How real PM mentoring actually works
From the The Money Files Blog
by Elizabeth Harrin
A blog that looks at all aspects of project and program finances from budgets, estimating and accounting to getting a pay rise and managing contracts.
Written by Elizabeth Harrin from RebelsGuideToPM.com.
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Does your organisation have a mentoring scheme? Some companies have schemes where they match individuals to mentors. Others publish mentoring ‘packs’ or training information so individuals can work it out between themselves, but within the guidance and expectations of the Learning & Development Team.
The trouble with formal schemes – in my view – is that they make it hard to sustain meaningful mentoring relationships, and it’s not because of motivation, it’s part of the design.
Formal mentoring can stall
If your company has a structured scheme, you might find it takes ages to be matched with someone, because normally there are more people wanting a mentor than there are mentors to go round. The mentor matching process is structured and that puts a big burden on the HR team to do the matching.
Plus, you might end up with someone with whom you don’t ‘click’.
In a formal scheme, it feels like there is pressure to ‘add value’ and show that to be the case.
Mentoring in practice
What mentoring looks like in practice is short, focused conversations. It’s those calls when a colleague rings you and asks for a second opinion. It’s context-specific advice, often between peers. It’s you sharing some insight with your manager (reverse mentoring) and informal check ins when you know a colleague has had a hard day.
As project managers, we mentor all the time, probably without thinking much about it. Any time you’ve said, “I know where that policy is, let me show you,” or, “Here’s how to raise that request, I know because I did it last week,” that’s mentoring.
Mentoring without burning out
If you have a formal mentoring scheme in your organisation, great, sign up for it, take the training and be part of the programme, if that’s what you want. It will probably be a very positive and meaningful experience.
But if you don’t have that structure, you can still support colleagues with micro-mentoring moments. You can sharing experiences, not solutions, you can help people set boundaries.
Being mentored
Again, if you have a formal scheme to take part in, go for it, as it will most likely be valuable if you match with someone you can build a good relationship with. But if you don’t, you can still access mentoring, without having to ask someone for a formal relationship or a mentoring contract.
Ask for feedback on what you are doing. Get more experienced project managers to share their stories. And share yours too. As an entry-level or less experienced project manager you also have knowledge and life experience to share.
Mentoring as a project manager – whether you do it formally or through simply being open about what you know with colleagues, is a great way to learn more about the organisation and it can be part of everyone’s roles. It can become a habit, a way of working, rather than time you put in your calendar. Those small conversations compound over time. Tell me in the comments, do you have a mentor? Do you share your knowledge freely within the wider organisation and how has that paid off for your colleagues and yourself? I’d love to know!
Posted on: May 11, 2026 12:00 AM |
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Comments (2)
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Hi Eli
Yeah we have a mentor scheme kind of formal.
With every RSE projects (for the Spanish acronism, corporate social responsibility) it is led by graduates, together with engineers without border foundation.
I entered the program 3 years ago as mentor, and I noticed that the challenge was Project management rather than technical aspects that the original mentorship was looking for.
So then I have continued mentoring every generation freely.
I do it as volunteer I am not looking for reward but it gives me a lot of purpose in my profesional life, not everything is money back payment, I am looking for more significant profesional life with real meaning so young engineers can work with purpose not following salaries.
I hope to be contributing
Thanks Rodrigo Frias
SANTOSH BADGUJAR
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER| Accumax Lab Devices
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Mentoring is one of the most underinvested development tools in project management. In my experience, the most powerful mentoring moments happen informally — a seasoned leader sharing what went wrong on a project, not just what went right. Formal matching programs often lack the psychological safety for those genuine conversations. The best mentors I've had challenged my assumptions more than they validated my decisions. Great practical framing here.
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