Mentoring is a relationship and a set of processes where one person offers help, guidance, advice and support to facilitate the learning or development of another person.

What is a mentor?
A mentor is a guide, an advisor and can be a critical friend who, through their own experience, supports the learning of the mentee (the person being mentored).

What is the role of the mentor?
The role can alter depending on the mentee (the young umpire). However, a mentor should:

• Be interested in developing themselves and others

• Help others to reach their potential

• Observe and assess

• Help clarify goals and objectives of the young umpire

• Have skills to share – be a role mode

• Support the learning of the young umpire

• Provide ideas for sources of information

• Listen to the young umpire

• Act as a sounding board for ideas

• Challenge ideas

• Inspire confidence

• Be reliable

How can the mentor provide support to the young umpire?

The mentor’s responsibility is to keep the young umpire at the centre of the relationship and try to ensure that learning occurs.

Some ideas as to how this can be done:

• Listen to the young umpire’s issues and problems

• Observe and assess the young umpire’s practice sessions
  
  
• Help the young umpire feel good about what they have achieved
  
  
• Help the young umpire think about all aspects of their umpiring
  
  
• Ask ‘How’s it going?’
  
  
• Help the young umpire to work through problems
  
  
• Provide advice and guidance yet enable the young umpire to work out their own judgements and make their own decisions
  

What can a mentor get out of mentoring a young umpire?

Mentoring can:

• Give job satisfaction and a sense of achievement
  
  
• Improve your own coaching related skills such as communication, analysis and observation
  
  
• Develop umpire coaches of the future