Jill Matthews, Poised Joint Management
Jill Matthews
Poised Joint Management
What motivated you to become a mentor?
I wanted to use my skills and professional experience to support others at University. I have been a 'lifelong' learner myself and have taken, over the years, 4 different programmes of study at the University of Derby - the most recent one as part of an MA in Leadership Coaching. The Employer Mentoring Scheme gave me the opportunity to support others, 'give something back' to the University, and to develop my own mentoring and coaching skills that I could use in my Education and Training Consultancy business.
What activities did you organise for your mentee?
My business was only newly established and my mentee was more interested in my previous background and experience as a teacher and someone who worked in educational development. It was more about talking and signposting to information and ensuring my mentee was aware of the activities organised by the Employer Mentoring Scheme.
What did you find most enjoyable?
It was great working with a first year student who wanted to use mentoring to help establish personal development opportunities and provide a 'bit of back up' for settling into University. It was good getting to know my mentee and helping them work through their objectives for the year and seeing their development and growth in confidence.
Would you do it again?
Yes - and would build on my first years' experience. I would like to be able to use my new business more as a potential leaning context for a mentee.
What advice would you give to potential mentors?
Enjoy. Be structured and disciplined in sticking to meetings and actions agreed and reviewing. A firm but gentle hand in the background!
What were the outcomes for you/your organisation?
The quality of the Employer Mentoring Scheme has been great and has made me proud to be able to include this on my CV - that I have volunteered and mentored. This has been useful information to include in seeking business development opportunities. It has helped me to introduce mentoring and coaching into my business.
