The Elements of Mentoring is a succinct resource for mentors and protégés alike. The publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, suggests that the book is “patterned on Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style” originally printed privately in 1918. The hallmarks of The Elements of Style include its no nonsense, straight‐to‐the‐point brevity, and timeless relevance of its content evidenced by the fact that it is currently enjoying its fourth edition, serving as a cornerstone in college courses on writing. Adopting this “omit needless words” approach, Johnson and Ridley craft a new classic that brings the essence of mentoring to readers while embracing the philosophy that “a book on the crucial elements of mentoring should also contain nothing unnecessary.” Based on exhaustive research of academic and peer‐reviewed literature, as well as reviews of scores of publications across various disciplines, the authors present the critical success factors in effective mentoring relationships to provide support and guidance for individuals committed to mentoring. This time saving extract of relevant research and scholarly writings codifies best practices that can be immediately utilised.
The Elements of Mentoring is logically organised to transport readers from the basic skills essentials in mentoring, through arranging the mentor‐protégé relationship, and eventually to the natural conclusion of the relationship. This is achieved through a six‐part structure that addresses the following key elements:
- 1.
What excellent mentors do: matters of skill.
- 2.
Traits of excellent mentors: matters of style and personality.
- 3.
Arranging the mentor‐protégé relationship: matters of beginning.
- 4.
Knowing thyself as a mentor: matters of integrity.
- 5.
When things go wrong: matters of restoration.
- 6.
Welcoming change and saying goodbye: matters of closure.
Within these six elements the authors present 57 “essential ingredients of mentoring”, each preceded by a brief illustrative case study that is followed by insightful discussion and concludes with “key components” the authors characterise as a “terse summary of its basic ingredients.” These salient sound bites convey sage counsel to those searching for ways to enhance the effectiveness and quality of the mentoring relationship with their protégés. Like a portable coach, this well written reference will serve as a competent advisor and troubleshooting source for those new to mentoring and experienced mentors seeking guidance. Highly readable, it will serve as an enlightening educational tour of the skills and attributes essential to success as a mentor. Cornerstones of honesty, integrity, accountability, and humility will provide solid grounding while promoting personal growth and development.
Johnson and Ridley, licensed psychologists and college professors, have navigated a myriad of research studies and countless stacks of publications to create a compendium that conveys basic truths for effective mentoring applicable to a wide array of readers. They validated these truths based on their own mentoring research and work with graduate students. Ridley's work as an organisational consultant ensures they are equally effective in the business world as in academe. “These truths should be as compelling for teachers as for CEOs of multinational corporations.” Written in easy to understand language, The Elements of Mentoring provides a concise yet thorough summary of the essential ingredients of mentoring with a focus on successful outcomes for the mentor, protégé, and their organisations they serve.
The Elements of Mentoring is recommended for all readers regardless of industry or occupation. They will appreciate the crisp writing style, easy to grasp concepts, relevance, and thoroughness of coverage. The combination of case study, discussion, and summary for each of the 57 essential ingredients will aid comprehension and enhance employability in actual practice. In addition to serving as an expert resource, the book includes a reference section for those interested in exploring cited research or articles. However, the book's frugality in extracting information from various studies and publications may disappoint researchers hoping to examine a bibliography of works on mentoring.
The Elements of Mentoring is destined to become a classic due to its concise approach and timeless value in helping to create win‐win situations for individuals committed to helping others achieve more. The authors endeavour to mentor readers through this book:
Our hope is that it will help to sharpen your edge, increase your self‐confidence, and add an irreplaceable dimension of fulfilment and satisfaction to your life and career.
This excellent book has the potential to bring out your best: read it!
