LEADERSHIP AND MENTORING

Leadership and Mentoring

Table of Content

Introduction3

Literature Review Leadership and Mentoring3

Research on Mentoring and Leadership: Where Have We Been?4

Mentoring Defined5

Developmental Leadership Theories Defined5

Transformational/Transactional Leadership Theory6

Mentoring and Leadership Similarities/Differences8

Form of Relationship8

Relationship Type10

Goal Focus12

Leadership and Mentorship Competencies14

Theoretical approach16

Context/Relationship Boundaries17

Mutual Identification of Roles18

Functions Offered19

Benefits/Outcomes Received20

Conclusion21

References22

Leadership and Mentoring

Introduction

Anyone who has experienced a truly developmental relationship with a wise person may have considered him or her to have provided mentoring functions and to have exercised strong leadership. In fact, Bass (1985) identified mentoring as a core aspect of developmental behavior displayed by transformational leaders. Building upon this idea, researchers have begun to identify the similar developmental behaviors, functions, and outcomes between mentoring and leadership styles.

A review of the literature from these two fields suggests that we have been conceptualizing and framing effective leadership with the same descriptors as those offered for effective mentors. However, this is not always the case. For example, despite all of his charm and intellectually stimulating rhetoric, Winston Churchill showed little interest in the mentoring and personal development of his staff and his own children. This example suggests that while leaders may engage in similar behaviors as mentors, there are differences between leader-subordinate and mentor-protégé relationships. At issue for researchers is how to identify and differentiate mentoring and leadership behaviors that may lead to successful personal and professional development of protégés/followers.

Literature Review Leadership and Mentoring

To begin to address this issue, this chapter attempts to answer two important questions: (a) How is mentoring truly distinct from leadership? and (b) how, when, and where are these two constructs analogous? Understanding the similarity and differences between mentoring and leadership may enable organizations to distinguish leaders/mentors from other high-ranking employees and may allow them to provide for more effective mentoring of employees.

The chapter first discusses where we are in terms of our understanding of leadership and mentoring by offering definitions of mentoring and various contemporary leadership styles. We then present the theoretical similarities and empirical distinctions between mentoring and leadership. Specifically, continua will be presented that categorize the context of current research. We then pose research questions and offer directions for future research. Finally, we conclude with ideas about how to advance the application of relevant research into practice for organizations today.

Research on Mentoring and Leadership: Where Have We Been?

After reviewing the literatures on mentoring and leadership, we realized what T. S. Eliot meant when he said, “Again, I have come back to the same place, for the first time.” Sensing this feeling of déjà vu, we focused our attention on reviewing relevant research that provides a foundation for emerging streams of mentoring research. Indeed, changes in emphasis from functional to developmental forms of leadership theory may have blurred the distinction between leadership and mentoring, because leadership theory has extended its definitions to incorporate mentoring functions and relationship constructs.

Mentoring Defined

A mentor has been defined as an individual with advanced knowledge, usually more senior in some regard, who is committed to providing upward career mobility and assistance for the ...