Mentoring of a Junior Writer by a Senior Writer or a Team Lead

Who Can Be a Mentor?

Anybody who is experienced, knowledgeable and willing to share information, irrespective of designations, can be a mentor. It does not always have to be the boss/lead. Some of you may disagree. The argument can be that the boss/lead is the only person who is best suited to be a mentor. Well, he/she might not always be able to spend time with each employee. This again depends on the structure of the organization. While some companies have formally designated people as mentors, most don’t.

This is where you must use your discretion. Let me explain this with an example. You have just joined an organization to make the team size 8, with 4 seniors in the team. The first 4 have spent a considerable amount of their time and effort figuring out the authoring tool they are working with. They are familiar with Markers, Conditional Tags, and sometime values that should be entered even if it (sometimes) does not make sense. You are on the final day of the release and do what you think is right, in terms of markers, tags et al. Though your training covered aspects such as ‘Markers’ and ‘Conditional Tags’, it probably didn’t cover details. You obviously do not know that you have to enter something else. (Per organization standards, for translation purposes) Since you missed getting that information, you struggle hard only to slip your deadline much against your own will. Wouldn’t your life be much easier if you decide to make any one of them your mentor? Even the colleague who sits in the next cubicle can be your mentor.

Mentor-Mentee relationship

• A mentor can
• Help writers set goals.
• Help writers get ‘where they want to go’ instead of ‘getting them there’.
• Provide feedback.
• Be a helpful resource and part with information. For example, tips, tricks, communicating with seniors, negotiating deadlines, office politics, etc.
• Encourage writers to explore and take on new challenges.

Roles of a Mentor

The only reason to have mentors is not just to have a jolly good, stress free life at work. After all, what’s life without challenges? Mentors can also provide support and reinforcement. They can be good listeners, people who care, people who want to help new writers bring out strengths. Things that may seem easy or straightforward to an experienced writer are often mysterious to a new writer. With mentors, the new writer can also have a sense of belonging as opposed to always wondering if he/she said the right thing in ‘that’ meeting. The new writer can have a sense of direction and can channelize his/her energy in learning new things. You never know, the new writer may discover things nobody knew existed at all. So, it is really a two-way process and only propels everybody towards the organization’s goals.

Sometimes, we also find unhappy writers because there is a conflict between what ‘they are doing’ and what they ‘want to do’. Needless to mention that mentors can be a sturdy interface and maybe turn the individual’s interest around. After all technical writing is not just about writing. You could well end up as an editor without your knowledge and who else but mentors to show you light? Mentors should not only be able to convince you but also encourage you to finish your assigned tasks.

Conclusion

Having mentors in an organization can ensure happier people, a healthier working atmosphere, and enthusiasm to discover new things everyday, and share it with team members. This can also ensure substantial progress. Moreover, there is always a balance between individual goals and organization goals.

(Neelam Singh is a Technical Writer with the CRM Group, at Oracle India Pvt Limited.)