In a recent article published in American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)’s Professional Safety Journal, Dan Hopwood, VP, Regional Risk Control leader, Sompo GRS and Wyatt Bradbury, HSE advisor for Hitachi Rail and adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, share their views on the ways mentorship within ASSP communities has evolved over the past few years. From the fundamental traits of mentors and mentees to the natural phases that occur in the mentor/mentee relationship, the article focuses on articulating qualitative, experiential elements of a mentoring relationship within the OSH environment.
They frame the mentoring relationship in a four-phase model, and note that a truly successful mentorship, “can be measured by intent, effort and support as well as an understanding that, at the conclusion of the mentoring engagement, both the mentor and mentee are operating within the same phase.”
Emphasizing the importance of mentors being motivational, empowering and ethical and said, “the best teachers are great communicators,” and added that mentees must be committed and active in the relationship in order to experience true success on their journeys.