On Dec. 16, Innovation Gainesville took a step toward achieving its goal to provide everyone in the community the opportunity to have or be a mentor. iG hosted more than 30 individuals from diverse business and personal backgrounds at a panel discussion at the Santa Fe College Center for Innovation & Economic Development (CIED) entitled “Mentoring—How To Be One/How To Have One.”
The event, moderated by Marilynn Tubb, Santa Fe College associate vice president for college relations, featured discussions by mentoring training specialists Sherry Riddle, Shands HealthCare human resources development coordinator, and Eric Simmone, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences extension director. The pair spoke to attendees from nonprofit organizations, government agencies, local businesses and other mentoring specialists.
“The people in our lives do make a difference,” Tubb explained. “Most successful people can point to the pivotal role someone else played in their career development whether by giving thoughtful advice at an important time or by simply listening well and asking the right questions, and that is the essence of mentoring.”
Both Riddle and Simmone stressed that the mentoring relationship should be learning relationship in which both parties are open and honest enough to give or receive tough love.
“A mentor must be more than just a technical adviser,” Simmone said. “Google is as good a technical adviser as you can find, but it cannot fill the role of a mentor.”
The forum ended with a question and answer session that centered on ways to monitor and assess mentoring programs, and how one might be implemented across the entire community.
“We are working to enhance our company’s employee development plan with the addition of some mentoring fundamentals,” said Stacia Madden, Exactech, Inc. facilities office, “Mentorship has proven to be an important building block for all great individuals, and a mentoring program that can span an entire community sounds like a positive step toward community and business growth.”
Thanks to both Sherry Riddle and Eric Simmone for their time and expertise, and to Marilyn Tubb and SFC for leading the discussion at the CIED. Look for more mentoring events as we grow this effort in 2011.
