I co-authored a post this week for PR Conversations with Fred McClimans on the impact and role of mentoring. Here is an excerpt. You can find the full article here.
Excerpt:
The “hyper-connected” generation
Technology, pervasive communication and the global availability of “any information everywhere” have had a negative impact on the state of mentorships.
Twenty years ago we had a culture where peers still relied upon personal face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) real-time communications. As we “graduated up” from high-school to university or college, we were introduced to a new level of peers and potential teachers/mentors. As we left our institutions of higher education and moved into the work-force, each new job opportunity brought with it a “new” level of contacts.
This change in contacts and peers wasn’t necessarily by choice. It was a by-product of the way we communicated and the limitations that geography placed upon our network of “on-demand” peers.
Today’s generation (some may call it Gen Y or Millennials—we’ll use the phrase “hyper-connected” here) faces an interesting conundrum:
As they move from high-school into the work-force, the hyper-connected still encounter the same “new contact” opportunities as their predecessors. The complication is they also bring with them a collection of trusted peers, with whom they remain connected through pervasive communications.
As a “trusted” group, and taking into account peer pressure, it is no surprise they rely heavily on this group of peers when it comes to making lifestyle or career decisions. Rather than seek out the advice of those with experience in their new-found field of employment, the hyper-connected often are likely to seek the counsel of their long-term friends.
This may fill the need the hyper-connected have to gain confirmation or acceptance of their plans, but it diverts their attention from the value that an outside advisor or mentor can bring to the equation…read complete post at PR Conversations.
Related articles
- Mentoring, networking and innovation: a prescription for the 21st century (prconversations.com)
- Let’s Call It What It Is: Pervasive Communication (intelligistgroup.com)
- Turn On, Check In, Hang Out (intelligistgroup.com)
