Power Mentoring

PM, Contains advice and a how-to plan for those looking to be protégés or mentors and for those who already are. Find out more. Read this review.


Today, few employees spend their entire career at one company. Some people move from company to company in search of raises and promotions; while some move from project to project. Most people will switch careers at some point. This means that there is no longer one clear pathway to success, much less a clearly defined career pathway. That is why mentors are more important today than ever before, and why Power Mentoring, by Ellen Ensher and Susan Murphy, is such an important book. It contains advice and a how-to plan for those looking to be protégés or mentors and for those who already are.

Employment patterns have changed, and so have the needs of employees. Mentoring relationships have changed as well. Just as most of us do not stay with one employer, most of us do not stay with just one mentor. According to Ensher and Murphy, Power Mentoring is all about "showing you how to actively develop and improve your relationships with others and, in doing so, gain all of the career outcomes that you have always imagined."

The modern work environment requires managers who can work skillfully with diverse employees, who can enable employees to balance work and personal lives, and who can respond to customers´ changing needs. Technology has changed the face of the workplace by blurring the boundaries between work and home. Employees have more demands, but they also have more choices. According to research on mentoring, mentors furnish both emotional and career support. They help clarify expectations, encourage development, and provide opportunities for a protégé to learn and grow.


by Ellen Ensher and Susan Murphy