Professional friendships

The Arts Marketing Association’s (AMA) mentoring scheme was established in 2000 after a pilot showed mentoring to be an invaluable professional development tool for those working in arts marketing and audience development. Mentees on the AMA scheme have benefited from the support and guidance offered by their mentors, and mentors have commented on how mentoring has improved their relationships with colleagues, and positively affected their management style. Hollie Latham, Marketing and Development Manager at The New Art Gallery Walsall and a participant as both a mentee and a mentor, sums up the benefits of mentoring: “Mentoring has given me the opportunity to have in-depth discussions with another arts professionals on a broad range of topics, from every day challenges to strategic decisions. The scheme enables professional development through encouragement, support, active listening and goal setting; this process has motivated and inspired me both in the workplace and beyond.”

Insider knowledge
Clutterbuck Associates, who help organisations to develop and implement effective mentoring and coaching programmes, provided the training for the AMA pilot scheme. They describe mentoring as a “professional friendship”, where mutual respect and an effort to understand each other from the outset are key. Sally Goldsmith, Marketing and Press Manager at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, agrees: “Having a mentor is like having a professional best friend. To be able to share ideas and get a steer on things you are working on is wonderful – especially as it’s impartial. I have grown in confidence having a mentor – knowing that many of my ideas are good has allowed me to feel more able to champion change in my organisation.” Clutterbuck Associates distinguish between the roles of line manager and mentor: “In general, line managers focus on developing people for the roles they are currently in; mentors for the longer term and for a much broader range of issues.” A recent mentee says, “It’s been really helpful to have regular meetings with a mentor who understands the challenges I face and brings an experienced outside perspective. I always come away from meetings feeling energised and with so much motivation and new ideas for my current work and future career.”
Taking a step back
The benefits of taking a moment to consider your work and career away from day-to-day issues, can also extend to your organisation. Mentees, and mentors, often take fresh ideas, honed skills and renewed enthusiasm back to their workplaces. In the words of another mentee, “Mentoring has helped me to stay motivated at work during difficult times and to feel more proactive in negotiating my way through changes in my role and the organisation.” The AMA provides training and support to enable participants to get the most out of their mentoring relationship. A mentor and mentee usually meet once every six to eight weeks, and the average length of a mentoring relationship is around 18 months. It is important to meet face to face in order to build rapport and develop trust, and it is recommended that ground rules and a programme of contact are discussed and agreed in the initial meetings. Once matched, mentors and mentees are responsible for managing when to end their relationship; however, the AMA monitors and supports the relationship for up to two years.
Participation in the AMA scheme is subject to attending a training workshop delivered by Pam Henderson, who designed and implemented the scheme. The training day gives participants the skills they need to get the maximum benefit out of mentoring sessions. Mentors and mentees train together, giving an insight into the other’s role, which improves mutual understanding. There is some theory, but most of the day is spent on practical exercises. Mentors and mentees are able to practise in pairs, providing an opportunity to learn skills in building rapport, active listening, goal-setting and giving constructive feedback. Henderson believes that training is vital to the success of the relationship, saying, “It makes sense for all prospective mentors and mentees to participate in a training programme because it increases the likelihood of a successful mentoring relationship. Through training, both mentors and mentees can develop a shared understanding of what and how they each need to contribute to make the relationship productive. Moreover, they can identify what skills they already have and which they need to develop in order to take full advantage of the learning opportunities that mentoring offers.”
Gaining perspective
There is no great mystery to being a good mentor. Successful mentors usually have a genuine interest in helping others develop, and an ability to work in an unstructured programme. Mentoring can revitalise your interest in your current work as you inevitably get a greater understanding of key issues through reflection with your mentee. As someone who has experienced mentoring from both sides attests, “Participating in the AMA’s mentoring scheme, both as a mentor and a mentee, has been a central part of my professional development, and has helped me to bring different perspectives to my work. It is a very rewarding experience and has had a positive impact on my work from both angles.”
For a mentee, having a mentor builds self-confidence and increases motivation through sharing experiences and getting one-to-one feedback. In working with a mentor you stand to benefit from their knowledge and experience, develop your skills as an arts marketer and clarify your professional goals. As one mentee puts it, “Meeting up with my mentor every six weeks has given me time to regularly reflect on my role at work and my career progression. I have found it helpful to get another more experienced person’s point of view on challenges I have been facing.” The AMA pairs up mentors and mentees following in-depth telephone conversations with mentees. The aim of this process is to pair up a mentee with a mentor who has 5–10 years more professional experience, and can help the mentee fulfil their development objectives. Both the mentor and mentee have input into this matching process and factors such as geographical location and areas of interest and expertise are considered. The AMA matches up to 20 mentoring pairs in each cohort and currently runs one cohort per year with training days usually taking place in the autumn.