This
month’s book reviews
Beyond
the Myths and Magic of Mentoring – How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring
Process
By Margo Murray
Publisher Jossey-Bass, Pages 234, Price £25.50 ISBN 0 7879 5675 9
Thinking
of using mentoring to help with skills transfer and reaching organisational
goals? Then this is the book to read. It takes a step-by-step approach into the
reasons behind mentoring and how best to approach facilitated mentoring using
examples of schemes which have worked and some that have fallen short.
Whether
developing a structured mentoring programme, searching for one, or even wishing
to develop people for succession planning, there is plenty of good advice.
Using
the checklists will ensure that each step of the process is taken while being
alert to potential pitfalls. Topics covered include: organisational readiness;
the mentor role and pool candidate criteria for the scheme; development plans;
involving the "natural boss"; the role of co-ordinators; mentoring
agreement forms; negotiating mentoring agreements; and designing an evaluation
of the process.
Identifying
gender, culture and relationship concerns will help while implementing the
scheme.
The
author advises skipping irrelevant chapters. But should you want to read it all
there is plenty to get your teeth into, although, as the author, admits there
is some repetition.
This
is a useful guide to facilitated mentoring, understanding its benefits and the
basis for implementation in easy to understand language.
Reviewed
by Beverly Yates, technical training specialist, Rentokill Initial UK Cleaning
Rating
1. Is it useful? * * * *
2. Is it well written? * * * *
3. Is it practical? * * * *
4. Is it inspirational? * * *
5. Is it value for money? * * *
Overall:
Thumbs up
Developing
Supervisors & Team Leaders
By Donald L Kirkpatrick
Publisher Butterworth and Heinemann 2001 US, Pages 370, Price £24.99, ISBN 0877
193 827
Here
is a book on developing staff from the guru of evaluating training. And it is
packed full of information on what the training and development of supervisors
should achieve.
Divided
into two sections it is well written, clearly set out and presented in
manageable sections.
Part
one examines planning, implementing and evaluating training, while part two
contains case studies disciplines ranging from large oil companies through
banking to healthcare.
Philosophies,
strategies and guiding principles are also outlined in the book, together with
practical activities such as questionnaires, forms and techniques. These are
invaluable and timesaving.
Although
the case studies are drawn from mainly US companies, the information can easily
be translated and adapted for UK organisations.
This
book is an excellent addition for any training and developer’s library. It
would be a useful tool for any training and development manager.
Reviewed
by Diane Sanderson
Rating
1.
Is it useful? * * * * *
2. Is it well written? * * * *
3. Is it practical? * * * *
4. Is it inspirational? * * * *
5. Is it value for money? No price stated, but if it’s no more than £20, then
it will represent value for money.
Overall:
Thumbs up
Key
to ratings:
*
* * * * excellent, * disappointing
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