A key aspect to increasing capability is learning from other professionals both professionally and personally. RLP provides individuals the opportunity to do this through our Mentoring Program which is designed to build one-to-one relationships between water sector professionals of differing career and life experience.

Build capability through shared experience

Our program supports individuals from the outset. We pair mentees with mentors and help create a flexible structure that suits individual objectives, needs and experiences.

Our program is complementary to internal mentoring programs providing an avenue for cross-organisational and sectoral relationships to form.

We facilitate two types of mentoring:

Traditional Mentoring

Traditionally, mentoring most often occurs between a senior and junior employee for the purpose of the mentee’s growth, learning, and career development. Often the mentor and mentee discuss organisational goals, culture, career goals, advice on professional development, and work-life balance. Our mentors often act as role models and sounding boards for their mentee and provide guidance to help them in their careers, including:

Personalised guidance from an expert. A mentor can share professional experience and practical skills they have gained throughout their career, and advise you in areas like time management, interpersonal skills and business relationships and help guide career paths.
Accelerated professional development. Mentoring can assist you in reaching milestones and provide guidance to help share important industry insights and minimise potential challenges.
Increased networking opportunities. A mentor can introduce you to other leaders in the field, expanding your professional network and also be able to recommend new roles, training programs or promotions to fast-track leadership pathways.

Reverse Mentoring

Reverse Mentoring is the pairing of a senior leader with someone new to the workforce to stay in touch with the changing world. The program has been designed so a younger employee can help build the skills of senior leaders in an organisation and in turn senior leaders in the water sector gain fresh perspectives into the next generation of talent and on rising trends in the workplace or in areas of new technology and research, including:

Expanding digital skills competency. Younger employees have a lot to offer senior leaders when it comes to understanding and integrating technology into workplaces. While many senior leaders have had to learn social media, younger employees have a much more intuitive understanding of platforms and how to leverage them.
Leadership development. Even if the goal of your reverse mentoring program is to have younger workers teach senior leaders, learning will be a two-way street. Younger employees can benefit by improving skills that will make them great future leaders, such as communication.
Improved diversity. Learning to understand and respect differences is a key element to mentorships, including reverse mentoring. Reverse mentoring is an effective way to champion employee diversity and inclusive leadership.

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Benefits

For mentors

Being a mentor goes far beyond the rewarding feeling of ‘giving back’. There
are a vast range of personal development benefits that mentors gain from the experience, including:

Increased self-confidence and self-awareness

Development of leadership skills

Learning how to deliver feedback and ask challenging questions

Enhancement of active listening skills

Exposure to new and different perspectives

Growing professional and personal networks

Supporting another person

For mentees

Mentees gain much from being mentored, more than just professional development, including:

Increased self-confidence and self-awareness

Learning to self-reflect and improve goal-setting

Learning how to receive feedback and ask challenging questions

Development of strong communication skills

Exposure to new and different perspectives

Growing professional and personal networks

Learning from other's experiences

More Information

Carolyn Bellamy | Research Capability Manager | carolyn.bellamy@waterra.com.au