unique set of problems to overcome which are associated with their gender. Mentoring in the business environment can be performed on a formal or informal basis. The purpose of mentoring is to assist in goal achievement. The goal varies with the individual or entity involved, whether it be the mentor, the protege, or the business. The key to the mentoring process is a comprehensive knowledge of the practice in order to be able to formulate the proper strategy to make the effort pay off. Successful strategies can only be formulated by knowing the rules of the game , the behavior of the participants, and the weighing of the risks versus rewards. As such, this paper provides the reader with an exhaustive analysis on the subject of mentoring. It thoroughly discusses the strategies, the advantages and disadvantages, the risks and rewards, and the implementation of the process for the benefit of the mentor, the protege, women, and the business. After reviewing this paper, the reader will possess sufficient knowledge to make future intelligent decisions within the business environment regarding the practice of mentoring. The implementation of this knowledge is the first of two critical steps to ensure business success. The other is job competence