18 Sep Navigating the Future of Mentorship: Insights on Leadership, AI and the Evolving Business Landscape.
In this engaging interview, Hastha Krishnan catches up with mustafa moochhala, a seasoned HR professional who does cutting-edge Leadership Development (LD) work in large organisations and OD work in small organisations. Mustafa is also a fellow of Sumedhas, an organisation promoting process work.
Hastha: How do you navigate the distinction between coaching and mentoring, given that these roles are often discussed separately in theory but seem to overlap in practice?
Mustafa: The distinction between coaching and mentoring is theoretical, but the roles have a fluidity in practice. While people may define themselves as leaning towards one or the other, the lines tend to blur when you’re genuinely engaged. You don’t always know which hat you wear because the roles often intertwine based on the individual’s needs. Everyone carries their definition, so what one person might call mentoring, another might see as coaching. Ultimately, both roles fall under the broader umbrella of guidance, and whether we label it coaching or mentoring, the key is that it’s about helping people realise their potential.
Hastha: How do you find the balance between Leadership Development (LD) and Organisational Development (OD)? Are there similarities and differences, particularly between large and small organisations?
Mustafa M: Balancing Leadership Development and Organisational Development is like deciding which engine drives the journey. While they are distinct in their objectives, they are deeply interconnected. Leadership Development focuses on nurturing leaders and sharpening their perspectives, skills, and behaviours. It’s about equipping leaders to navigate challenges. On the other hand, Organizational Development looks at how the organisation can become more effective and culturally aligned. OD is the blueprint, while LD is one of its critical components, ensuring that leaders bring that blueprint to life. Without strong leadership, even the most well-designed organisational structures can falter.
OD often focuses on systems, processes, and structures in large organisations to ensure smooth functioning. In contrast, small organisations require a more agile approach, emphasising flexibility and adaptability. Here, OD is about empowering people to take on diverse roles as needed.
Personal relationships also play a larger role in small organisations, where milestones like birthdays are celebrated with genuine enthusiasm. In large organisations, these become more standardised, reflecting the scale and structure of the workforce. While large organisations focus on sustaining systems and processes, small organisations thrive on flexibility and personal connections. Both require a balance between developing leadership and optimising the organisation.
Hastha: What challenges do you face in your areas of specialisation, particularly in the selection processes, skills, and structures and processes for building culture? Mustafa M: Culture-building is complex, and the intersection of leadership, mentoring, and organisational systems plays a critical role. One primary challenge is ensuring that the mentoring process aligns with the organisation’s evolving needs while preserving its core values.
Mentoring is a powerful tool for acculturation within organisations, transmitting implicit knowledge, behaviours, and values that define their culture. For instance, the Tata Group’s strong emphasis on empathy, societal responsibility, and ethical decision-making has been sustained across generations through a deeply ingrained mentoring culture.
The challenge with mentoring lies in its inherent conservatism, which can hinder the adoption of new ideas and innovations. In organisations where mentorship is deeply embedded, there can be resistance to change—an adherence to old methods that may no longer serve the organisation in a rapidly evolving environment. This is evident in older companies, where a strong mentorship culture may slow down the agility needed to innovate and adapt.
Leaders and mentors must balance the wisdom of the past with the possibilities of the future. They must recognise when mentorship reinforces valuable cultural elements and when it may be holding the organisation back. The goal is to cultivate a culture rooted in tradition yet open to innovation, ensuring that mentorship remains a force for positive development rather than a barrier to progress.
Hastha: Post-COVID, what aspects of the human context are being challenged by the emerging business paradigm?
Mustafa: The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered human interactions, particularly within the business context. One of the most profound changes is the erosion of tactile collaboration and personalisation that comes with physical proximity. In the pre-pandemic world, human interactions— whether a handshake, a face-to-face conversation, or a shared meal—were essential for building trust and fostering community within teams.
In the post-COVID landscape, however, the rise of remote work and digital communication has led to a more transactional approach to collaboration. The absence of regular in-person interactions has made it challenging to maintain the organic, overlapping roles that once allowed team members to support one another seamlessly. Today, that natural support system has weakened with everyone working from isolated spaces.
This shift has significant implications for relationship-building within organisations. Physical distance and reliance on virtual platforms have created an environment where trust is harder to establish and takes longer to build. Social rituals vital for fostering trust and unity have largely disappeared in the remote work era.
The new business paradigm has introduced tighter boundaries around roles and responsibilities, leading to a more mechanical, less human-centered approach to work. The richness of interpersonal relationships has diminished, making it harder to maintain the human element in a digital-first work environment.
Leaders must find new ways to cultivate trust and collaboration in a world with limited physical touchpoints. The future of work will depend on our ability to adapt to these changes while preserving the core elements of human connection essential for a thriving organisational culture.
Hastha: How do you see this business evolving over the next five years, particularly in the context of mentorship in the age of AI?
Mustafa M: The landscape of mentorship is on the brink of significant transformation, driven mainly by the rapid advancements in AI. While we’re already seeing a shift in how mentorship is conducted, the next five years could bring about profound and unpredictable changes.
One emerging trend is the evolution of mentorship into a more dynamic, inquiry-driven process. Traditionally, mentorship has been about transferring knowledge, skills, and perspective. However, as AI becomes more embedded in daily operations, the role of mentors will likely shift away from being providers of information. Instead, mentors must help mentees critically assess their behaviours, decisions, and strategies. This evolution will require a more reflective and introspective approach, where mentors guide mentees in asking the right questions and navigating complex situations.
AI also raises intriguing possibilities, such as the emergence of “mentor bots”— AI-driven entities that could take on roles traditionally held by human mentors. While this may seem far-fetched, the rapid pace of AI development suggests it could become a reality sooner than we think. The challenge will be balancing AI’s efficiency and precision with the irreplaceable human elements of empathy, intuition, and emotional intelligence.
As AI tools become more sophisticated, mentees may increasingly rely on them to validate or challenge the advice given by human mentors. This dynamic could lead to a more collaborative relationship between mentors and mentees, where both are engaged in continuous learning and adaptation.
However, it’s essential to recognise that we are still in the early stages of understanding AI’s full implications on mentorship. The traditional mentorship model centred on imparting knowledge and experience is likely to undergo significant redefinition.
In this new era, the most successful mentors will be those who embrace uncertainty and remain flexible, adapting their approaches as technology—and their mentees—evolve. They will need to focus more on helping mentees cultivate critical thinking, ethical judgment, and the ability to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. As we all grapple with AI’s changes, the future of mentorship will undoubtedly be shaped by those who can blend human insight with AI’s power.
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