| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to explore how eight female administrators at a suburban community college located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States made sense of their experiences in informal mentoring relationships and the significance and value they placed on these experiences. Through interviewing these participants and gaining a better acuity on the feelings that each participant experienced by being a part of an informal mentoring relationship, the researcher was able to gain a true understanding of the impact of informal mentoring on these participants. A phenomenological approach of qualitative research was implemented. Data was collected through interviews with eight mid-level female community college administrators who revealed their lived experiences of informal mentoring. By following IPA methodologies for research analysis, themes were discovered, modified and adjusted to create four superordinate themes. The superordinate themes discovered during this process were: 1) Non-judgmental work environment 2) Self-worth and confidence growth, 3) Transfer of Power, and 4) Empowerment towards reaching goals. The themes showed that these participants not only benefitted career wise by participating in informal mentoring, but they have also benefitted on personal levels as well. Self-confidence, career success, professional development and leadership opportunities resulted from these experiences. This research demonstrates the need for more institutions of higher education to implement informal mentoring as part of the professional development of their employees and how this professional development could cultivate a more robust work environment and assist in succession planning.
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