Mentoring provides a pause button in a relentlessly fast-paced world, writes Áine Mac Grory
I knew I wanted to be a pharmacist around the age of 15. Before that I had always wanted to
be a teacher. My mother and grandmother were teachers, and it was the only profession I understood as a child. I wanted to be like my mother.
Mom said I didn’t have the personality to be a teacher and as always, she was right. Not going to lie, I am so grateful she warned me off. Teachers have a curriculum to get through, regardless of whether the students want to learn what’s in it. The moment I’m faced with explaining something to someone who’s not engaged or just not getting it, the micromanager in me takes over and suddenly, I’m doing it all myself. The result? No learning for anyone. Curriculums, structured plans, forced patience… game over.
September 2025 hits and I receive an email from the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP). Mentorship Skills Training for Pharmacists. I’ll be honest, I conflated teaching and mentoring and deduced I would be terrible at this, so why bother? Curiosity got the better of me though and I did have some CPD hours to complete, so I registered. Maybe I won’t be a mentor, but there are always learnings!
How right I was. The course consisted of three evening workshops hosted by an extraordinarily qualified and experienced mentor, Judith Spring.
I guess the draw for me was the relationship dynamic of mentor-mentee being based off a shared commitment to learning. A mentee comes to a mentor with a goal and crucially, both parties work together to (hopefully) achieve it.
Having completed the workshops, I have become increasingly interested in the idea of mentoring and the impact it can have, not just on those being mentored, but on those who take on the role themselves. Initially I associated mentoring with guidance or advice- giving, something practical and perhaps
a little formal. But through reflection and experience, I have come to see it as something much deeper and more human: A conversation built on trust, curiosity, and the belief that every person already has within them the potential to grow. Mentoring, at its heart, is about creating the right space for that growth to happen.
The more I think about it, the more I realise that mentoring is less about transferring knowledge and more
about helping someone think. It’s about helping them make sense of their own ideas, experiences, and decisions. When you strip it back, a mentor’s real gift is attention, the ability to listen without judgement, to ask questions that provoke reflection, and to support someone as they find their own answers. It’s a partnership rather than a hierarchy. The mentor isn’t the expert; they’re a companion on the journey.
The purpose of mentoring is development of skills and knowledge as well as confidence, self-awareness,
and perspective. In a world where work can feel relentlessly fast-paced and transactional, mentoring provides a pause button. It allows people to step back and ask: What do I want here? What’s working? What’s not? Those are deceptively simple questions, but they can be transformative when explored in the safety of a trusted relationship.
For those new to a profession, mentoring can make the difference between surviving and thriving. It helps people navigate the early uncertainty of their role, build resilience, and develop the confidence to contribute fully. But mentoring isn’t only for newcomers. At any stage of a career, it can reignite purpose and curiosity. Mentors often describe learning as much from their mentees as the other way around. The process forces you to reflect on your own assumptions, communication, and leadership — it’s an exercise in self- awareness as much as in support.
One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is the centrality of listening. I used to think listening was a passive act, but I’ve come to appreciate that it’s one of the most active and generous things we can offer another person. True listening requires setting aside your own agenda and focusing fully on the other person their words, tone, and emotions. There are many levels of listening, from hearing to respond,
to hearing to understand. The deepest level — sometimes called global listening — involves being entirely present and attentive, picking up not only what’s said but also what’s implied or felt. This was an unexpected additional learning opportunity for me. One that I will need to continuously work on but at least I have identified it. That identification is landmark progress for me.
I learned that through mentoring, silence becomes part of that listening. Allowing pauses gives the mentee room to think, and often it’s in those quiet moments that clarity emerges. I’ve seen how powerful it can be simply to hold that space, resisting the urge to fill it with advice or reassurance. The mentee usually gets to the answer themselves, and that ownership makes the learning stick.
Another key insight has been recognising that everyone learns and thinks differently. We each bring our own learning style whether we are activists who prefer to jump straight in, reflectors who need to think before acting, theorists who like to understand the reasoning, or pragmatists who want to apply ideas immediately. Understanding these differences changes the way I approach mentoring conversations. It reminds me that my way of processing information isn’t universal and that flexibility is essential.
The same is true for personality. Some people are confident and expressive; others are more cautious and need time to build trust. Some respond to challenge; others need empathy first. Effective mentoring means adapting — meeting people where they are rather than trying to mould them into something else. It’s about drawing out what’s already there, not imposing what we think should be.
As I reflect further, I realise that good mentoring sits somewhere between support and challenge. Too much support, and the mentee stays comfortable; too much challenge, and the relationship becomes strained. The art lies in balancing both. Asking thoughtful, sometimes uncomfortable questions like ‘What’s really stopping you?’ or ‘What would you do if you weren’t afraid of failing?’ can be far more empowering than offering a solution. Challenge, when it comes from a place of respect and belief, becomes a gift. Judith drove that point home and it stuck with me.
I realise that good mentoring sits somewhere between support and challenge
Mentoring is also an extraordinary act of reciprocity. The mentee gains insight and confidence, but the mentor grows in empathy and perspective. It reminds me of my own journey and how far I’ve come. I had a mentor before going into pharmacy ownership and I wouldn’t be where I am now without their support. I always wondered what they got out of it. I guess there’s a quiet satisfaction in helping someone else find their footing, but also a humility in realising that learning never stops, for either of you. Beyond individual relationships, mentoring contributes to something larger: A culture of openness and learning. When people mentor each other, trust deepens across teams and generations. It breaks down barriers and encourages collaboration. It signals that learning isn’t just about courses or formal training; it’s about people helping people to think better, work better, and be better.
If I’ve taken one message from this reflection, it’s that mentoring is one of the simplest yet most profound ways to make a difference. It doesn’t require authority, or perfection, or a long list of achievements. What it does require is attention, compassion, and a belief in the potential of others. It’s about being willing to listen, to ask, and to walk alongside someone as they discover what they are capable of.
Each conversation has the potential to open new understandings for both people involved. It’s a reminder that learning is a lifelong process, and that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is to give someone the space to find their own voice.
Áine is a Superintendent Pharmacist and pharmacy owner with over 18 years of experience working in community pharmacies across Ireland. In 2014, she earned her Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree in the UK. Her career journey has encompassed a variety of roles, including locum, support, and supervising, culminating in her recent transition to pharmacy ownership. She is deeply committed to upholding the integrity and vital role of community pharmacy in Ireland, combining her extensive experience with a passion for patient care and professional excellence.
