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Mentoring plays a critical role in accelerating the development of emerging directors, strengthening confidence, capability and board renewal.
Effective mentoring is grounded in selfless guidance, active listening and open questioning, enabling mentees to reach their own insights rather than simply receiving advice.
By creating a safe yet appropriately challenging environment, mentors build the self-assurance and perspective new directors need to contribute effectively and grow into future leadership roles.
Emerging directors need time to find their feet, but the guidance of a mentor can accelerate the learning process and equip them with the confidence, perspective and capability required for effective board renewal.
At its best, mentoring promotes the sharing of knowledge, skills and experience to promote professional growth, development and opportunity. A relationship of guidance rather than instruction, it can bring personal and professional benefits for both parties while fast-tracking a new director’s understanding of board culture, expectations and governance responsibilities.
It also encourages reflection, exposes mentees to diverse perspectives, helps them to navigate complex stakeholder relationships and fosters a mindset of continuous learning that supports stronger decision making, board effectiveness and long-term organisational resilience.
Gorana Saula GAICD, chair of Sharpe Engineering, Galvin Engineering and TDMN, views mentoring as “part of the governance responsibility”.
“The more we invest in emerging talent, the stronger our leaders become,” she says. “Better leaders make better decisions and that leads to more resilient organisations.”
Mentoring in practice
While good mentors are invested in the success of their mentees, they prioritise support and development, rather than control.
“Mentoring has to be selfless,” says Andrew Donovan FAICD, board adviser and chair of Moores. “I’ve seen well-intentioned senior directors turn mentoring sessions into stories about themselves. There may be wisdom in that, but mentoring isn’t about elevating your own narrative; it’s about the mentee, the organisations they serve and, ultimately, the role of directorship in society.”
Effective mentoring provides guidance while allowing mentees to reach their own conclusion, says Genevieve Hawkins GAICD, founder of Mentally at Work and advisory board chair of The Next Group.
“If you jump too quickly into advice mode, you take away the opportunity for the other person to wrestle with the issue and reach their own insight,” she says. “When they come to their own conclusion — even with a few nudges from you — the learning sticks.”
What does this look like in practice? Saula says effective mentoring requires a blend of open questions and active listening.
“Rather than prescribing answers, I guide them through the thinking process,” she says. “I might share a similar experience from my own career, but not to impose my view, simply to broaden their perspective.”
Guiding mentees requires asking open questions, such as “What options have you considered?” or, “What is your instinct telling you?”
“Active listening is critical,” says Saula. “Don’t jump to conclusions or straight to solutions. Often, I’ll ask, ‘What’s the real problem you’re trying to solve?’ Then we unpack it — what are the options, the pros and cons?”
Rosina Hislop FAICD, chair of retirement living and in-home care provider ECH, says it’s valuable for mentees to set the agenda and outline their own goals.
“Mentoring is about stewardship and investing in someone’s long-term growth, not managing their immediate outputs,” she says.
A mentee’s perspective :
Rosina Hislop is currently mentoring a first-time chair and is drawing on her own experience as a mentee to help provide guidance.
“I was a participant in the AICD’s Chairs’ Mentoring Program last year,” she says. “Within minutes of meeting my mentor, I felt she was genuinely interested in me, not just performing a role. She was energetic, engaged and curious. That genuine interest created a sense of safety straight away.”
Hislop met her mentor about 10 times over the year and often asked her to “pressure test” an idea.
“She would fire questions one after another. Often, I’d realise I’d already considered many of them, which was affirming. But there would always be one or two brilliant questions I hadn’t thought of and that’s where the real value lay.
“Other conversations were broader,” she adds. “What does my next board look like? What does my portfolio say about my passions? She helped me define my ‘light on the hill’. When storms come — and they do — that clarity matters.”
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A safe learning space
It’s common for new directors to feel overwhelmed or to question their place in a boardroom. Mentors can play a key role in building their confidence by creating a safe learning environment.
“Candour is critical,” says Donovan. “As a mentee, I benefited enormously when respected directors shared their mistakes. It was useful professionally, but also personally. It showed me that everyone makes mistakes.”
When providing feedback for mentees, Saula recommends reinforcing what worked well. “If something didn’t land as intended, I encourage reflection: ‘How do you think that went? Would you approach it differently next time?’ It’s about helping them step back and learn.”
Hislop adds that humility can normalise learning curves. “One mentor told me, ‘Confidence in the boardroom doesn’t come from always being right, it comes from learning quickly when you’re wrong’. That removes fear and accelerates growth.”
However, safe learning environments aren’t always comfortable. Conversations may involve some gentle interrogation.
“You don’t get a pearl without grit,” says Donovan. “If there’s care and purpose behind it, sometimes a push is necessary. Mentees have to be willing to be challenged.”
Donovan adds that effective mentoring helps emerging directors build the self-assurance essential for successful board renewal.
“Ultimately, what they give you is confidence,” he says. “A safe place to let your guard down, test your thinking and work things through. That’s what reinforces that you belong in the boardroom.”
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