How mentoring can support your professional development

Adam Rowledge FIH, Vice Chair of the Institute of Hospitality, reflects on the benefits of mentoring and his experience of our Mentor Me programme.

Mentoring is not just a form of support for people starting out in their career but a valuable tool for any business or professional looking to get where they want to go with greater focus and speed. This sharing of experience, perspective and contacts is so important when it comes to shaping the next generation of industry leaders to fulfil their potential. It gives them access to resources that will benefit them as they navigate the path to success, as an individual and as part of a team. It’s of huge benefit to those further along the career path too, offering fantastic opportunities to expand your professional network and gain support during challenging phases or transitions. In an industry that is ever evolving and innovation is key, the guidance of a mentor can enable you to address new challenges with the wisdom of experience.

I’ve been actively involved with the Institute of Hospitality’s ‘Mentor Me’ programme since its inception which pairs aspiring managers and future industry leaders with more established figures in the industry, across all sectors. I have really enjoyed the experience of supporting my mentee and benefitted greatly from some reverse mentoring.

The programme provides a core structure of key topics and useful material on which to base a monthly meeting, I personally found these articles and video podcasts to be fantastically useful for my own personal development and it was exciting to exchange views and experiences with my mentee when discussing them. When I was a General Manager, I found there was a tangible benefit to my business too as some focus areas being covered were also ones that my mentee’s hotel had recently gone through, or were going through, so I was able to learn from her experiences and share mine in return. In addition to the structured learning provided as part of Mentor Me, there is plenty of opportunity to go off-topic and explore areas which the mentee feels would be of benefit. Although the programme is designed to last for between 6 to 12 months, as I often find with mentoring relationships it’s the ongoing support that can be of most value.

This National Mentoring Day, I will be championing Mentor Me to ensure that we reach out across the breadth of the country to provide hospitality professionals with access to a mentor who will help shape their future career and provide them with the invaluable benefit of their experience in our wonderful industry and help to navigate these challenging and uncertain times.

If you are just about to begin your career or perhaps have just taken on a management role for the first time, then I urge you to get in touch so that the Institute of Hospitality can find a suitable mentor to help you on this journey. I also recommend that my industry peers, who can offer their experience and guidance to those starting out in their careers, give back and provide a much-needed and highly valued learning experience to someone by being their mentor. Not only will it make a big difference to your mentee but I’m sure that you will benefit from it too.

Remember: No one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone.