I am a member of a work group that is planning on how mentors can help participants in a new program that is being started.  At our second meeting we looked at several drafts of the job description of a mentor.  At the outset this seemed like an easy task to me.  We would pick the description we like best and then edit it to include good ideas from the other submissions.

As we looked at the material we realized that in many cases a mentor can be seen as either being an expert or in some way being superior to the person they are mentoring.  Neither of these images were what we had in mind for the program we are designing.  So we settled on the title “Ally” in place of the word mentor.  An ally is someone who is rooting for your best interests.  An ally is someone who will listen and give you feedback.  An ally will share from their personal experience and then not try to force any specific response on the person they are working with.

Now our problem is what term to use for the person the ally is assigned to work with.  We are looking for a title that does not set up a hierarchy between the ally and the person they are paired to work with.  Some options we looked at are: navigator, pathfinder, and seeker.  We closed our time together still thinking we had not discovered the term that best fits what we are trying to design.

Following the meeting I thought about all the times people have been allies to me without there being a formal assignment or job description.  I think many of us have gained benefit from relationships like this in our lives.  If this article reminds you of an ally you have found valuable, why not reach out and thank that person for being there for you?  They will find it a boost to their day and also an encouragement to be in that ally role for you or for others in the future.