A good mentoring scheme can have a transformational effect on both the people it is designed to help (the mentees) and those providing the help (the mentors). But, as with other work-based development processes, it needs commitment, reflection, planning and resources to make the scheme work.

The Mentoring Manual reflects many of the prerequisites for a successful mentoring scheme and qualities of an effective mentor:

• Exceptional breadth of experience - wide-ranging examples from businesses, the voluntary sector, higher and secondary education;
• Access to new ideas and best practice - alongside the ideas and examples, there are forms, questions, exercises and other photocopiable materials for the trainer or facilitator;
• A belief in enabling people to develop their own solutions - this isn’t a blueprint for you to pick up and follow, rather a series of signposts that you can follow or ignore in developing your own scheme;
• A recognition of the value of a holistic approach - there’s help here on understanding mentoring, planning and designing a scheme, selling the concept to others, launching and sustaining the scheme, developing mentors and mentees, as well as reviewing the success of what you are doing;
• A language that people can understand - the style and the structure of the book make it very easy to find your way around. This is a book for someone who really wants to know how to make a success of their mentoring scheme ... starting today.

Mike Whittaker and Ann Cartwright provide you with the enthusiasm, the theory and practical materials for starting a new scheme or revitalizing an existing one. They will also help you to win over the decision makers, recruit mentors and mentees and develop champions for the mentoring cause.

You need to provide the commitment to the mentoring process along with an openness to new ideas. The Mentoring Manual will provide a catalyst for practically everything else.

Contents: List of forms; List of OHP transparency copies; Introduction; Mentoring in operation; Practical considerations; Taking action; Developing mentoring skills; Writers' personal reflections; Recommended reading; Index.

About the Author: Mike Whittaker had considerable experience as a personnel manager, before becoming an independent trainer, specializing in management skills. He is co-author of 32 Activities on Coaching and Mentoring and 50 Activities for Achieving Change, both published by Gower.

Ann Cartwright has worked in the field of Human Resource Management and Development for over 25 years, both as a manager and a consultant., and was Chief Executive of a Nottingham based charity. Ann is now Director of her own consultancy: Brooke NcNee Limited. She is co-author of 32 Activities on Coaching and Mentoring and 50 Activities for Achieving Change.

Reviews: 'The book is both a useful guide to read from start to finish as well as a handy reference manual. The Mentoring Manual gives valuable insight into the requirements for a successful mentoring scheme and the qualities of an effective mentor ... An excellent catalyst for the mentoring process in your business - the only additional requirement is your commitment.' Simon Shaw, Training Manager, Nestle UK Ltd on TrainingZONE website, March 2000

'... to me the title could more realistically read Everything You Wanted/Needed to Know about Mentoring - and then some! It is written in a very friendly, very readable, interesting, valuable and practical way. There have been a number of books about mentoring published in recent years - for me this is the one I would choose ... I feel that in whichever role or stage you may be involved or are going to be involved in any form of mentoring, this is the book for you.' Leslie Rae, Training Journal, February 2000

'This manual is interesting, useful and enlightening. It is written in a very open style, allowing you to reflect easily on the authors' analyses and views. Echoing their belief that mentoring is essentially about enabling people to develop their own solutions, Whittaker and Cartwright successfully prompt the reader to consider and develop different approaches to mentoring.' Training, May 2000

'In all, this is a useful, gritty, honest book, which does not duck the difficulties and failures, in offering practical frameworks and advice that is based on often hard-won experience.' David Megginson, Sheffield Business School

'The strength of this book is as a handbook to use as a reference for reviewing mentoring policy, procedures and practice. It is a handbook I will have on my shelf and is a useful addition to a staff developer’s library of resources.' Journal of the National Association for Staff Development, June 2000

'If you like your management books to be practical as well as informative you will find much to engage you in this volume ... It will help you understand what mentoring is about and what needs to happen to make schemes succeed. More than that it has plenty of material which you can copy legally - exercises, checklists, models and OHPs ... This is good solid stuff and doesn't make mentoring sound easy, which it isn't, but does make it sound achievable.' People Performance, November 2000

'this text would be helpful to managers trying to establish mentoring schemes' Leadership and Organisational Development Journal, Issue 22 (2001)

'Clear, well-laid out, lots of bullet points.' The Teacher Trainer, November 2001

'This is a very useful book for where mentoring schemes are not yet in place, or where existing ones are faltering. Based on only a few models of learning (noteworthily Kolb and Johari), the Mentoring Manual provides lots of motivation, lots of case studies (diverse ones too, including in education), lots of tips, tricks and mentor development activities, and lots of copiable resources … it's very good value for money.' British Journal of Educational Technology, November 2001