Mentoring is currently a hot topic in many mainstream magazines. Even Michelle Obama has been interviewed by US magazine More about “her deep commitment to mentoring and why it’s so important to her”.
Mentoring provides a unique forum for industries, including the spa sector, to grow and educate people. The Spa Management Career Trends Survey, a recent report of 548 spa managers, has highlighted how mentoring is viewed as an important element in running a successful spa facility.
The survey, revealed at the Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) in October, found that:
* 94 per cent of spa managers feel that having a mentor is important
* 89 per cent have had mentors who’ve helped them along the way
* 26 per cent wish they had more mentoring from an experienced spa professional
* 65 per cent have had an industry mentor
The survey was put together by a GSWS sub-committee – the Global Spa Management Education Task Force – which feels that spa associations around the globe are well-placed to provide a hub for local mentor/mentee connections.
It also uncovered some websites which provide excellent information on best practices and how to start a mentor programme: www.mentorscout.com and www.mentoring-association.org.
The committee members are now looking into what a spa industry mentorship programme might include and how they can take matters further. They welcome input, so if you would like to be involved, please contact [email protected]. See more survey results on p26.